What tourists say about Ghana...
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Source: Public Agenda Ghana / June 22, 2007
New scam Be alert to a new scam in Accra. Be very careful with your credit cards, credit card receipts and receipt carbons. My card number, not my card, was stolen and used the very next day after I paid a hotel bill in Accra. I did take my receipt carbons so the person must have copied my number from the hotel`s receipt. This happened at the Paloma Hotel on Ring Road. I only used my card four times in Ghana, all for hotels. The thief started using my credit card number the day after I checked out, and before I used it again at the next hotel. (Norman Peters, May 04) |
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Mugged
I was mugged and hit the first time I went to Ghana (in Mamprobi). The local people were so upset. I was a volunteer then, and was seen as an easy target. Since then it has been easy. (Jayne Wright, Sept 04) .
Re: Interacting with Ghanaians
One advice I would add to this section for the westerner is to takes things light-heartedly in Ghana. Laugh at ridiculous situations and act in humorous way when you find yourself in a situation that seems ridiculous or you are being asked ridiculous questions. For instance, you mention that there are times when the traveller can find the calls of “Obruni! Obruni!†tiring.
Of course it is funny and silly to be called out Obruni, obruni! all the time. Tease them back with Bebeni! Bebeni! (which means black person) and add a few phrases like Bebeni! People will (a) like the fact that you can speak a few Twi phrases and (b) enjoy you being funny with them too.
You also say that Perhaps the most important single point of etiquette for visitors to bear in mind is that it is considered highly insulting to use your left hand to pass or receive something or when shaking hands. I would dispute with that strongly. I think the most important single point of etiquette is ALWAYS to greet someone first and ask them how things are going.
I typically begin with the salutation Sister, My friend, Auntie, Uncle, or Brother. Then after they answer and return your greeting, you can start asking them for a favour, begin bargaining, or inquire about the price of something. Greetings are the first and foremost single point of etiquette to learn in Ghana, especially for many westerners who may not find it intuitive to greet their waiters or hotel clerk before asking something. (Conal Ho, Oct 04)
Re Electrical Devices
You write that Batteries are useful during power cuts, though such events are increasingly rare. That statement is highly false. Since returning to Accra in April 2004, we have had power cuts several times a month. It is not unusual for electricity to go off. The situation is certainly not as bad as it was in the mid-80s when we would have 3 days with electricity and 3 days without, and so forth. The situation in smaller cities and towns are most likely worse than in Accra. When we visited Elmina for one day and one night, we had electricity cut twice. (Conal Ho, Oct 04)
Golden Tree chocolate
A good souvenir to take home from Ghana is Golden Tree chocolate! After all, Ghana used to be the top cacao producing country in the world. I believe it`s still one of the top. Ghanaian chocolates taste quite different than the typically overly sweet (for me) western chocolates. They also don`t melt as easily (that`s how come they can be sold on the street under the hot sun). Their dark chocolate (in black wrapping) is particularly good. I`ll warn you though that it isn`t easy to get the dark chocolates wrapped in black paper. The best places to try are MaxMart (first and foremost), Top in Town, and Sotrec. The Shell, Mobil, and Total stations all carry Ghanaian chocolates too.
It is important to ask the airline when the check in time is. In Ghana, it is better to check in as early as is allowed, lest there be total chaos closer to the flying time, which undoubtedly can happen in Ghana. The traveller can then check their baggage in early, and then return to town for several hours for a bit (a bite at Golden Tulip before departure is a typical local expatriate thing to do) or whatever else before returning to the airport to check-in. (Conal Ho, Oct 04)
Paying hotel bills
A scam that the hotels have is to change your bill back and forth into dollars and local currency in order to make money on their bad exchange rates. For example if the price for the room is quoted in us dollars and you pay in cedi they will change it into cedis and take an extra 5%. Don`t put your meals in the restaurant and bar on your bill as then they change the amount of cedis into US dollars and take an extra percentage. If you ask to pay the bill in cedis they change it back from the dollars into cedis and take an additional percentage. So just pay as you go in the local currency. (Penny MacInnes, Jan 05)
Most prices have gone up from the prices you quote on average by about 30%. (Penny MacInnes, Jan 05)
We are birdwatchers and we privately organised the main part of our trip through the Ghana Wildlife Society in Accra (GWS - BirdLife partner).
