Top 3 Things to Do Around Cape Coast, Ghana

Living up to it's traveler-friendly reputation, Ghana is truly an easy place for a foreigner to navigate.  When people contact me about advice on traveling to West Africa, I always recommend traveling with a French-speaker; however, with the official language in Ghana being English, you are good to go English-speakers! 

Cape Coast, a beautiful coast indeed!

Located in the Central Region of Ghana, Cape Coast is a 3-hour drive from the capital of Accra.  Many tour companies will offer one-day trips, but you can also rent your own car/4x4 or take public transport.  Though the beach region has many attractions to keep you busy, below are the must-do top three:

Top 3 Things to Do Around Cape Coast, Ghana

1) Visit the Cape Coast Castle

Originally occupied by the Dutch in 1660 and taken by the British almost thirty years later, the Cape Coast Castle was created for the Atlantic slave-trade.  Up to 100,000 slaves could be held captive at a time with 200 men being put into a cell 30' x 15.'  The moving tour provides a very eerie feeling moving in and out of dungeons ending at the "Door of No Return."



                           

 Cape Coast Castle and the Male Slave Dungeon

2) Tour Elmina Castle

Elmina Castle, located 8 miles from Cape Coast Castle, was built by the Portuguese in 1482.  It is the oldest and largest slave castle in Ghana.  This castle differs from Cape Coast in various ways including where women were kept (out in the open in public viewing and in the rain as opposed to in dungeons).  The plaque below truly hits the emotional feeling you feel spot on.

Note: The castles will try to charge you 20cedis (~$10) just for taking photos. This is highly negotiable if you say it is too much.  Student prices, volunteers, etc. are the way to go, but you can definitely negotiate.  In the case of Elmina, I showed the receipt of what I paid at Cape Coast (20cedis/$10US total as I negotiated there too!) and they let me slide.

Dungeon leading to the Door of No Return (above) and Female Holding Area (below) 

3) Traverse the Canopy Walk at Kakum National Park

Kakum National Park is a special highlight of Ghana.  A tropical rain forest, it was established as a National Park by the initiatives of the local population.  Many endangered animals, such as the African elephant, live here along with 200+ various other species.  Kakum is the only place in Africa to have canopy level bridges that provide access to the forest.  Crossing the 7 bridges that are 40+ meters above the ground is highly worth the trip!



                                  

Canopy Walk at Kakum National Park

Top Things to Do in Dakar, Senegal

Considered by those well-traveled to be the New York City of West Africa, Dakar is a highly-developed, lively city full of local and Western restaurants, evening events, colorful markets, and a diverse population of 2.5 million.  With a year-round temperate and sunny climate, it makes for a wonderful beach city that sits on the western most part of Africa.

As I was recently sent for a work trip, Dakar proved to be the best getaway during a New England winter!

Things to Do in Dakar Senegal

1) Shop at Village Artisinal de Soumbedioune

With aligned square shops and big paths, this is perhaps one of the most well-organized West African markets I've seen.  From traditional djembe drums to metal cars to leather to dresses, this market is the one-stop shop to find any souvenir you can imagine.  The vendors will yell for your attention, but in the politest way! Just be sure to negotiate, especially with the male vendors.

Note: You can also see the wooden statues be created and the famous fish market next door provides grilled fish dinners on the beach each night!

 An artist cuts and weaves a necklace

2) Visit the Island of Goree and the House of Slaves

Ile de Goree is a thirty-minute, 3km ferry ride from Dakar - just make sure you arrive well-before noon, otherwise, you will be stuck waiting during the mid-day rest (trust me, you'll be waiting anyways!). Bring a student ID if you have one, otherwise you'll be charged "foreigner price!"

The small 900 meter island hosts the Maison des Enclaves (House of Slaves) which was believed to be a slave-shipping point during the Atlantic Slave Trade; however, recent historians have refuted this, stating that likely only a few hundred slaves departed from here and only due to the need to carry other cargo.  Regardless, the island serves as a memorial to the slave trade and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The island also holds a castle, three museums (IFAN Historial Museum - Senegalese history, Musee de la Femme - role of Senegalese women, and Maritime Museum - sea) and two large markets.

The House of Slaves

The "Door of No Return" at the Maison des Enclaves

3)  Spend some time at the beach

Perhaps I should have made this number 1!  When a co-worker told me she loved the beach down the street from the Fana Hotel, I thought which one?  I'll let you decide from the photos below which beach is the best!  Or try them all and you won't be disappointed.

 Hotel des Almadies (a former Club Med) is a resort hotel whose beach is the Westernmost point of Africa

 

 Virage Beach in Ngor is a popular spot with the locals

500CFA (~$1) will take you to Ile de Ngor (Island of Ngor).  The canoe ride in itself (30+ people on a tiny canoe!) makes the island worth going to!

