TRAVEL WRITING CHALLENGE
From Akwidaa to Axim
The A to Z of my favorite travel destinations
I’ve never thought of organizing my favorite travel destinations according to the alphabet. I’d sort them into countries and maybe in landscape features. Climates would also be an option. But now I got a new challenge.
“A” is the first letter of my name. It’s not just the beginning of the alphabet but surely a dominant letter in many words. But honestly, I don’t come up with a city, town, or park I’ve been to that starts with an “A”.
As I am reading Adrienne Beaumont‘s piece on “Starting with Aracena, Spain” I kept on thinking about places I’ve been to that begin with the letter “A” but I can only come up with Amsterdam. And while it’s surely a special city and I also made my unique experience arriving there just past midnight with a group of girls landing right in the red light district, it wasn’t what I would call my favorite travel destination.
Asking my husband for places we’ve been to didn’t help either. He found it weird thinking of places according to a letter. So, there I went to Google maps zooming into Germany, then Thailand. Apparently, every island and almost every other town begins with a “P”. I should keep that in mind for later. In case I ever get past the letter “A”.
Then I remembered I’ve spent quite some time in Accra, Ghana. But call it a disgusting mega city in Africa with more inhabitants than the entire country of Namibia. Not worth a mention either.
But.
There might be more towns in Ghana I’ve been to that start with an “A”. And as I zoom into the country on Google maps I find my favorite travel destination. Even if it’s a bit of a different one.
Akwidaa and Axim.
Those two towns have marked significant points on a big adventure I went on.
Akwidaa is where I started a week-long hike.
Axim is where I got hit by a New Year’s rocket.
In between, I spent some of the best days of my life.
In Akwidaa the taxi driver stopped and I got out of the car. For the following five days I walked along the rugged coastline of Ghana. I walked on tropical beaches and through some of the last remaining coastal rainforests.
On my own.
Almost.
Starting the hike in Akwidaa
It was a gorgeous day and so were the beaches ahead of me. I had a backpack with just over 10 kilos and was walking barefoot in the sand. Just out of town I passed some surfers. Tourists. The last ones I’d see for days.
It is also where I took my favorite picture of this trip. With the help of a tripod. This photograph is the title image of my book. It just represents this trip so well.
Hiking through the untouched wilderness for days
Yes, I hiked through paradise. The scenery I walked through changed between tropical beaches and coastal rainforests. Yes, Ghana has some of the last remaining coastal rainforest left on the planet.
The stretches along the beach were rather simple to walk on. Those in the forest were rather challenging. I simply followed local trails not knowing where they would lead trying to stay as close to the coastline as possible.
Passing tiny fishing villages
In between the towns I stayed I did pass small settlements. Mainly tiny fishing villages were located and built right on the sand of the beach.
Children were always running in between the houses waving at me whenever I walked passed. Some were playing games in the sand.
My trustworthy companions
I mentioned I walked on local trails through the forest. If I said I hiked solo, it isn’t fully true. Every other stretch through the forest I was following some locals on their way to work.
People in this corner of the country didn’t speak any English and not the local language I had started to learn. But they would understand the towns I mentioned I wanted to walk towards and made a sign to just follow.
Then I got handed over from one person to the next one.
And then there was that one day I struggled the most with communicating. As soon as I would say the town I wanted to go to, everyone tried to turn me around. I didn’t get why but stayed stubborn in my attempt of reaching the destination.
That day I did not walk a single meter alone. I was being handed over from one person to the next one. They made sure there was always someone with me.
Only towards the last stretch of my journey, I could understand what was going on when I got handed over to these four guys. They could speak a bit of English and were explaining to me there were thieves in the bushes who wanted to rob me.
We could see those “bad guys”. They were hiding between palm trees waiting for a moment I was left alone. Which didn’t happen. And you’re asking how I knew these four weren’t the bad ones?
My guts.
I always trust my guts.
The entire community that was looking after me that day was so overly friendly. They ensured I remained safe during my journey through their country. And none of them accepted any money I wanted to give them.
Where I slept along the way
I don’t remember doing any research about places I could stay. Maybe I did. But in all the towns I stayed in, there was only one hostel or accommodation place.
I passed countless fishing villages along the way but only every other larger village had a place to stay. It was enough for me. I hiked every day for about 5 hours or so. Including countless stops and swimming breaks in the Atlantic Ocean.
The best place I stayed in was surely this old German castle built on the rocks. I slept outside on the walls of the castle overlooking Ghana’s breathtaking coastline and the village below.
Things I learned along the way
- Pineapples do not grow on trees.
- Street signs don’t help at all.
- Ghanaians are the friendliest and most helpful people in the world.
Arriving in Axim
And indeed, five days after I started I arrived in the town of Axim. It was where I saw tourists again and booked myself into a nice lodge paying as much as 25€ for a night (which was 5 to 10 times as much as I paid the previous nights).
It was New Year’s and I spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach. Until I got hit by a firework that night. But that is a totally different story.
Was this a top travel destination?
Definitely yes. I don’t know what features and comforts your top travel destinations must have but this hiking trip from Akwidaa to Axim was surely one of the best adventures I’ve been on.
It was just the whole package of being active and hiking through breathtaking landscapes, being far off the beaten track, and meeting countless locals along the way.
Culture, traditions, wilderness, and lots of peaceful days in serenity.
Was this the best time of my life?
Possibly, yes.
“In wildness is the preservation of the world.” — Henry David Thoreau
This is a writing prompt response started by Sam Millichap with her story “A to Z: Armchair Travel of My Favourite Destinations”. I got onto the bandwagon after I read Adrienne Beaumont’s stories on “Aracena” and “Bletchley Park”.
More about my adventures in Ghana:
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