Tourism!

Okay, so I can't just be working all the time. It's about time I told about the one touristy thing I've done so far, and about the prospect of another touristy adventure.

On Thursday of our visit to Jasikan, we had a very slow outreach day. We showed up around 8:30, and there were only about 50 people convened in the church where we were going to host the screenings. Considering that we've done more than 150 on some days, 50 seemed tiny! We were able to close the clinic at noon when there were no people left, and then we decided to drive to Hohoe and see the tallest waterfall in West Africa.

The drive was about 2 hours, but it was SO worth it. We met a tour guide when we got there, and he took us on a 45 minute hike up the side of the mountain. One the hike, he stopped to show us cocoa that was growing along the path. Later, he stopped us to show us a coffee tree as well. He also pointed out the edible little white mushrooms along the ground. We went over 9 different footbridges across the river on our way to the falls, and then, we were suddenly there! The falls were . . . the only word that really works is majestic. I took a few pictures with my camera, but I don't know how to put them on my computer, so I've found an adequate picture of the falls online. They look like this: http://image40.webshots.com/41/1/20/57/2830120570067495964bUyVCe_fs.jpg. We were allowed to wade in the water at the base, and we could just feel the forceful spray of the water that had fallen so far down the mountainside. In fact, in this picture, you can see a tiny little person standing right where we stood. It was AMAZING.

As we were leaving, our tour guide told us that some people come to the falls to do a three hour trek up to the top of the falls, where they camp for the night, and then hike back down the next day. He said that when you get to the top, you are no longer in Ghana, but in the neighboring country of Togo! And not only that, but near the top of the falls is a village of people who speak French, the national language of Togo. Usually, the guide said, people who hike up the mountain are greeted very enthusiastically by the people of the village, and they invite the hikers to celebrate with them all night. So, of course, a few of us are dead set on doing this. We all just need to coordinate a way to drive us up to Hohoe, 4 hours away, and get back the next day. We'll figure it out, and we'll go. We must!!!