First Day at the Beach

On Friday, Eli and I accompanied my friends, Gilda and Allan, for a beach excursion. They just joined this exclusive beach resort called White Sands and so we were able to come along as guests...well for $25. And that $25 was well worth it! Despite the 2 1/2 hour drive (40km in distance) through ridiculous traffic, the beach was beautiful, serene, and just what we needed. Sometimes Accra can feel so congested, dirty, dusty and just plain frustrating so to get away to a place that feels like a slice of heaven was really special. This resort includes an infinity pool overlooking the ocean and a pristine beach (hard to fine around Accra) with calm waves, as it's in a cove, and delicious food! So Eli got his first touch of sand and couldn't get enough of it. He just kept picking up handfuls of it and letting it slowly fall through his fingers...never once putting it in his mouth. We did a quick dip in the ocean (Eli bare bottomed!) because I'm still a little paranoid about the ocean in general and especially in Ghana...you hear stories about parasitic worms that get into your feet from the sand, etc. and that's enough to make you a little neurotic. Most of our time there was spent in the sand away from the water where Eli could crawl around, explore, and feel the salty breeze on his face. The only drawback to this place was getting from the resort pool area to the beach. The staff have to shuttle guests back and forth across a lagoon on a wooden ferry and then you must walk with all your belongings through the fishing area, trying not to trip on fishing nets, to their private beach area. So Eli was in my arms, I was carrying two large bags and Allan, who just had hip surgery a month ago, wheeled the stroller along the sand. It wasn't easy and it was times like this that I wish I knew how to strap Eli on my back. But, when we got there, the trek was long forgotten and we had the place all to ourselves the whole day...not another soul was there! We'll definitely be going back soon!