Ghana

I'm going to Ghana with madventurer to do the medical project.

I'm not sure whether to go for 2 or 3 months.

Thing is I'm quite picky about food...and also the living conditions would be pretty basic...im not sure if id still enjoy it 3 months later!!

has anyone been on this project or to ghana for 3 months or more...and how did you find it?

Reply 1

NDGAARONDI

16

I haven't but my girlfriend is from Ghana. Where abouts in Ghana will you be? If you can be in Accra it might lessen the difference between your current state of living between two countries as Accra is pretty westernised. I'm planning in going to Ghana some time, probably to see my future uncles and whatever. :rolleyes:

Reply 2

*Stargirl*

OP

aww sweet lol

yep I'd be going to Accra...although over the summer we went to croatia and I was hit pretty hard by the fact that in england it had been 15 degrees and over there it was 35degrees...and apparently all they eat is lentils.

if anyone's been could you please say if the heat was hard to bear..ditto with the food and basic conditions!and how long you stayed for. thanx

Reply 3

hmspinafore

Hi,

I went to Ghana a couple of years as part of a village link with one in Norther Ghana.

Accra itself is much like England in many ways. It's fairly safe, has a good nightlife, bustling market(s) and some great heritage.

Kumasi is the central city many hours bus ride north. Be careful how you travel around.. there road fatality rate is horrendus. I guess your company will have laid on a private bus/car. They absolutely love football in Kumasi. If you get a chance to see a game then go.

Tamale is the northern capitol and where we stayed for most of the trip. It has a bustling market and some of the best mechanics in the world. I saw them repair a written off 52 seater coach over night using tools the aa would laugh at.

Outside of this area is the poorer villages we tried to help. It was a real shock to see people walikng miles each day to fetch stagnant water and women dying frequently in childbirth. Still, my grandfather is an honoury cheif and the reception and visiting the elders we recieved will stay with me for years.

Another good thing is the Mole game reserve. I think it has the largest collection of free elephants in the world. We were given tours and you get soo close to lots of beautiful creatures. It was really cheap to stay in the hotel and it's swimming pool is famous the world over.

Try and see the Volga dam, we never went that far east but i'd love to see it if i went back.

Generally Ghana is very safe and cheap, although expect to be ripped off if you are white, sad but true. Most people accept bartering. Accomodation is good and cheap, as is access to the internet.

There are very few snakes and other nasties around there, they don't like the soil very much.

All the best and pm me if you have any other questions

Charlie

Reply 4

rosemkate

i've been to Ghana and it is very much westernised. the place is very cheap and if you wanted to you could eat english food for the whole duration, most restaurants sell chips and burgers etc. the food you can buy is very varied and cheap and good. if you go in supermarkets you can even buy ok and now magazines and red bull etc. internet assess is very good and again cheap and the big plus is that pretty much everyone can speak english, so language shouldn't be much of a problem. you should stay for 3 months cos Ghana's a great place and and 99% of people that have been there really enjoyed themselves. Aslo about what the previous post said about being ripped off if you're white, it's very much true, cos they see you and then they see money! but everyone barters there and you can get really great bargains esp if you go to non-tourist areas.

good luck with your trip and have a great time :smile:

Reply 5

*Stargirl*

OP

well i wouldnt mind being ripped off lol - they probably need the money more than I do, I only hope they'd use it well.
ok well it sounds fantastic!! thank you very much for your replies...i will go for 3 months. Id like to visit the poorer areas of Ghana..I have weekends free...how far away are the poorer places in terms of hours?

Reply 6

rosemkate

*Stargirl*

well i wouldnt mind being ripped off lol - they probably need the money more than I do, I only hope they'd use it well.
ok well it sounds fantastic!! thank you very much for your replies...i will go for 3 months. Id like to visit the poorer areas of Ghana..I have weekends free...how far away are the poorer places in terms of hours?

in any city you're gonna find poor people but i think you mean poor like no food poor, well the poorest part of Ghana is the north. the government kinda forgets about about them, they regenerate the south but leave the north.

it depends on the people you give money to, if you give it to street sellers then yes they will use it well, like the bread and fruit sellers but the taxi drivers get enough money, i wouldn't call them 'poor'.

