Day 12 - Java Museum and Kokrobite Beach


Today started with breakfast at the hotel in Cape Coast surrounded by kittens that live there. The first stop of the day was the Java Museum in Elmina, a town right next to Cape Coast. In the museum we learned about over 3000 African men who signed up to be soldiers for the Dutch in Indonesia between 1831 and 1872 who were referred to as the black Dutchmen. These men were recruited because the Dutch believed people living in Ghana could handle tropical climates better than other Dutch soldiers. However, when the Dutch tried to recruit members Asante tribe they wouldn’t go to fight for a king other than their own, but some of their POW’s purchased freedom through a loan from the Dutch and went to fight in Java, Indonesia. It was interesting to learn about how soldiers integrated into Indonesians and then the stories of various men who came back to West Africa or went to the Netherlands after their service. The museum also taught us about the Indonesian origin of different fabrics that some of us had purchased here in Ghana over the last weeks. It was a quick stop at a museum but it was great to learn about another part of Ghana’s history.
 
After visiting the Java Museum, we made our way to Kokrobite Beach, one of the most anticipated stops on our schedule. Nothing quite matches a beach day, after we finished a beachside lunch we headed towards the waves. Most of us enjoyed crashing into the waves, some of us lost a few belongings to the tides, and Adrian enjoyed taking photos with his selfie stick. All in all, the fellows had a blast on beach day.

 
The expectation was that it would take an hour and a half to get back to our hotel in Accra from Kokrobite. What we did not expect was that trip would take four hours due to traffic. As we got closer to the hotel, the traffic only intensified. It would not be an exaggeration to say it took 20 mins to move 20 feet. In fact, Officer Reginald left the bus in traffic, ran to Pizza Hut, ordered dinner and made it back with pizza to serve on the bus. Finally, the hero of the night, Kofi, our driver's assistant, got off the bus and directed street traffic so we could get home.

Grant and Wayne


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