Cape Coast to Accra - Day 295

Date: June 9th, 2010
Distance: 62km (Also a ride in a truck.)
Country: Ghana
Song of the Day: 52-50 - O.A.R.

I woke up and my first mission was to buy a new Camera. I knew it was going to be a bit expensive (and it was), but it is a necessity. I know that many of the things I have seen (like those from Togo and eastern Ghana) are going to have to remain as fading memories. For most of the amazing things that I see and want to show people. Being able to share this adventure with everyone reading this makes it seem as if I am not so alone out here. So I got a new camera in Cape Coast. We will see how that works out.

It was almost noon by the time I got checked out and headed over to Cape Coast Castle. This one was built about 150 years after Elmina. Originally built by the Swedes, then taken by the Danes and finally the British. I didn't think that it would be all that great, so I didn't intend to stay long, but it was amazing. Inside there is a fairly good museum. It covers not only the castle, but also the local culture and some of the African diaspora. There is also a nice tour of the castle. It was used for a few centuries as a slave trading fort. The tour guide both here and at Elmina played up the inhuman conditions the slaves were forced into. First, each was sold at auction, then branded with the name of his or her new owner. Hundreds of men and women were then crammed into small cells for months at a time. The stench from sweat, mold and human waste must have been awful. (While I do agree with the brutality of it, I do wonder how the conditions differed from that of the soldiers or sailors who lived there.) I ended up spending way too much time here. Then again, I can't say that it was time wasted.

From there I did finally get on the road. I headed about 30km down the highway to a place called Fort Amsterdam. It is a ruined fort along the coast. I enjoy the way nature takes over after a while. So I really wanted to see this place. Sadly when I got there, the caretaker was out. So I had to content myself with looking at the outside. It was interesting, but not spectacular. Oh well.

After leaving the fort it started to rain. Again, I don't mind the rain. It was nice and cool. I made it another 30km before it got dark. After that I was able to hitch a ride on a passing truck. They gave me a ride back into town. The traffic was just terrible though. The rain made everything just crawl. The guys dropped me off near my guest house. From there it was an exciting ride through rain and traffic to get back. I love going faster than cars on my bike.

-Dravis