Reply 7

rosemkate

you should go and do tourist things like going to Cape Coast to see the slave castle and Kakum park. Kakum park is a national park and you can go an a walk, which is above the ground and very scary! above a forest, thats near Cape Coast so you can do both things together. just found a wiki entry about the park http://wikitravel.org/en/Kakum_National_Park .i'll be happy to answer anymore questions.

just show this clip, to give you an idea about Ghana http://youtube.com/watch?v=zeEriha6LJc

Reply 8

Jxhn

13

defintely get yourself to the volta region, the dam and surronding area are fantastic. And try not to buy off the "looky-looky" sellers on the roads, its like dangerous, so don't encourage them.

Reply 9

*Stargirl*

OP

no i wouldnt buy from the roads...

the touristy things look great but I just couldn't do anything like that in Ghana...I'd feel so guilty for enjoying myself in a country where so many people suffer...although i suppose id see lots of beautiful sights anyway!

that video is great...i think 3 months will go quick!

Oh i also wanted to ask if its a good idea for me to bring my camera..and have any of you had things stolen whilst you walked around ghana? Just thats its quite new...Id be staying with the madventurer house (the company) so i suppose it'd be safe in there..could i carry it with me though?

and how easy it is to get involved with the general public? are they happy to have you helping them or chatting to them, or do they like getting on with things themselves?

Reply 10

rosemkate

*Stargirl*

no i wouldnt buy from the roads...

the touristy things look great but I just couldn't do anything like that in Ghana...I'd feel so guilty for enjoying myself in a country where so many people suffer...although i suppose id see lots of beautiful sights anyway!

that video is great...i think 3 months will go quick!

Oh i also wanted to ask if its a good idea for me to bring my camera..and have any of you had things stolen whilst you walked around ghana? Just thats its quite new...Id be staying with the madventurer house (the company) so i suppose it'd be safe in there..could i carry it with me though?

and how easy it is to get involved with the general public? are they happy to have you helping them or chatting to them, or do they like getting on with things themselves?

buying from the road side isn't bad, they need the business and its convenient lots of people sell by the road. i don't mean you should buy the stuff when your in a car or something but when you go there and you see the traders, then you'll know that its very common thing. its cos renting a place is expensive and not everyone will see you.

trust me Ghanaians enjoy themselves alot! when i was there we were going to parties and weddings (which lasted 3 days) all the time. Accra is not like the Africa you see on the tv, people are happy and don't let things worry them a lot. you should do touristy things cos a large part of the Ghanaian economy relieves on tourism and its a holiday, enjoy your self. Ghanaians are rich enough to got to lots of concert! and hip-life is very popular music there http://youtube.com/watch?v=_ylA59j8s7s

Ghana is one of the safest countries in Africa, it doesn't suffer from civil wars etc and its doing really well economically as well. you can bring your camera cos its a safe place and you can travel at night as well safely. Ghanaians are really friendly and they always help people, its known for its friendly people, read some of the comments on the first video i posted, you'll see that they are friendly people.

i'll be happy to answer any more question :smile:

Reply 11

Fubar

As the previous poster implied I think you have a slightly distorted view of Ghana. While there are obviously parts in poverty the vast majority of Ghanaians live a decent life. You don't need to feel guilty for enjoying yourself, you won't be walking into a refugee zone and your tourist money will be more than welcome.

Buy from the roadside, the food is cheap, safe, and tasty (I had 'the runs' twice in two months, and neither time from roadside food).

I never used a money belt in Accra, never felt threatened or in danger of theft. Definately take your camera. In my experience Ghana is very safe, and the people more than happy to see you if you make the effort to chat.

Ghana

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