After 12hours in a warm, cramped rather uncomfortable van we were relieved to arrive in the village of Wli. The motel we stayed at was run by a lovely Ghanian couple who a few of the boys knew quite well from previous trips to Ghana and their hospitality was incredible.
After unpacking our van, we prepared to go camping and as we walked through the village with our packs loaded on our backs we recieved many stares. As we arrived at the start of the track I was very amused to see a crowd of thirty villagers sitting around staring intently at a television they had set up (one of the few in the village I believe).
With our guide Alfonz and his brother (who kindly carried our heavy tent on his head) we started off up into the beautiful hills of Ghana, a steep trek which lead us to the top of a hill that overlooked the village below and the incredible waterfall nearby. We set our tents up as the sun was setting and then gathered around the fire Alfonz had made us, for dinner and marshmallow toasting. My Australian friend, Sarah and I decided to sleep under the stars protected by a mosquito net-it was a warm night and I fell asleep to the faint sound of African drums from the village below, the waterfall and the baboons grunting in the forest (don't worry they didnt come anywhere near us!).
After breakfast in the morning we headed back down to the village passing woman who were washing clothing in the river (a bit different from our washing machines hehe) and were greeted by children wanting me to take their photos and give them piggyback rides; a lot of fun and laughter was had. It was really nice being able to communicate with the people of Ghana since they speak English unlike Benin and Togo who speak French. After a bit of relaxing and lunch we set off to the lower waterfall which took an
hour of gentle walking through the bush by which time we were ready for a swim. Due to it being rainy season the falls have a lot of water coming down which made it hilarious and very heavy when you were under them, you could hardly see the person next to you when you were under them and it was a fantastic experience to stand behind the waterfall. As I walked out of the waterfall I looked up to see hundreds of bats circling overhead as they nest on the rockface above, I was glad they were high above us:)In Africa when someone dies or gets married it is an expensive affair and quite common for the family to spend all of their money on the event therefore leaving them bankrupt. This often means that couples will wait until they have the money to marry and they will freeze the body of the deceased person until they have enough money for the wake; a tradition they are trying to discourage as it costs families so much of their savings and results in more poverty. The weekend we were in Wli they were burying three of the village elders and when Africans have a funeral they party for three days straight; it was amazing and the music never ceased. Although at times it kept us awake and meant less sleep I thoroughly enjoyed the music and the dancing and the vibrancy of the village:)
That night we all sat down to a delicious meal of traditional African food, at first I was not so sure about the food here however I now love it. I was rather adventurous and tried quite a few different meals which were very nice; they eat a lot of chicken, goat and have a lot of great fish here aswell. There is a type of savoury banana that they cook called Plantan which at first I was sure I would never touch and now I request it frequently:)
The next morning Alfonz lead us up over mountains through the African bush for 5 hours along a track (using a macheti to clear parts of the path at certain points) to the top waterfall; I enjoyed every moment of it (even the steep parts!). The top waterfall was powerful an
d an incredible sight and well worth the walk and hard work to get there. After a swim and some lunch we began the descent down to the lower waterfall which was very steep in parts and most of the way we could hear loud music and commotion going on below. We were all joking about what we would find when we got there but were unprepared for the sight that greeted us as we approached the lower waterfall. There was over a thousand people dancing and swimming and having a wonderful time with the DJ pumping out African music over the speakers that were run by generators, we gladly brought fizzy drinks that were sitting cooling in the water. I was soon dragged into the dancing by one of the local African men who taught me some dance moves, at that moment it really dawned on me what amazing dancers these people are.We returned to our motel to find more lovely African food awaiting us for dinner and ready for bed after a long day of hiking through the bush. Sunday it was back through the borders, across Togo and we arrived back in Benin 12 hours later. It was an awesome adventure, the best I have had so far. It was so much fun to spend the weekend away with 14 other people from all over the world-everyone here has a story and I love hearing how people have got here. It is also an honor to share about how I have arrived in West Africa and all of the people who have helped to get me here, I know that without the financial support and everyones kind words of encouragment I could not be here.
Hope this finds you all well wherever you are, you are with me often in my thoughts and prayers :)
Disclaimer: I serve with Mercy Ships. Everything here, however, is my personal opinion and is not read or approved before it is posted. Opinions, conclusions and other information expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercy Ships.
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