4) Climb the stairs at the Monument de la Renaissance

The tallest statue in Africa, the African Renaissance Monument stands at 49 meters displaying a bronze family looking off into the sea.  Originally created to celebrate 50 years of Senegal's independence from French, the colossal statue has been highly criticized as it costed $27M to construct in 2010 during the heat of the economic crisis. 

The 189 steps will test your athletic ability, but the view at the top allows you to oversee Dakar in all its beauty.

Le Monument de la Renaissance

The very windy view from the top of the 189-stair climb

If you see Madame Thioro Fall, tell her Krystina from America says hi.  She starts with fair prices and will show you her newspaper feature as the money she raises goes to underpriviledged children.

5) Listen to live music at Just 4 U

Dakar is a hot spot for live music and there is no where in the city more iconic than Just 4 U.  West Africa's biggest musicians have played from Baaba Mal to Daara J Family (who we saw for just 5.000CFA (~ $10US)!  Grab a drink and relax on the outdoor tables as the band plays the night away.

Note: As university dormitories lie across the street, if you are lucky, you can catch the university students on a weekend night playing and dancing in drum circles!



Dog Sledding in New England with Muddy Paws (Literally!)

Recently while I was Googling "Things to Do in New England," one of the most popular activities that came up was...dog sledding. Though no native-born New Englander I know has ever been, how could one turn down this opportunity during a winter with record-breaking snow?

Upon arriving at Muddy Paws in Jefferson, NH, we could hear the barking begin!  A tour (i.e. two other people) were in the midst of leaving for their run and the dogs were more than excited.  According to our musher, the dogs barking are the equivalent of them asking, "Pick me! Pick me!"  They are second-chance dogs, which means they have been rescued or were former race dogs (including dogs that have competed in multiple Iditarods!).

Blackfoot is often chosen as the lead dog due to her courage and calmness

                                 

         Playtime with the dogs before the run. Muddy paws definitely showed up on my white jacket!

After some play time, we harnessed up ten Alaskan and Siberian huskies to begin the run.  As we waited in the tobagan, I couldn't have imagined the pace we would have hit.  These ten dogs were pumping their little legs to carry three adults to the point where some turns gave us air!  Off through the New Hampshire woods we went for a little over an hour taking just a few rest breaks in between (for the dogs of course. My friend and I were doing nothing more than holding the blanket that rested on top of us).

Happy and warm (sort of) in our tobagon

After a perfect dog run, we headed of to the small (very small) town of Whitefield, New Hampshire to The Lion and The Rose Bed and Breakfast. It was as if Robin and Chris had been waiting for us as the door opened up for us at arrival.  Their elegant Victorian home was a wonderfully warm on a cold, winter day (and yes, it has multiple hot tubes!).  It was my first time at a B&B and I must say if the hospitality and comfort is like this, I will be staying at them more often!

                                                

The Lion & The Rose Bed and Breakfast, Whitefield, New Hampshire is TripAdvisor rated top-notch!

The next day before the 3.5 hour drive back to Boston, we stopped by Mount Washington Resort located in Bretton Woods of the White Mountain National Forest.  Ziplining tours are offered year-round - yes, that also means ziplining during the winter!  Being single-digits degrees out, we decided to forgo the 3+ hour tour and prompted for one quick run down the Williwaw Racing Zip for $15. Ziplining in the snow?  A very, cool (literally!) experience that lets you race your partner!

After a quick 30 minutes of snowtubing, it was time to head home to beat the snow storm.  See you next winter, White Mountain!

NEMO! Boston's Winter Snowstorm 2013

This weekend brought about Boston's 5th biggest snowstorm in history!  Most people worked from home on Friday as the night brought over two feet of snow.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  First New England winter? Piece of cake! Sorta...

Friday evening

Saturday morning!

That poor car owner will have some shoveling to do

I couldn't mail any letters for obvious reasons

Winter Wonderland

The Donkey Show - New Years Eve in Boston

Yes, you read the title of my blog correctly.  I spent this past New Years Eve at the Donkey Show!

The Donkey Show can be best described as a combination of two facets: 1) a disco party full of glitter, confetti, and dancing and 2) a modern-day theatrical adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream!

Beginning as an off-Broadway show by Diane Paulus and Randy Weiner, the American Repertory Theater now runs the disco hit at the Oberon Theater in Cambridge, Massachusettes. Every Saturday night a magical performance plays into the night!

For this last night of 2012, we walked in with mardi gras masks, top hats, and make up in tow.  The performance began with not a theatrical show, but with disco dancing! The classic hits from Aretha Franklin and other 70s stars played while performers skated around and audience members danced.   

