Day 7- Sunday relax and breathing in Atimpoku.

Bridge on Volta River (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

Getting prepared to the very important next week, I and Emilie went to another hotel for getting internet and talking about my duties of next week in Mpakadan fish-farm. 

Finally I saw the bridge that has been forbidden to cross by car because of some damages, usually used as crucial point to link the two shores of the Volta River.

Nowadays, whilst the bridge is being fixed, people can manage to cross the river thanks to two fairies: one of them can also pick up cars and tro-tros on board. 

Tilapia soup served with rice (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

      

Day 6- First trip on my own in Accra.

tro-tro parked near to Accra Mall (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

Today Emilie had to pass the whole day in the guesthouse for recording data and preparing protocols, whist I needed to make last provides and changing foreign currency in Cedi before starting to live in fish-farm. I was quite unconfident and frightened about that, because being woman and Owbrowny in this Country could be a disadvantage with less honest people.

After all explanations, advices and maps given by Emilie I did my first trip alone to the Accra Mall. I couldn’t imagine that the journey could be so much relaxing and interesting! After leaving the Kpong, the tro-tro slowed down because a large group of wild baboons was crossing the road: for a European is very outstanding seeing wild tropical animals like those outside captivity conditions and interacting with human life peacefully.

Once arrived to Accra Mall I had the time to make some shopping, change currency, fix my mobile and have a very relaxing African lunch eaten with hands.

Tilapia served with tomato sauce, chili sauce and banku (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

On the way of return to Akrade guesthouse in Pricon Lane, I had the chance also to see from tro-tro a crow going to a funeral: all men and women that knew the defunct person use to dress all in red and black, and also the place is decorated with drapes of the same colors.

Guesthouse in Akrade (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

After this journey I got more confident in how moving in the crow, getting public transports and behave with local people for enjoying much more this Country thanks to Emilie tour-operator! 

Day 5- A tricky journey, maggot farm and New Caledonian pasta.

Street in Ashaiman (credits: Nicole Pelusio). 

We woke up in the very early morning for getting a tro-tro to Ashaiman where Emilie had to spend the day to training the Ghanaian researchers and collect some data. We didn’t expected that the trip would take few hours to reach Ashaiman!

 After Kpong village, one wheel flatted, thus the driver and his mate (the young guy who collects money from tro-tro passengers) tried to solve the damage. As they realized that fixing the wheel would take more time than one hour, they helped us to get another tro-tro for getting to our destination. We were so lucky that the second tro-tro was about to break down its motor, but not before our roundabout Ashaiman bus-stop!

Collecting and recording data (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

Finally we arrived to maggot farm in the late where Emilie followed within the staff the researchers whilst I join them before setting-up an inventory of the green houses.

Whilst Emilie was renewing the adults stocks with pupae, I had the luck to see a Black Soldier Fly coming out from the pupae shell and to record it with my camera (video credits: Nicole Pelusio).

After passing a tiring but pleasant day in maggot farm we came back to guesthouse in Akrade, where Emilie cooked a dish of spaghetti with tomatoes sauce: very good one for being cooked from a non-Italian person! ;)

 (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

Day 4- A day off in Atimpoku.

Volta River (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

 After the first busy days spent in travelling for hours and hours and organizing several things, I and Emilie spent the day in relax for recharging force for the following days.

After lunch we got in the bar of an amazing hotel for get good quality internet connection due to checking emails and several things on web. 

The place was settled in the forest, embraced by the shadows of trees, the silent flowing of the Volta River and sweet singing of birds.

The hotel swimming pool facing the Volta River (credits: Nicole Pelusio). 

I didn’t expected to visit such a charming place in Ghana in the middle of the quite of the forest, where lizards climb up the walls and run everywhere and peacocks walking around!