Friday, May 2, 2008

Gorgeous Akosombo

The searing heat slips into a sweet and crisp coolness, as you approach her from the City of Accra, and a brisk breeze sweeps along with the car. The road is well-kept and lushly lined with tall trees with fresh, green leaves.

She is curled up at the foot of running hills, and sleeps silently on the banks of the Volta River; the lake unfolds itself upriver. Her plains and hills are spotted with many well-fed woods of humongous trees, saplings, shrubs and bushes watered by little spill-over pools from the occupying river. Never too hot or too glaringly bright, it looks like a 3-D postcard picture; crystal clear with muted colour tones.

Multi-storeys are very rare. Flat box-houses crawl in ornate order over the hobbling landscape and equatorial plains, allowing splurges of comfortable space everywhere.

Her many fine hotels and spick guesthouses welcome holidaymakers who want an easy-peasy drive through the clusters of copses, a tranquil cruise on the many boats, or some rapid, reckless and raw-nerve water sport. The best by far is the Volta Hotel; luxurious for the rooms, cuisine and service; built like a ship, a submarine and a citadel (have you seen it?).

She’s quiescent and picturesque, laidback and breathtakingly beautiful, but she is not Accra. After three days and two nights you want to descend into the furnace, clangour and stuffiness that is the City of Accra. Gorgeous Akosombo!

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous02 May, 2008

    Yes 'the tranquil cruise on the many boats'. You make miss MV Dodi Princess.Why was I not there yesterday?

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  2. Anonymous02 May, 2008

    I 100% agree with you, Akosombo is such a lovely place.Its got a number of recreational centres,the one and only Dodi Princess, the man made Volta river. It is a city in the valley.....i will call its 'Vally View City'.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree with splashes, you've made me regret not going there yesterday. Beautiful description.

    ReplyDelete
  4. But, my favourite thing about Akosombo is not the Dodi Princess. I like the smaller boats. The rides in the woods and hills are also quite lovely! And, Maya and Splashes, when I last checked, the Princess was at dock for maintenance.

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