Ada Foah

For our final weekend in Ghana, we decided to make an overnight journey to Ada Foah, near the Togo border. The Ada region is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ghana, and for good reason. We stayed at the Tsarley Korpey Beach Resort, which has a pool and pool. The hotel is on the Volta River delta where it empties to the Gulf of Guinea.

This is a working delta, and many different types of craft ply these waters. There is a marine yard next to the hotel in which large ships are repaired. We rode in a skiff named 1 + 1 = 3 with Earnest as a pilot. He took us on a two-hour tour of the river, past fishing villages with brightly-painted boats. We passed several luxury resorts, too, like African Midas. For the locals, wood for cooking and water heating is important here as most places in Ghana.

Our destination was a peninsula at the estuary where we met (what else?) a vendor ready to sell eggs and a pair of dogs tormeting a sheep. A fisher was headed home.

After a walkabout, we went back upriver toward Crocodile Island. Earnest stopped along the way to tow a friend whose Sea-Doo battery was drained. As we traveled, a charcoal bag ensnared Earnest’s propeller, stopping the engine cold and causing quite a commotion between Earnest and his friend. Catherine and Mark enjoyed the excursion; so many things to see!

Before returning to Tsarley Korpey, we stopped at Crocodile Island where we saw crocs and ate fresh coconuts, picked and opened before our eyes. We zipped home in 10 minutes, early enough to swim in the pool before viewing a nice sunset.

After dinner at the restaurant on the dock, power went out in our room (only!). The rest of the hotel was fine. When electricity was restored, I watched the Champions League final in which Real Madrid defeated Atl tico Madrid in a penalty shootout, 1-1 (5-3).

—Matt