Brenu Beach, Ghana, Day 192

The Dragoman drivers give us a day off today. And you couldn’t wish for a more exotic and relaxing location than Brenu Beach. Camping was much more bearable last night thanks to the cooling ocean breeze, while the rhythmic crashing of the waves against the shore acted like a lullaby. Not surprisingly, therefore, Christi and I slept wonderfully well and woke around dawn refreshed and eager to enjoy a lazy day editing photos, catching up with our journals, and reading (the truck maintains a library of sorts and Christi was eager to sample the collection). Sunrises and sunsets at Brenu Beach are simply superb – among the best we’ve experienced during our Year of Wonder.

In the afternoon we walk along the beach to Brenu village. Aside from the ubiquitous trash, the village is very picturesque. It’s dominated by a church, while on the beach itself there are endless fishing boats (and a new one being carved) and children of course. Digital cameras are great because the kids are eager to pose and even more excited to see images of themselves. The children are super friendly. They insist on holding our hands as we walk along the beach. They laugh and smile and I think they are as curious about us as we are about them. I appreciate this is only a snapshot, but these children (who have so little) seem a lot happier than children growing up in Western culture (who have so much more).

One word of caution regarding the local kids: they come with a plethora of bugs that are completely alien to wimpy Western travelers (including Christi and I), so once you have finished playing with the locals it is crucial to wash your hands and failing that rinse them in a bacterial sanitizer. From a health perspective, and especially in Africa, hand sanitizer is worth its weight in gold. You have been warned. Don’t leave home without it! Unfortunately Christi forgot this number one rule of travel hygiene and ended the day not watching another beautiful sunset but stuck in the bathroom vomiting. Go Christi!