That was a very positive experience indeed and although hiring a car (especially a 4x4) is never the cheapest option, if compared to an already organised birding tour the final price was very good, with also the advantage to be just the two of us doing whatever we liked most. Prices where as follows: 100 US$/day for the car included driver (a good Toyota Rav 4x4); 50 US$/day for a very experienced and local birding guide (David T. Daramani, probably the best in Ghana!); some 10-20 US$/day for driver + guide`s accommodation. GWS could have organised everything in advance for us, but we decided to keep the program open to be modified as we liked along the way.
The fully inclusive program that GWS suggested us was about 400 US$ for 2 people and 13 days, but by simply selecting simpler hotels/rooms we made it much cheaper. We`ve never been asked for a Yellow Fever certificate. As of Dec 05, 1 US$ = 9000 cedis (we found minimal differences between airport, bank and forex bureau - between 900 and 100 cedis - as well as for US$xTraveller Cheques).
Sleeping: as you`ve already mentioned for a couple a Ghanaian single bed is just large enough, although we`ve always been offered a more expensive double room first. We mainly drunk bottled spring water, but the purified water in small (500ml) plastic bags available everywhere was just good as well. We fully agree that people in Ghana are extremely friendly and welcoming, and we never had any single problem throughout, not even while walking in the middle of a main busy market in Accra!
We noticed a comment about ATMs in Ghana and being only able to make three successive withdrawals. This is not true for some cards at least. We have a UK Nationwide account (who, incidentally, charge nothing for the use of the ATM) and I have made 8 successive withdrawals on one day of 800,000 cedis a time. We regularly withdraw 5 successive amounts at the Barclays ATM in Cape Coast, the only one available to use is VISA. No other international card in Ghana is recognised. Mind you, you almost need the proverbial wheelbarrow to take it away! (Ian Bosman, Jan 05)
(CREDIT BRADT TRAVEL GUIDE) and (Public Agenda Ghana, 2007) - please note: The US$ - Ghana Cedis Exchange Rate is different now -2015-, as in this article of 2007 (2005)
I was mugged and hit the first time I went to Ghana (in Mamprobi). The local people were so upset. I was a volunteer then, and was seen as an easy target. Since then it has been easy. (Jayne Wright, Sept 04) .
Re: Interacting with Ghanaians
One advice I would add to this section for the westerner is to takes things light-heartedly in Ghana. Laugh at ridiculous situations and act in humorous way when you find yourself in a situation that seems ridiculous or you are being asked ridiculous questions. For instance, you mention that there are times when the traveller can find the calls of “Obruni! Obruni!†tiring.
Of course it is funny and silly to be called out Obruni, obruni! all the time. Tease them back with Bebeni! Bebeni! (which means black person) and add a few phrases like Bebeni! People will (a) like the fact that you can speak a few Twi phrases and (b) enjoy you being funny with them too.
You also say that Perhaps the most important single point of etiquette for visitors to bear in mind is that it is considered highly insulting to use your left hand to pass or receive something or when shaking hands. I would dispute with that strongly. I think the most important single point of etiquette is ALWAYS to greet someone first and ask them how things are going.
