The Road to Koftown (from Somanya) - May 2023

I've now been in the Koforidua metropolis (aka "Koftown") for over a year.  Koforidua is the capital city of the Eastern Region of Ghana.  Time sure does fly, because it really doesn't feel like I've been up here for that long.

I've come to favor Koforidua over Accra for a number of reasons.  At the top of the list is the fact that Koftown, relatively speaking, is very green.

scene of one of the mountains in Koforidua, Ghana

The 'hood has its environmental issues though.  For example, in populated areas landowners tend to destroy trees like nobody's business, when it comes to erecting houses.  That modus operandi can be considered problematic where there's a concentration of residences.  So even in a relatively-lush city like Koforidua, most of the houses don't have any shade.  Meanwhile, it's hella hot in Ghana, like on a daily basis.

another random scene of the 'hood, Koftown

That said, the reason I decided to write this post is because first of all, it appears that I'm going to be leaving Koforidua soon.  So even though this past year has been kinda mundane, I wanting to start jotting down some reflections of the 'hood while they're still fresh.

Secondly, I was digging through the phone and found these old videos I recorded, in May of 2023, when I was on my way to Koforidua from Somanya.  I took them specifically to send to one of my homeys in the States.  I wanted him to get a feel of how green some parts of the Eastern Region are.  Also, I knew that there was a couple of villages along the way, which I hoped to capture.

THE ROAD TO KOFTOWN (MAY 2023)

I recorded these videos over a year ago, so I can't remember the exact locations in which I took them per se.  Koforidua is in the mountains, so if you're coming from one of the valley areas, like Somanya, you have to climb.

There are a number of different roads which lead to respective towns in the mountains.  But if you're coming directly from Somanya, the first neighborhood you're going to meet at the top is called Adukrom.  The next town, if you're headed in the direction of Koforidua, is called Apirede.

Then from Apirede, you eventually reach Nkurkan.  There's a long, sorta straight road between those two localities.  Getting from one point to next, considering speed bumps and all, takes about 20-30 minutes.  And it was on that road where I recorded these first two clips:

There's a number of villages, separated by miles, along the way.  A couple are large enough to be classified as towns.  The road is so long that during some stretches, you could be driving for like five minutes, nonstop, before coming across a house.

One of things I like about traveling on that road is some of the villages on it being semi-modern, with traditional mud houses, which are fascinating, at least to me.  You can see a few of them in the clip below:

Unfortunately, I can't remember in which village/town exactly I shot the above video.  But it was one of those when you're getting closer to Nkurkan.

This last clip would be in Kkurkan, facing north, further into the mountains.  In other words, the camera wasn't pointed at the actual town, which itself is sorta congested:  

Nkurkan is a major transit point, with its own notable market, just a stone's throw away from Koforidua.  Looking out into the mountains, as in the video above, the place looks sorta deserted, but trust me, it isn't.  Nkurkan is densely populated to the south and west of where I was facing.

PLEASE FIX THE ROAD IN NKURKAN

I'm not particularly fond of Nkurkan, because the road leading from it to Koforidua, i.e. the main street through the town is, excuse my French, sh*t.  It's so bumpy and pothole-ridden that it's impossible to traverse at a comfortable speed.  That's the only part of the journey that I despise.

Going from Somanya to Adukrom is very scenic and one of the safer routes I know of into the mountains.  Then, from Apirede to Nkurkan is a straight, paved road with virtually no traffic and sparse pedestrian activity.  But from Nkurkan to Koforidua, oh my goodness.  Your ass, as in your buttocks, are going to suffer.  One of the homeys was even telling that he has a family member who recently had an accident on that road, which resulted in her leg having to be amputated.

But that's not to say that the overall environment of Nkurkan isn't pleasant.  Rather, the neighborhood illustrates one of the points I was trying to make when it comes to living in these green, mountainous areas.  Even if the residential sections aren't particularly pleasant, all you need do is look up in one direction or another to behold lush, naturally-soothing scenery.

CONCLUSION

I'm glad I got the opportunity to finally share those videos.  They're kinda nostalgic, reminding me of the day, in the middle of May 2023, that I moved into the mountains.  I hope they also encourage other people to come and visit Koforidua.  The ride up here, depending on which path you take, is for the most part a pleasant and memorable experience.