Volta Region

Splunking, swimming in waterfalls, hiking, camping, and general exploring were all activities of the past weekend.  Us girls (me, McKell, and Liz) headed to the Volta Region for one last big hurrah together and it did not disappoint!  The Volta Region is on the east border of Ghana, right next to Togo.  It is near the large man-made lake and has a very mountainous terrain.  It is also endowed with many waterfalls and lots of bush.  It took us about 9 hours to get to our first destination and another hour or so to get to our final spot, but it was totally worth it. 

We stayed in a town called Hohoe the first night where we randomly ran into a kente weaving “factory.”  It was on our to-do list and we just happen to come across it – you gotta love how things work in Ghana!  It was incredible….

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I bought this piece from this nice man who made it.  He said they can make about 2 of these a day.  I'm not sure what they are called, but Kente is a very traditional fabric and pattern in Ghana - it is used when wearing traditional clothing and is a sign of respect and honor.

On Saturday we embarked on our adventure to Wli.  There we walked to a small village a few kilometers away and went on a 3 to 4 hour hike up a mountain!  When we got to the top, we looked out over Togo!  We even ran into some Togolese girls carrying wood.  

Oh and we ran into some cows. 

And is this not the best cow picture ever?!

We continued on to the caves where the ancestors used to sleep, meet, and basically live I think.  It was fun!  We climbed up to sit in them and then also down under the ground where there were bats flying around our heads! 

Then we went to a waterfall and went swimming!  Fresh, cold water has never felt so good! 

That night we had a fabulous dinner at the guest house.  I had macaroni and cheese, which I couldn’t finish…too much dairy, I’m not used to it!  Liz ate the entire fish down to the bone and McKell finished off her half of the chicken! 

Mac and Cheese!

McKell eating half a chicken.

Liz ate the whole fish!

I couldn't finish my mac and cheese...good thing I have friends who like to eat!

We met some friends, Sarelle and Liana, who couldn’t find a space at the guest house so we let them stay in our tent with us!  They were so nice!  We also shared a scrumptious breakfast of hard bread and fake butter – yum!

The next morning we went to Wli Falls, which is the biggest waterfall in Ghana.  Breathtakingly gorgeous!

 

 

 

It was a wonderful, smooth, physically challenging (all the hiking!), and hilarious weekend as always!  I told a guy my name was Beyonce.  He then went forward to tell us that he could be our JZ and then rapped for us.  I rode in a taxi ride with 7 obronyis (foreigners) plus the driver for about 45…so uncomfortable, but we made some new friends.  We went to an actual “bar” called the Happy Spot and conversed with some very drunk gentlemen…hehe.  We did some shopping in this one shop that sold wooden carvings and they had wooden penis’s – why?!  One day I ate bread and probably 8 oranges and I’m pretty sure that was it until our late supper.  Oh just random things always happen and they always make our trips so much fun! 

We made it back safe and sound, with many mosquito bites, lots dirty clothes, and a couple hundred photos to show for it!