I typically begin with the salutation Sister, My friend, Auntie, Uncle, or Brother. Then after they answer and return your greeting, you can start asking them for a favour, begin bargaining, or inquire about the price of something. Greetings are the first and foremost single point of etiquette to learn in Ghana, especially for many westerners who may not find it intuitive to greet their waiters or hotel clerk before asking something. (Conal Ho, Oct 04)
Re Electrical Devices
You write that Batteries are useful during power cuts, though such events are increasingly rare. That statement is highly false. Since returning to Accra in April 2004, we have had power cuts several times a month. It is not unusual for electricity to go off. The situation is certainly not as bad as it was in the mid-80s when we would have 3 days with electricity and 3 days without, and so forth. The situation in smaller cities and towns are most likely worse than in Accra. When we visited Elmina for one day and one night, we had electricity cut twice. (Conal Ho, Oct 04)
Golden Tree chocolate
A good souvenir to take home from Ghana is Golden Tree chocolate! After all, Ghana used to be the top cacao producing country in the world. I believe it`s still one of the top. Ghanaian chocolates taste quite different than the typically overly sweet (for me) western chocolates. They also don`t melt as easily (that`s how come they can be sold on the street under the hot sun). Their dark chocolate (in black wrapping) is particularly good. I`ll warn you though that it isn`t easy to get the dark chocolates wrapped in black paper. The best places to try are MaxMart (first and foremost), Top in Town, and Sotrec. The Shell, Mobil, and Total stations all carry Ghanaian chocolates too.
It is important to ask the airline when the check in time is. In Ghana, it is better to check in as early as is allowed, lest there be total chaos closer to the flying time, which undoubtedly can happen in Ghana. The traveller can then check their baggage in early, and then return to town for several hours for a bit (a bite at Golden Tulip before departure is a typical local expatriate thing to do) or whatever else before returning to the airport to check-in. (Conal Ho, Oct 04)
Paying hotel bills
A scam that the hotels have is to change your bill back and forth into dollars and local currency in order to make money on their bad exchange rates. For example if the price for the room is quoted in us dollars and you pay in cedi they will change it into cedis and take an extra 5%. Don`t put your meals in the restaurant and bar on your bill as then they change the amount of cedis into US dollars and take an extra percentage. If you ask to pay the bill in cedis they change it back from the dollars into cedis and take an additional percentage. So just pay as you go in the local currency. (Penny MacInnes, Jan 05)
Most prices have gone up from the prices you quote on average by about 30%. (Penny MacInnes, Jan 05)
We are birdwatchers and we privately organised the main part of our trip through the Ghana Wildlife Society in Accra (GWS - BirdLife partner).
That was a very positive experience indeed and although hiring a car (especially a 4x4) is never the cheapest option, if compared to an already organised birding tour the final price was very good, with also the advantage to be just the two of us doing whatever we liked most. Prices where as follows: 100 US$/day for the car included driver (a good Toyota Rav 4x4); 50 US$/day for a very experienced and local birding guide (David T. Daramani, probably the best in Ghana!); some 10-20 US$/day for driver + guide`s accommodation. GWS could have organised everything in advance for us, but we decided to keep the program open to be modified as we liked along the way.
The fully inclusive program that GWS suggested us was about 400 US$ for 2 people and 13 days, but by simply selecting simpler hotels/rooms we made it much cheaper. We`ve never been asked for a Yellow Fever certificate. As of Dec 05, 1 US$ = 9000 cedis (we found minimal differences between airport, bank and forex bureau - between 900 and 100 cedis - as well as for US$xTraveller Cheques).
Sleeping: as you`ve already mentioned for a couple a Ghanaian single bed is just large enough, although we`ve always been offered a more expensive double room first. We mainly drunk bottled spring water, but the purified water in small (500ml) plastic bags available everywhere was just good as well. We fully agree that people in Ghana are extremely friendly and welcoming, and we never had any single problem throughout, not even while walking in the middle of a main busy market in Accra!
We noticed a comment about ATMs in Ghana and being only able to make three successive withdrawals. This is not true for some cards at least. We have a UK Nationwide account (who, incidentally, charge nothing for the use of the ATM) and I have made 8 successive withdrawals on one day of 800,000 cedis a time. We regularly withdraw 5 successive amounts at the Barclays ATM in Cape Coast, the only one available to use is VISA. No other international card in Ghana is recognised. Mind you, you almost need the proverbial wheelbarrow to take it away! (Ian Bosman, Jan 05)
(CREDIT BRADT TRAVEL GUIDE) and (Public Agenda Ghana, 2007) - please note: The US$ - Ghana Cedis Exchange Rate is different now -2015-, as in this article of 2007 (2005)