In the middle of dancing, the lights went low, music stopped, and all of a sudden, the drama began!  The complicated plot line was full of love, laughter, jealously, and many melodies along the way.  With the formal performance ending a few minutes before midnight, the dancing started back up again while we counted down to the New Year (with complimentary champagne of course!).

Here's to 2013 and another Donkey Show soon!

Disney on Ice!

I like cheesiness.  I like deals. I'm also a sucker for good promotional ads!  The lastest ValPak mailed to my home had a $15 holiday coupon for Disney on Ice.  With the TD Garden being across from my work, how could a girl resist?

The two-hour showed went through the main Disney classics like Aladdin to more contemporary works like The Incredibles (how old I felt for not knowing the latter!).  Though we were mostly surrounded by primary school-aged children and younger, it was still an enjoyable performance for kids of all ages!

My only advice, Disney?  Show more Stitch! :)

Think You Can Rampage? NLP's Rampage Team Fitness Challenge!

Coming across a LivingSocial deal, I somehow roped three of my semi-athletic male friends to join me in one of the toughest fitness competitions in the nation: The Rampage Fitness Challenge!

The NLP Rampage is a team fitness competition in Manchester, New Hampshire that benefits the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Comprised of 12 events, participants compete in teams of four to push and pull cars, roll monster truck tires, and carry teammates on stretchers across parking lots (this was my favorite event as I was the petite one relaxing on the stretcher which ultimately led to a win in the event).

 Pushing Monster Truck tires - not for the weak!

Competing on a team, each member will bring strengths and weaknesses to each event.  In our case, it was clear to see that John led us in rock climbing, Max won the sprints, Dan quickly chugged the beer (yes, that's the final event!), and we all failed in weightlifting!

 I rock climb while Max outlasts the other sprinters!

What I enjoyed was that this race provided a strong sense of cameraderie as the four of us would sometimes compete shoulder-to-shoulder, and in other events, we'd compete individually allowing the others to cheer on.  This setup also let us get to know the other teams through friendly banter.

Fearing we'd come in last, it turns out we tied for fifth place out of ten!  Mission accomplished and sore bodies to be had!

Enjoying post-race drinks at Milly's Tavern, the only brewery in Manchester!

Newport, Rhode Island's Restaurant Week

If it's one thing I love, it's visiting small towns all over America. With the New England autumn weather in full swing, Kevin Bradbury and I headed to the resort city of Newport, Rhode Island for its Restaurant Week.  

A port town from the 18th century, Newport has the most number of colonial buildings still in existence.  Former presidents such as JFK and Eisenhower held properties in the area which others dubbed the "Summer White Houses." 

Thus, when in Newport, one must visit "The Mansions." Equivalent of touring Beverly Hills' homes, these "summer cottages" are some of the largest and most opulent homes from the 19th and early 20th century. We drove up and down the streets, but for the more inclined, tours of the interior of ten houses can be made through The Preservation Society of Newport County.

The most famous mansion of them all, the Breakers, the former residence of the Vanderbilt family.

Every car that passes by (including ours) reversed to make sure that the camel wasn't real!

In the midst of the mansions lies Newport's Cliff Walk!  A 3.5-mile walk, the road winds behind the homes alongside the shoreline. We entered at Narragansett Avenue (at Ochre Poing Avenue) for a quick photoshoot before moving on.

Cliffwalk View from Narragansett Avenue

Unfortunately, though we wanted to go wine tasting at Greenvale Vineyards (live jazz on Saturdays!), Kevin's car wouldn't start!  Long story short, it has this problem where when the ignition key is put in, the car alarm sounds off, and the only way to stop the alarm is to use the key to unlock the trunk. Usually, the ignition will act up a couple times and then start, but this time, zilch! Stranded on a Saturday afternoon, we decided to walk (whew, small town!) to the restaurant where we had reservations, The Grill at Forty 1 North.

For Restaurant Week, Forty 1 North offered a special menu of a three-course lunch for $16 (money-saving tip: Restaurant Week lunches are usually 50% the dinner price!).  Located on the harbor waterfront, the chic restaurant is a must-stop for anyone in the area with welcoming customer service, quality food, and good views! 

Quote on a mirror outside of Forty 1 North

So excited for the wedge salad at Forty 1 North

Like magic, after we walked back to the car, it started to our surprise!  We were able to bring it back to the hotel and walked over to the Newport Grand Casino for dinner and attend a tribute concert to Zed Leppelin.

Sold-out tribute to Zed Leppelin at the Newport Grand

Kevin's 1997 Jetta. That is the interior (or lack) of the passenger door.  And he wondered why his car wouldn't start...

Luckily the car started again the next morning, but not wanting to take our chances, we headed back to Boston instead of spending the day in Providence.  We'll save that city for another day!