GENERAL MATTERS FOR TRAVELERS TO GHANA

MaryCarol Hopkins, 2008

1. Food: Food in Ghana is plentiful and inexpensive. Breakfasts are included in the cost, and you can buy delicious fruit and snacks to keep in your room and carry for lunches. Ghana is the fast-food capital of the world, so you=ll never be far from interesting street food. Dinner in restaurants will be on your own; snacks, dinner, drinking water, and a shared taxi will cost about $10 a day. You should avoid drinking tap water and eating fruits or vegetables that you have not peeled yourself. Strict vegetarians will have difficulty, but chocoholics will be content: Ghana is the world=s second producer of cocoa, so chocolate is abundant and inexpensive.

2. Housing: The trip cost is based on sharing double rooms in hotels. Requests for single rooms will be honored if possible, but for a $400 supplement. Hotels have private bathrooms, hot water, showers, television, and refrigerator. In Accra, we=ll be staying at Shangri-La, a tropical paradise with a pool, phones, e-mail, and European and Ghanaian food. In Kumasi, we will be staying at the Catering Rest House, right in town. Life in Kumasi is much simpler than in Accra, but the CRH is new and trying to attract foreigners, so they have gone to great lengths to be friendly and accommodating. Smoking will not be permitted in hotel rooms, in vehicles, or on program activities.

If you=re interested in a homestay, let us know soon. If you want to do this, you may want to bring a topsheet, towel, and pillowcase. They=ll make nice parting gifts or good packing material for pottery. You=ll also want to bring a gift to the family according to whether you stay in town or in a village.

3. Clothing: Ghanaians, like all West Africans, are very style conscious and dress elegantly. There are appropriate clothes according to age, sex, time of day, social class, task at hand, and of course just changing fashion. You can=t be responsible for knowing what=s especially Ain@ this season, but you can be careful of a few things.

People wear old clothes only for working, but they wear much nicer clothesBas nice as they can possibly affordBat other times. Since we are not working, people will expect us to be dressed nicely. That said, you should keep in mind wearing loose-fitting (very unstylish in Ghana), cool, mostly cotton clothes. Women may wear slacks, but not shorts (we won=t take you anywhere in shorts), and should have at least one dress or skirt for nicer occasions (or you can just buy a couple of yards of beautiful cloth and wrap it aroundBthat=s perfectly acceptable). Plain shirts, t-shirts, and tank tops are fine. Men can wear shorts, but slacks provide better protection from mosquitos and other insects. Jeans are okay, but can be hot and slow to dry. You definitely won=t need a tie or sport coat. Wear sturdy shoes with gripping soles for slippery clay paths. Bring a nicer outfit (button-up shirt, dress or skirt, sandals) for dining out, church, and invitations to homes, and bring something you don=t mind getting dirty for bronze casting, dyeing, and working with clay (old is fine for this). If you=d like to go to a funeral, bring something black, brown, or dark red.

Bring powdered laundry soap, but the hotel also has laundry service. It can take several days for drying, so bring at least some nylon underwear for the last days before travel, and plastic bags in case you have to pack some things damp. Bring at least one long-sleeved shirt or light jacket, as evenings & air conditioning can be chilly. Bring a sunhat, sunglasses, & sunblock for the rare sunny moments.

Do NOT bring:

a. anything that could be remotely construed as military: no camouflage pants, army belts, etc. It is actually illegal to wear anything of this nature in Ghana.

b. anything that resembles Asafari@ clothing; we are going to visit people, not animals, and the Asafari@ approach can be offensive in West Africa, where they are not so used to gawking tourists. (But do bring a broad-brimmed hat.)

c. baggy or droopy drawersByour underpants must be completely covered, and your pants must fit at the waist; baggy pants or similar styles will offend adults and attract the attention of the police, who associate this with Abad influences.@

d. expensive or attention-getting jewelry, which could invite theft; there will be plenty of jewelry there to buy and make!

