Thursday Feb. 11
Classes and Dance
Not much happened today besides dance class and other classes. I was busy doing that and I also enjoyed some WONDERFUL COFFEE CUE. This day was very nice because I could relax and reflect of Mawuvio’s before I adventured out into the place again the next day.
Friday Feb. 10
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLIE! YOU ARE AN ADULT NOW!!!!!!
I attempted to call my brother, but the phone didn’t seem to want to cooperate. So later in the day I CALLED HIM ON MY DAD’S PHONE…happy the birthday to my LITTLE BROTHER CHARLES RAPPE!
Volunteering at Mavious with the kiddos playing FOOTBALL
I entered the building (which I should have pictures in a couple of weeks) and the children and one of the teachers was leading a worship service. I don’t know any other word of how to describe it other than it was REALLY intense. The children were told about Joseph, the King of Dreams, which is the story from the Bible I WAS OBSESSED WITH AS A CHILD. And they were told to hang in there through all the tough moments.
Then the children sang and did another prayer and suddenly we were on our way to the football pitch. 5 children grabbed onto me, wanting to get closer and closer, hoping that I would develop love for them: WHICH I ALREADY HAD. We made it there and then I realized I was suppose to play with the children. We acted out different animals and had fun laughing at everyone’s faces. Then I played duck-duck-goose with the children, which they never played before…VERY INTERESTING RIGHT? We played that for 50 minutes, which surprised me that their attention was kept for that long. (At the same time children were playing football and attempting at baseball.) The field is dirt so I found myself COMPLETELY COVERED IN DIRT, after playing with them. Then it was lunch-time so we headed back, with 5 or 6 children on top of me. I did feel like I belonged. I LOVED EACH INDIVIDUAL SMILE. The afternoon we watched Dora the Explorer and I enjoyed observing the children’s reaction to the Spanish and English portions of the video.
INDIAN DINNER
There is this SPECTACULAR Indian restaurant in Osu. The food seemed like it came straight out of India. I got butter chicken, curry chicken, balsamic rice, AND LOTS OF NAAN! The meal was VERY expensive…okay not that expensive, but expensive in Ghanaian terms. The meal turned out to be like 16 CD, which is only 10 dollars for a WONDERFUL meal…worth it? I think so. The atmosphere did appear to be a fancy dress-up restaurant, which made ALL of us feel a little dressed down, besides the couple that DRESSED UP HARD CORE. ;)
After this fabulous Indian treat, I went back to hit the haystack because we had a LONG day ahead of us traveling to the Volta region.
Saturday Feb. 11 and Sunday Feb. 13
ADVENTURE IN VOLTA REGION
This adventure was our first outside Accra without a student guide and a charter bus guiding us the entire way. But Leann and Grace, people that are here for a year, were kind enough to guide us through this voyage.
Getting there: Hohoe
We hopped on a tro-tro with our backpacks full of everything and anything we would need in the next couple of days. We then stopped at Madina and endured the journey of finding the group of tro-tros that was going to Hohoe. This city is the main city in between all three of the sights we wanted to see. We loaded up on snacks because we did not know the next time we would encounter food. The LONG four hour tro-tro was an adjustment because I don’t choose to be very uncomfortable for four hours straight, but it allowed me to understand what Ghana’s go through often. I sat near a mother and her baby. Her baby was beautiful (I am in love with African babies…and Emma and I want to take one home). This baby WAS VERY WELL BEHAVED THE ENTIRE TRIP…he never cried. The mother breast-fed the baby quiet often not caring what was going on around her. This indeed is Africa. For part of the tro-tro ride my eyes were glued to the outside world wanting to absorb every detail of the transition between the Accra region to the Volta region…but my eyes became VERY heavy and I was soon fast asleep….or attempting to sleep. Before we knew it…we had arrive to our first mark.
Then Grace and I HAD TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. One of the main issues I’ve noticed about being in Ghana is public restrooms are far and between. We found this “urinal” where we paid 10 peswase and peed on cement…it didn’t make ANY SENSE AT ALL…there was no hole in the ground. I was completely confused how to use it.
