It may sound like a new t.v. series from Aaron Spelling.... but as many Togo PCV's know, Busua Pleasure Beach was (and still is, I hope) a charming little motel near Dixcove in Ghana. I call it a “motel” because that is exactly what it looked like: ten or fifteen individual units near the shore, underneath the palms. The beach was a beautiful one, although the water could be treacherous: I recall having to battle my way back to shore one time when the tide suddenly turned fierce.

At the nearby fishing village, villagers fished in the morning and repaired their nets in the afternoon. The children came down to the motel to sell small but tasty lobsters, for about a quarter each. (They would demonstrate that the lobsters were alive by pinching the eyes so that the lobsters convulsed!)

I remember one Christmas morning when I was staying at Busua Pleasure Beach. A group of local children from the village up the shore came by the motel, singing a pretty little Christmas song. I'm not sure what inspired them to go carolling; they didn't ask for money, or anything else, for that matter. But we gave them candy anyway, and I took their picture. Almost nineteen years have passed since then, and I haven't heard that song since. But I still remember how it goes. (Buy me a BB, and I'll sing it for you!)

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