4. Mosquitos: We won=t see many mosquitos, but the danger is great, so it=s not worth taking chances. Bring a small bottle of insect repellant. You may want to spray the tops of your socks and the bottom few inches of your slacks and long skirts with permithryn before you go. Malaria-bearing mosquitos come out mainly at dawn and dusk, and they are ground hovering, so there is no need to spray the rest of your clothes, since it=s pretty strong. If you choose to do this, read the directions carefully, do it outdoors, don=t breath in the fumes, and wash your hands & face thoroughly with soap afterward. Allow the clothing to dry, then put it in zip-bags for packing to keep the poison intact and away from other clothes. Don=t use this stuff on your skin. Some recommend using it on shirt collars and cuffs, but that=s too close to face & hands for my taste. Most brands say they don=t stain, but be wary; it also can dissolve some synthetics. It lasts a couple of weeks and a few washings. The other thing you can do about mosquitos is keep well covered at dawn & dusk, especially wearing long pants or skirts, socks, and long sleeves.

5. Health: Keeping healthy in Africa is largely a matter of keeping clean, which is sometimes tricky. Wash your hands often and bring a washing gel for before meals. Take meticulous care of your feet, as they are a prime entry-way for insects and parasites. The mud you squish through in the market may contain other things, so wear socks and check carefully for blisters and tiny cuts.

This is not a trip for athletes, but you should be in good health and good physical condition. You=ll need to carry your lunch and water every day, in addition to items such as cameras, a jacket, rainhat, notebook, etc. Kumasi is a hilly city, so just going to the bank, the Cultural Centre, or the market can be a climb. You must be able to carry your own luggage. If you are overweight or otherwise not in good health, this trip may be difficult for you. If you have fears or phobias or any serious allergies, you should discuss these with the leaders before applying.

There are several immunizations and other protections you absolutely must have. See your doctor soon about these, but also see our separate attachment, AHealth Issues.@The CDC is a good source of information on this; be sure to state that you are going to central and southern Ghana (not north). You might also check the Lonely Planet Guide to Healthy Travel, Africa. You must take an anti-malarial drug, as malaria is endemic to West Africa. People get malaria even with medication, but the case is usually less serious. Even Africans, even those with sickle-cell, get malaria. Malaria seldom kills adult Africans because those who will die of it have done so in childhood, and some resistance builds up during adulthood. But it can kill adults, and even non-lethal cases can send you to bed with high fever for a week or twoBnot worth the risk on a three-week trip.

Be careful about mixing other prescriptions with your anti-malaria medication. If you are on other prescriptions, pack them with you in your purse so that you=ll have them in case of a flight delay or delayed luggage. Also carry a copy of of any prescription you are taking, and give us a legible (typed) copy of all prescriptions too.

6. Sleep: We=ll be getting up earlyBbreakfast at 7:30 in order to make the best use of the coolest part of the day. Since you may not know your roommate ahead of time, you might want to bring earplugs and/or an eyeshade. If you are a light sleeper, you might want to bring a mild sleep aid, especially for the plane and for first nights. Be careful about Ambien, thoughBit is very powerful and can have some long-term negative side effects, such as memory loss; don=t bring anything you are not used to using. If you are a snorer, please take care of that before the trip. There are many anti-snoring aids and sleep clinics that can usually cure the problem in less than a week. If you prevent your roommate from sleeping, you=ll have to pay the extra cost of a room to yourself.

7. Electrical appliances, cameras, etc.: We=ll have electricity in our hotels, but it=s a bit unpredictable, so don=t bring anything that is a serious necessityBit may not work. The current is 220 (theoreticallyBactually, it varies), so bring an adaptor. Also bring all the batteries and film you need, because those things are expensive.

8. Reading: Two excellent books are Philip Briggs= Guide to Ghana and Herbert Coles= Arts of Ghana. African Arts magazine has many articles on Ghanaian and specifically Ashanti art. There=s also a Lonely Planet Guide to West Africa. A full bibliography will be sent to all confirmed travelers.

9. Passports: Be sure your passport is up-to-date and won=t expire for at least 6 months after our date of departure; if it is old, get a new one right away.

10. Visas and embassy registration: You need a visa to enter Ghana. We can probably get your visa for you, but you will need to have 4 passport photos, the fee (probably $30-$50.00), and the visa application form, which you can get on the U.S. Embassy website: usembassy.state.gov/accra . When the time comes (about 2 months before departure) we=ll send you the addresses and other information to put on the application. You also should register with the US Embassy in Accra, which you can do on the same website. Again, we=ll send you the information closer to departure date.