surfing!

The day after our canoe ride, we decided to try out bodyboarding or bodysurfing, using boards they had at the resort.

Jason's practically an expert! Here's a 16-second video of him in action. You can't really see him in the beginning, but he's the tiny dot that moves swiftly toward the centre of the frame.



And here's a couple of still shots:





I tried it, too, but was much less successful. My first 'go' was exhiliarating as I caught a wave and was pushed almost all the way to shore. But then after that I just got crashed under and tossed about a lot. The waves seem a lot bigger when you're out there than they do in these pictures -- and the undertow is really quite strong.

Tired of tasting seawater, I soon threw in the towel (or, actually, "picked up the towel" would probably be more accurate in this case).

Before I bailed, Jason did manage to get a couple of extremely unflattering bikini photos (I was right about the tides sucking my bathing suit off, although I didn't actually lose any pieces) and this one, which I'll share because the surprise on my face gives some idea of how fast you go:



Oh, and I forgot to say last time, that when we were walking home from our canoe trip, I stopped to take a photo and we were mobbed by a small group of children who wanted their photos taken. So here's an Akwidaa boy and girl, showing off a crab they caught on the beach (different from the mangrove crabs):



We spent the rest of the weekend lying in hammocks, reading, drinking fine scotch (really, they had quite a good selection) and eating way too much.

The Green Turtle uses seafood from the local fishers in their restaurant. We're told once the fishers have made their catch, they paddle by the lodge and hold up the fish. A lodge employee checks it out through binoculars, and if they want to use it for dinner, the employee swims out to the boat to negotiate the price and pick it up. Can't get much fresher than that.

The food they had at the lodge was incredible: including the "house special" breakfast -- french toast with fried bananas -- and a few favourite Ghanaian dishes, and of course fresh seafood. They also cater to vegetarians, so every menu has several vegetarian options, including Ghanaian vegetarian food, which is great because that is usually cooked with fish or meat. Delish!

They had a cookbook for sale, which of course I grabbed up immediately, so we'll be able to share all our faves with youse guyse upon our return. In the meantime, we've bought a barbecue and are putting the recipes to work with the fresh fish we buy from guys on the street who sell it out of icy bowls they carry on their heads each afternoon.

Here's one more picture of paradise: