Tag: Ghana

A road trip round West Africa fifty years ago

Think back on your most memorable road trip?

A road trip round West Africa

Nineteen seventy five

Setting out from Kano

The place I spent two years.

I went by public transport

Things like transit vans

Not exactly scheduled

You have to hang around.

The first lap up to Zinder

A city in Niger

Not sure where to stay there

But had amazing luck

I met a fellow traveller

Who took me to his home.

They treated me so kindly

The neighbours all came round

They all shared their food with me

A thing I can’t forget.

Then across to Niamey Niger’s capital.

From there to Ouagadougou.

Who else has been there?

I mostly stayed with Peace Corps

US volunteers.

A memorable experience

But there was more to come.

Down from Upper Volta

As Burkina Faso was back then

To Ghana and to Tamale

A north Ghanaian town.

From there to Takoradi

Cape Coast and its forts

Beautiful but a history

That’s sadly scandalous.

We slept in former slave forts

Beautiful but sad

And dined on fresh caught lobster

Prepared and served with rice.

Then Togo and Dahomey

On along the coast.

A journey through a rain storm

The wipers would not work.

I’m struggling not to sleep

Daren’t distract the driver

Or we’ll be off the road.

We get back to Nigeria

But the borders are all closed.

It’s goodbye General Gowan

There’d been a military coup.

There’s a blackboard at the border

I’m scared to photograph

‘All Nigerian Officers

Should collect new badges of rank.’

I can’t get back to Kano

My French is not too good

So I head off back to Ghana

Extend my stay back there.

I can eventually go back home

Ibadan, Jos, up North

Six weeks extended travelling

A trip I won’t forget.

Fresh fish straight from the sea

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

I like so many different things

Variety‘s key for me

But fresh fish straight from the sea

Is very hard to beat.

Here’s some different instances

Of how I‘ve had it served

Different places, different tastes

But every one a treat.

First we‘ll go to Kerala

Across from a Kovalam beach

Point at the fish

The bit that you like

And choose how you want it spiced.

A meaty fish, wonderfully spiced

And so very good to eat.

A wonderful biryani

That we really loved

Kerala does it for me.

Now let’s head off to Ghana

A palm lined beach near Cape Coast

Where if you should order a lobster

They’ll swim off into the sea.

The lobsters de- shelled

On a nice bed of rice

In a basket they bring to the beach.

A wee bit of chilli

And let me say really

There’s few things much better

To eat.

Now we’re back home

And fishing off Dorset

For Mackerel straight out the sea.

Draping our lines

Off the side of the boat

Three lady companions and me.

They all caught plenty

I never caught any

But that’s how it is with me!

Now straight off the boat

My wife went to work

And gutted those fish

From the sea.

I went to buy wine

That would wash our meal down

And add to our meal by the sea.

It was cooked really simply

Just barbecued really

Fresh fish straight on the grill

But I have to say really

The fish we caught lately

Made really a wonderful meal.