I was asked to take a workshop on minor scales this week, and I felt I was shattering the students' musical world as the vast majority of Ghanain music uses major keys and solely major chords (because it's so damn happy!) but I don't think anyone was too emotionally scarred by the experience! A particular highlight came this week when we had a spontaneous singsong of English folk songs on the balcony (their particular favourite: "my Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean!'), with fantastic improvised harmonies by the teachers - I shall have to record it! All of the teachers took their Grade One theory mock paper this week, which I have been taking them through since I arrived, and all of them passed with almost full marks, which was very impressive, especially as some of them had never taken the exam before! They all hope to take their Grade 3 next year, and are very keen indeed - Ghanains like their exams! Also, I've been preparing for a training weekend that Fiffi and I are going to lead with the teachers, which will take place before Christmas at the Brenu Beach Resort, which will be a good opportunity to pass on new skills. The orchestra is still valiantly practising the music we already have, but are still awaiting the shipment of music from the UK!

Last weekend I travelled to a small remote village called Wassa, which is 50km of Cape Coast and is very much traditional Africa - all mud huts and bamboo! I was perhaps lucky to get there atall, as I was travelling by tros tros (minibus) which kept breaking down en route (which is pretty much expected for tros tros!). The first repair job, involving newspaper and string worked! But then the engine completely failed, leaving me to walk the remaining 1km to the village. When I arrived this was very much rural Ghana - no electric, phones, animals everywhere and of course plenty of churches! I stayed over in a very simple guest house (with a lovely parafin lamp at bedtime) and it was beautiful at night with just the stars and fireflys. The reason I was there was to do a tour of the rainforest and to see a rock shrine, which was developed into an eco-tourism site a few years ago. So I set off at 7am (!) with two local guides, cycling through lush vegetation to the trail, though the road was pretty awful, so I had to dodge lots of potholes and cracks in the road!. From here, we walked though the dense forest, which was really beautiful if humid, and we eat fresh cocoa off the trees, delicious! The shrine itself is a huge rock, balanced on 3 smaller rocks. I climed vines to the top (a bit dangerous but worth it!) Then the higlight- a canoe ride on a wide river, flanked by beautiful tall trees. I felt like a real explorer! So it felt like my first real adventures in Ghana, and it was great (if a bit tiring!)! To top it off, I took lunch in Cape Coast at a hotel called Hans Cottage, where crocodiles reside in their lake, and I got very close to them indeed!

I was phoned at the beginning of the week by Bob and Iain, two really nice guy from Essex travelling round Ghana, whom I'd met at Kokrobite a month previously, who invited me to nearby Green Turtle Lodge, on the beach at Akwidda, not far from Takoradi, and having been in Takoradi for the past month I jumped at the chance to spend a week relaxing by the sea. It simply is a slice of paradise- the most tranquil and beautiful place I have been in Ghana (if not the world!). The lodge is run by a young English couple Tom and Jo who bought a plot of land a few years agoand built some simple African style huts , and opened a bar and kitchen. The whole place is eco friendly, and is entirely powered by solar energy, and had a really lovely vibe. For a week, I camped in a tent just above the shoreline, in the shade of a coconut tree which was idyllic, and very similar to my lovely summers camping by the sea on St Agnes in Scilly! Though there was a thunderstorm one night, and my tent totally flooded (coz when it rains in Africa it really rains!) and I had to abandon it at 4am! It was great to meet fellow volunteers and travellers here, who were mainly from the UK, Scandinavia and the US, and all of them agreed that this was the best place in Ghana! Here I also met Andrew and James, who are overlanding around the continent (destination: South Africa), and set off from England four months ago, so they have a long way to go! We had plenty of games of cricket on the beach, as well as volleyball, ultimate frisbee and plenty of table tennis, and other than that I just swam, lay in the hammock and watched the world go by! So yes, Green Turltle really was that perfect, and I'm happy to say that I've booked Kate and I in for two weeks over Easter (and her birthday) next year. Cannot wait! It's about an hour from Takoradi, so its going to be very tempting for me to visit here at every opportunity!.

OK thats about it for another week, but check out the photos as I will now update these regularly. As always there's so much more I could say, as being in Africa is an experience like no other! Nothing does prepare you for the culture shock! Thanks for all the messages on the board, at times I can feel quite isolated and far from home so it is really good to hear from you. Enjoy the run up the Christmas.... till next time..... James Kobinah Sills x