Kumasi has some really picturesque countryside surrounding it, aswell as the monkey sanctuary there is Lake Bosumptwi to the south of the city. This is a sacred lake where no ‘enclosed’ boat can sail. This means that all the boats used by fishermen here are pretty basic flat logs with an angular cut to make a bow and stern. The fishermen also paddle with their hands and not paddles which seems to require them to be built like sturdy outhouses.
We left the car in the village and packed a few essentials before heading off on a walk around the lake. A 30km stroll which would require us to spend the night in one of the fishing villages which surround the lake. On setting off it was pretty clear that most visitors only get about 1km around either direction as this is where the posh lake view hotels stop and the real local places start. Also after a couple of villages and a couple of sessions of chanting ‘white man, white man’ it was clear that the locals don’t see many visitors either. This kind of thing occured many times during the day with mixed reaction. Sometimes you feel like dancing down the main road/track announcing your presence, other times it was more of a head down keep moving affair. One thing is for certain though, kids say the funniest things!
