Busy, buzzing Accra is the place to party!
Ghana is not always on the top of the list of African counties to visit, but more often these days I’m hearing really cool stuff about it. Lerato grooved her way into Accra (the capital city of Ghana) this past holiday and ladies the results on the status of the men in Ghana have been confirmed… so extra, extra, read all about it and eat your hearts out!
Before visiting Accra, the thing I wanted to discover the most about the country was what made Rita Marley, the widow of reggae legend Bob Marley, and her family move to Ghana when she could have picked Jamaica or the US where she owns properties? But after spending only four days in Accra, I wonder how anyone could have a piece of the city and want to leave it behind.
Now I see that my friends were spot-on. When they heard I was heading for the Ghanaian capital they all responded with a resounding, “Yoho! The men there are hot!”
I wish they had not been reserved with the truth. Like most West African men, Ghanaian men are breathtakingly handsome and polite. Life’s good in Accra. By day, the city is a fast-paced haven for entrepreneurs. Even when driving far out of the city to the villages, there are few places where shops and stalls have not been set up. And, be warned, sellers will get the last dollar out of your pocket.
My experience of the capital of Kofi Annan’s motherland by night was one of a city that never sleeps.
I was in Accra to attend the Catwalk the World fashion show, a fundraising event organised by the United Nations World Food Programme. With the formalities of the trip over on my first night, I let loose, partying and shopping up a storm.
My first stop on the city’s party scene was Boomerang nightclub. The parking lot accommodated all sorts of flashy cars. Their owners, no doubt, the sort of people who bling all the way to the bank. Hennessy cognac, Moët & Chandon champagne and Johnnie Walker whisky adorned the bar.
And just in case you thought Boomerang was just like any other nightclub, the VIP lounge had a pole in the middle of the dance floor and everyone was welcome to bring it on, which one does in a city of friendly people.
For the less racy explorer, which I am by day, Accra’s markets are worth visiting. Every corner is filled with street hawkers and shops. The people are smooth talking and adept at bargaining. Everyone sells something they convince you is a necessity – Lucky Dube DVDs, Nollywood movies, CDs, local soccer team jerseys, livestock and fast food fermenting under the equatorial sun. Every minute in Accra is a mind-blowing, once-in-a-lifetime experience, including Christmas Eve. They say the day is always marked by a massive party. And I tasted it. Palm Beach, a cocktail restaurant and take-away cafe with a live reggae stage and hip-hop and house dance floor, teemed with beautiful, taut bodies. A local musician I met on the beach said Accra is on the move 365 days a year. And that the best time to experience the city is during the festive season.
Driving back to the hotel to pick up my luggage, we got stuck in a traffic jam. It turned out that a nightclub party had spilled over into a street bash. The street was filled with cars and people just looking for fun and getting it by the bucket load. Just the way I love my holidays. I’m definitely going back to Accra for a ‘what happens in Ghana stays in Ghana holiday’.
PS: For the ladies: Take note – a lot of Ghanian men have bodies as hot as Taye Diggs, Bouga Luv and Djimon Hounsou (The guy from The Beauty Shop). They are officially super hot.
Lerato
Picture from BBC News arrticle featuring photos of places around Africa – check out more pics of beaches around Africa by clicking here for the BBC article