Waterfall: Wli Lower falls
After our sort of successful pee experience we caught a taxi to the waterfall. It was a fairly inexpensive ride because 5 of us piled into the taxi…SORRY MOM AND DAD. The good thing is cars are far and few in this area of Ghana so an accident shouldn’t happen. We made it to the trail head, paid some money, and did the 20 minute walk to the lower falls. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL...down a couple of posts is the GLORIOUS PICTURES OF THE ADVENTURE. It was so refreshing. I didn’t get into the water because I was convinced I would get a fungal infection, but the power of the water reminded me how lucky I truly am being here. I AM EVER SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
Pick-up Truck ride
We waited twenty minutes outside the waterfall in hopes to run across a tro-tro or a motto-taxi (a motorcycle taxi). Fortunately, after thirty minutes, we hitched a ride from a pick-up truck and all sat in the back. SORRY MOM AND DAD AGAIN…we survived through the bumpy road…and the best part was, IT WAS FREE…so we saved a bit of money. Riding in the back of a truck it was great to see everything NOT through a glass window. I experienced the dust and dirty clogging up my glasses and the taste of the dry season: dirt mouth. The truck ALMOST dropped us off at Hohoe, but it turned out that they were actually going to the monkey sanctuary TOO. So we joyously received another ride. I’ve noticed that Ghana outside of Accra is VERY DIFFERENT. People are A LOT nicer and are here to help…and not automatically judge me for my skin color.
Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary
We arrived at the monkey sanctuary and then went to guest rooms. Get this for 20 CD (about 15 American dollars) we get a dinner, a night in the rooms, a breakfast, and play with monkeys. SUCH A GOOD DEAL. So I PASSED OUT for an hour extremely exhausted from all the experience thus far. And was woken up for a walk over to dinner. We were served rice, tomato spicy sauce, and hard-boiled eggs. It did appear to be blood and eyeballs in the dark. We scarfed down the meal and headed back for some sleep. We had to wake up at 6am because that is when we catch the monkeys before they go WAY out into the forest. We walked to the edge of the forest with our guide. He made this sound with his lips…that I sort of learned how to repeat later (it is like a mix between a kiss and a whistle). About twenty monkeys greeted us. IT WAS AMAZING. Out of everything we did this weekend. This was my favorite event BY FAR. The guide gave us bananas and we fed them the bananas. They climbed ALL over us and fought for our bananas. It was SO COOL. I have never been super close to a monkey…let alone FED ONE. There was a monkey with her baby in her pouch…SO CUTE. The chaotic…yet wonderful experience was great! Then we trampled through the forest as the guide told us about the organization and how great this tourist attraction is for the economy here (I agree…but strongly disagree at the same it). We then FEASTED on a breakfast of rice porridge, toast, butter, tea (with cream and sugar). IT WAS GLORIOUS TO ACTUALLY EAT SOMETHING. We then attempted to go on our way…
Afadjata 885m and the highest mountain in Ghana
We waited 20 minutes for a motto-taxi (motorcycle taxi)…and none came…so we managed to hitch a taxi to the junction to get a tro-tro to Hohoe. One of the Ghanaian said we couldn’t get a tro-tro on Sunday…YA HE WAS REALLY WRONG. I sat in the front…and it WAS GLORIOUS. I got to understand how difficult it is to drive a tro-tro with how poorly maintained the roads are…with millions of potholes.
We then got a taxi to the mountain and got a VERY GREAT DEAL of paying 8 CD for a ride there and back, while he waited for us…he actually ended up hiking it himself.
Leann told us it would take two hours to get up the mountain…OHHH GOODNESS. I wasn’t worried because compared to this summer where I hiked with a backpack and saw up a mountain this would be easy. It wasn’t bad at all. We got up the mountain in 30-45 minutes. The trail was HORRIBLY BUILT…yes I looked at the trail…because I have been doing trail building for three years. It would be neat to come back at help restructure the trail.
The only problem with hiking this trail during the dry season is we can’t see much at the top…because it is SO DUSTY AND CLOUDY. But we did it, and it felt great to actually hike again…as a BORN COLORADOAN…I always love a good hike. There were signs along the way up that encouraged you to keep going…it was very cute.
But now I can say I summited THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN GHANA
We made an exhausting ride back to Hohoe where we stocked up on lunch food…which we were starving because it was 2pm and we hadn’t eaten since 7am. Bread, fancaco (this is frozen milk in a bag), bananas, and ground nuts (peanuts in America) was our lunch. We peed again in a “urinal”…still confused about what you are suppose to do with these. Lol.
Getting back to Accra
We found a tro-tro heading to Accra. THIS TRO-TRO SEEMED FINE…BUT CREATED MANY PROBLEMS FOR US! There were about 4 kids on the tro-tro which I made faces at the entire ride to try to give them something to laugh about. The TRO-TRO DIED ON US…ABOUT HALF THERE. Ya that’s right…we were in the middle of nowhere and had to wait and hour and a half for them to fix the tro-tro…the clutch was broken. It died on us several more times through out the journey…making the 4-hour ride, a 6-7 hour affair. During one stop there was a coconut man that cut and gave me a coconut for only 50 peswase…which is like 30 cents…REDICULOUSLY AMAZING! I made faces at a little boy and he cried…oops…I must have scared him. Sometimes little Africa children are scared by Obrunis because we are very pale and look like ghosts (just a guess).
We FINALLY made it back and had some night market beans, joliff, plantains, and vegs.
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