Second weekend: Volta Region
Trip Start
May 31, 2008
1
5
12
Trip End
Jul 15, 2008
Wli, Ghana
Monday, June 16, 2008
So the adventures continued over the last weekend, with a couple new friends and some great activities. On Friday, we left Mamfe and took 4 different tros through Adumko, Kpong, Hohoe and finally to Wli where our accommodations were (the Waterfall Lodge). It is run by a friendly German couple and has a great view of the Tagbo Falls, the highest waterfall in Western Africa. When we arrived on friday, we enjoyed dinner, drinks, and soaking up the view of the falls and the surrounding mountains. We also met the rest of the tenants there: a large group of Americans and Brits. Very few Canadians I have met so far... represent! Our new buddy Rob (American student), Rens and I shared a room, and we were the last ones up as usual. At about 1 AM, we went to our room, stuck the key in the lock.... and it wouldn't open! All 3 of us tried several times, so we were forced to wake up the owners and they took 45 minutes to open the door without breaking it. Obviously we were thrilled with the situation.
The next day we woke up at 7 with activities in mind. Rob managed to lock himself in our bathroom, the same way; luckily the separating wall had a gap at the top he was able to climb through lol. We took a short tro ride to the base of Mt Afadjato, the highest mountain in Ghana. It was a great hike up to the top; we had a Ghanaian guide in flip-flops that darted ahead, while Rob and Rens slogged with the burden of their hangovers. We didn't really need Robert, except to see and remove an incredible number of spiderwebs in our path. I ran straight into one, but the 6-inch spider must have been pretty chill because he ran the other way instead of giving me a likely-lethal bite. When we reached the top, the view was phenomenal. We could see Lake Volta in the distance to the West, and to the east lay Togo as we were right near the border. I certainly took the opportunity for photos, then we headed back down and back to the lodge.
After lunch, we met a funny couple of travellers; 2 Rastafarians named Philip (Ghanaian) and Elodie (French). They were so friendly, and walked up to the falls with us. They made for surprisingly great guides! Elodie was a plant expert and taught us about the unique trees (like the cocoa tree, with pods growing from the trunk); Philip was an expert in local culture and chatted up a couple of locals who were making palm wine. We watched them cut into the trunk of a dead palm tree, then torch the inside to cause the sap (or wine) to leak into a container below. Philip promptly made a cup out of a leaf and let us try some. It was really sweet and delicious; they always wrap the tree up tight after torching because apparently monkeys, snakes, and other miscreants enjoy the booze as well! We eventually made our way through the jungle and arrived at the falls, another breathtaking site. The water falls a distance of about 40 metres into a fairly shallow pond, so I swam out right below the point of impact. The wind and spray were so strong! Everyone else thought the water was cold (the Africans were totally frozen) but I was totally comfortable. I guess the experience of swimming in glacier lakes in Canada can be helpful.
When we finished relaxing at the falls, we headed back to the lodge once again. The girls were back so we ate and sat with them, before spreading to meet the new arrivals of the night. We played cards and shared stories, bad jokes, and riddles. Also, a couple friends we met at Big Milly's, the previous weekend, spontaneously showed up! We let them stay in our room since there was nowhere else to go at 10 PM. We luckily avoided any lock incidents that night, and passed out happily. Sunday was pretty uneventful; I just relaxed and enjoyed the view before jumping into tros with the girls and making it back home in time for dinner.
As I sat around that night, Sandy and Paul from our host family called me over to the chicken coop. I decided it would be hilarious to help them, but it was really hard work. We cleaned the pens, added new wood chips and kicked the chickens around (don't worry, they deserve it); they also taught me a whole bunch of new Twi vocabulary. Hopefully by the end of the trip I will have learned a lot of it!
So, now I'm back to the clinic for another week. With new Twi skills, an increasing familiarity of the activities in the clinic, and knowledge of the prevalence and symptoms of Ghanaian diseases, I should be able to do consulting with patients by the end of the month without any aid from the other employees. I also want to try and organize a public health initiative; the village of Larteh is kind of removed from medical knowledge. These goals, along with my weekend partying, should occupy me most of the time. I can't believe I'm already half done my Ghana experience, but I will also be so excited to travel the UK in July!
I hope everyone is having fun at home... thanks for your messages! I'm going to try to put pictures up, but I really doubt it will work. See you soon!
Si
