I read my guidebook the night before, woke the others up to
confirm their attendance, and woke early the next day for our semi improv adventure.
This time, it was a Real adventure. We got to Aburi, a small transport
crossover town where we negotiated transport and then hopped on the vehicle
that was to take us to the wrong place. People were complaining, lets go, come
on, lets just get in, and I was debating the Right place and so we ended up in
Memfe, an even smaller village, with only one way out. A helpful man’s son took
us (six) squished into his tiny taxi to an unmarked path through a corn field.
With my weak Twi, and many hand-gestures all ‘round we negotiated for him to
wait for us to return (as there were no other taxi’s on the road. At all) And
lo and behold, there stood the object of our missioning; the palm tree with 6
heads. It was amazing, we all played, climbed jumped from it, fitted all 6 of
us onto it, one person per branch. I spent a little more time then I wanted to
being the group photographer, the one who must stay down whilst the others
climb up. I tried not to let it make me sad. Because it was very beautiful.
And then back on the road (we were SO pleased to see our
driver when we came out from the cornfield) and to the next town North. This
one has tons and tons of fruit and vegetable stores, and for some reason, tons
of white tourist types. We got out of there and headed to the big town on the
region, Koforidua. It was great, bustling with this and that, I love seeing
these things through the eyes of the first timers, like our newest housemates.
I got to get excited again over the coconut system, and the street mielies, and
the beads, and markets. Once satisfied in our tummies and souls it was back on
the road for the Boti waterfalls. (We had had to change our mind from the other
Falls we were heading to as the only way to get there was from the first city,
Aburi which we’de long since left behind. Boti was supposed to be most
beautiful, but this title makes in to be flooded with tourists, something that
all tourists like myself hope to avoid…) We got there, successfully enough but
were greeted by an outrages entrance price. The handy guide-book mentioned
another Falls, 2km’s away and we decided to check that out instead. And so we
walked, and walked, the tar road on which trucks occasionally sped down was
bordered by thick and lush forest, or jungle even. Impenetrable it was so
thick. But, out of the corner of our eyes, a mysterious path jutted out. We
went to ‘take a look’ which turned into our real adventure. Wound down paths,
racing after the promise of the view, which we’d glimpse between patches of
thicket. Suddenly the sky growled with thunder (not to be melodramatic or
anything) and we all pretended not to hear it. Untill it started to pour down. Because
when it rains in Ghana, it pours. We
raced back, and took shelter under a tree 101# not to do in lightning storms.
We ate chocolate and planned our lives. It settled down and we voted to head
back into adventure land, leaving the prospect of a waterfall behind us, and a
quest ahead. We slipped and slided through the mud, saved a bird trapped in a
spiders web, found a hidden corn field, a tiny snake, and the most incredible
view, layers of mountain above us with clouds coming in to nestle between the
valley cleavages. We headed back before it started pouring, which meant
ofcourse that we were on our way back,( through mud, above a cliff, and between
thorn bushes) when it actually was pouring. Because in Ghana when it rains…. I
have no idea how we all made it out of there in one piece (six pieces?) because,
thinking back, it was a bit of a silly thing to do, but a successful one, so we
can call it an adventure, and not a mistake. We trekked down the tar road,
flagging down any vehicle, going any direction. Unsuccessfully. We looked
pretty stupid. Eventually we walked past a commune of sorts and were invited to
take shelter. We waited out the storm, and I got to help them crush dried
mielies to make traditional food like Banku
and Kenke. Eventually, they put us
into a tro- tro, heading back to Koforidua. We were permitted into the
University bathrooms to change out of soaking clothes, and headed back at
nightfall.
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