Green Turtle Lodge, Finally!

Three weeks after being turned down by Green Turtle, we decided to give it a shot again. This time they actually had room for us, but in their tents, not the dormitory style accommodations that we wanted. Since the tents had mattresses in them we decided they would be fine. The whole thing was a bit stressful because a lot of people became interested in going with us but couldn’t leave as early as we could. I did my best to connect them with each other, but people still asked me about whether or not the lodge had room for them. Because the only way to get in touch with the lodge is to send a text message and hope it goes through, I really had no idea, but people asked me anyway. It was weird. Anyway, there was room for the four of us!

Maybe at this point it would be good to explain why it was so essential to stay at this one lodge in particular. Mainly, it is an “eco-lodge” that relies on solar power, has self-composting toilets, is built mostly from local, sustainable materials, and they rescue sea turtles. Environmental consciousness is not really something that has caught on very much in Ghana, so this lodge is pretty unique in even considering environmental costs. You can also go on hikes, turtle walks, and canoe trips with local guides that the lodge management trusts and recommends. They have a reputation for good food, a relaxing atmosphere, and a positive relationship with the neighboring community. So, we had to go.

One of our fellow travelers was friends with the proprietors of Han’s Cottage Botel in Cape Coast, so we decided to split up the journey by traveling there first. It’s called a Botel because it is built on stilts and sits on a man made lake, so it’s like a boat, get it? The main appeal in staying here was seeing the crocodiles that live in the lake. Crocodiles! Traveling went smoothly and we got to the hotel, ate dinner, and went to bed. We were staying in the “hostel” section, so it was a big room with a bunch of beds in it, but we were the only guests. Also present in the room were two paintings of nude white ladies, one of a fat redhead lady that seemed like it was supposed to be funny and another of a slim buxom brunette that was pretty suggestive. The room was nice despite the strange decorations.

The “Botel” also grows its own passion fruit on site, and so we had freshly squeezed passion fruit juice with our breakfast. We searched for crocodiles and found a big fat one sleeping and lazing under a tree. We all got to pet its spiky tail but were told to steer clear of its head. Then we took a short but scenic walk up the road to the only ostrich farm in Ghana, where an enthusiastic young man showed us around and told us about the ostriches. There were some that were only three months old, and one that was ten years old. The babies were really cute, but still big for something only three months old. We came back and paid a few dollars to have one of the staff members feed the crocodiles so we could see them in action. She speared some chicken skin onto a long stick and dangled it, letting one young angry crocodile snap and stretch for it. It was really cool to watch and I have some good pictures. Then we went for a swim in the hotel pool. It was my first pool in Ghana, and so I had a great time. I even attempted some Butterfly, but that ended up being kind of depressing. Then we embarked on the rest of our journey. We took a tro-tro into town from the hotel, then walked a bit to a station, then took another one to Takoradi, where we walked again to a different station before finding a tro-tro to Akwidaa and getting dropped off at the lodge. It felt like we sat in the last tro-tro forever waiting for it to fill up, because every time I thought it was full enough to leave they squeezed more people into it. We finally pulled out of the station, only to stop again for more passengers who took their seats on top of the tro-tro, with their feet dangling in front my window. I couldn’t believe his flip-flops stayed on. Apparently there are laws against overcrowding and top-loading, but they’re not enforced in rural areas like where we were.

We arrived with enough time to get settled before watching a huge orange glowing sun sink behind the ridge. Then it was time for a fresh, delicious dinner under a grass awning overlooking the beach. We all went around and named our favorite parts of the day, the big and the small. That was Harmony’s idea and it helped us remember just how amazing of a day we’d had. After dark we went on a walk along the beach with a guide looking for turtles. We didn’t see any, but did find one new turtle nest, where a turtle had come onto shore, laid eggs, and then gone back to sea. The guides kicked the sand around the nest to disguise it from locals who might dig up the eggs to sell.

We spent the next two days in complete vacation mode. Laying in the sun, laying in the shade, sitting in the shade, laying in the hammock, reading in any of the above locations. Bracing against the waves, jumping with the waves, diving into the waves, diving under the waves, swimming in with the waves, crouching and letting the waves rush over…these were some of my favorite activities.

One of the most important things about Green Turtle is that they have Real Coffee. Pretty much everywhere you go, even nice places, serve instant coffee, Nescafe. It’s pretty terrible, but I’ve learned to drink it (between bad coffee and no coffee, bad coffee wins). But at Green Turtle they have real coffee, from coffee beans, served in little French presses. It was amazing.

The only downer was our sleeping arrangement. It was fun to sleep in tents so close to the beach but they were sandy and windy the first two nights and sandy and hot the third. But our days weren’t really that strenuous so it worked out.

By Saturday we finally took the initiative to sign up for one of the activities, a canoe trip through the mangroves leaving at 6:30 the next morning. We met the guides at the lodge and then walked about ten minutes along the beach towards the neighboring village. We veered inland and were suddenly on the banks of a stream surrounded by mangrove trees. We got into long canoes with the guides who did all of the steering and paddling. All of the canoes had small holes in them and the guides had to periodically scoop the water out of the bottom. We saw a lot of crabs-red, black, white, or some mixture of those colors,- these small fish that jumped on land, white ducks, a few different kinds of cool-looking birds, a big dead fish that the guides scooped out of the water for their lunch, and a brief glimpse of a monitor lizard. We didn’t see any monkeys but were told that sometimes you could see them swinging from tree to tree. I tried to use my imagination instead. Our guide was pretty informative and told us how the villagers used the mangroves for all kinds of things from furniture to herbal remedies.

After a really delicious breakfast of French toast with bananas and honey and one last cup of real coffee we said our goodbyes to the beach. We caught the tro-tros quickly, but one got a flat tire, which could have been dangerous if the driver hadn’t noticed it as quickly as he did. He changed it fast and we were back on the road, which was uncomfortable because tro-tros are always uncomfortable, and because the guy sitting next to me kept on talking and talking to me even though I told him I was married and that I could hardly hear him over the bumpy road. We arrived in Takoradi at one o’clock but found out the two o’clock bus was full and we had to wait until four. The bus was on time but we hit traffic into Accra and finally arrived home over ten hours after leaving the lodge.

I was really glad to get home to my own bed after three nights of mediocre sleep. I had such a nice time. Green Turtle is such a great value in terms of vacationing. Really, most of Ghana is. I spent around $100 for transportation, food, and lodging from Wednesday through Sunday, and I ate and drank whatever I wanted. It’s safe, uncrowded, relaxed, and beautiful. The staff is friendly and helpful and they all seem to really like working there. Everything from the food to the furniture is simple but just right. The shower is a stone circular room that opens to the sky.

I’ve realized I’ve gotten into a pattern—returning from a trip with enough time to sort of get my life in order and wash some underwear before packing for the next trip. I’m starting to get nervous that I’ll run out of time or money to go everywhere I want to. I’m right at the halfway point as far as time which I’m both happy and sad about.