Today we leave Ankobra Beach Hotel, paradise on earth! One could stay here forever, with Star Beer and club sandwiches brought to the deserted beach, writing memoirs, daydreaming, listening to the pounding surf.
Check out is slow because everything is calculated twice and recorded in triplicate... but that's OK, who could be in a rush in paradise? "Joseph Sees the Sun" arrives to guide us into Axim where we will board a local family fishing boat--one of those big, hand built, handsome & brightly painted vessels that line the coast of Ghana east to west. We give the desk clerk, who has finished recording our visit in three places with carbons underneath, a ride into town.
Axim has seen more glorious days when it was the seat of justice in the Western Region. The courts have moved to Takoradi now and the town has deteriorated. Still it has an attraction that calls across the bay from Ankobra Beach. Axim has an upper and lower town where we wander through narrow streets--our driver, Amos, is amazing!
We arrive near the beach where we will board the fishing boat that Joseph has arranged for us. As we move from the van to the beach, the usual and wonderful Ghanaian hub-bub and community watch over what Obroni is doing takes place. Only this time it is on a grand scale involving everyone on the beach front who can see that the visitors from afar have come for a ride! The arrangements are made by those who speak either Fante or Twi and we embark.
We walk onto a small boat which is pushed out toward our ultimate vessel, stepping gingerly from boat one to boat two, while attempting to use the seats as steps to get to the center. Jo and Harold are good sports in a not so comfortable situation. However, watching the extreme care they are given by our hosts we see they are almost carried to their seats.
The experienced crew manages through rocks and surf using a 75 horse power Japanese motor plus a little pushing, pulling, rocking and rhythmic grunting to launch this 50 foot monstrosity. We sit like short children on the wide, hand hewn seats with legs dangling down toward the fishing nets stored at the bottom of the boat. It is remarkably stable--no rolling, pitching or bouncing as we push though the eight foot swells. If we had longer legs, they would be in the sea water which is pouring into the bottom of the boat at a rapid rate. Most Obroni do not look down!
Augustin, a stow-away, and an Obroni groupie from town sits next to Doug and strikes up a conversation. He wants to be an engineer, but of course needs a sponsor to pay the tuition. Half way through the trip he reaches over and picks a ball of ear wax out of Doug's left ear and flicks it into the ocean! We continue our conversation as if he had only swatted a mosquito. O says later that his actions were very "village" and that if Doug had had something hanging out of his nose, Augustin would have picked that out too!
We circle a small island in the Axim bay and cruise toward Ankobra Beach on the north side, when the boat stops near some rocks breaking the surface of the water. O and the captain begin an animated discussion in Twi which sounds all the world like a heated argument. The agreed price for the little group's harbor tour was 150,000 cedis ($21.50 USD) but the crew wants to be paid right now before we get to shore. It is apparent we will sit there by the rocks until they get their fee... or we will swim home!
The disembarkation process is different than boarding because while we were out, the tide has gone out and we can no longer get the big boat close to shore. The crew tells us we have a choice: Roll up our pants and wade... or be carried. Harold is carried by six very muscular men--O on the shoulders of one sailor and Jo on another. Doug and the others wade to shore. The locals have stayed the whole time to watch Obroni come back--they've had a good show for themselves this morning.
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