IT’S SO EARLY IN THE MORNING PART II

It’s mid-morning and we have completed our time in the Botanical Gardens.  Ken takes out a GPS device that has some kind of satellite internet connection.  He plugs in some coordinates and guesses the route close to where our reconnaissance mission will take place.

We jump back into the Webster University Jeep and head down the road to a little village.  Most of the roads are unpaved and bumpy.  We receive lots of attention as we kick-up the dust and bump along the dirt potholes in the small village.  We are four Abruni’s (white people) traveling in a Jeep with large signs declaring we are Webster University.  How random is that!

It is Sunday and many are dressed for church-going.  Happy children are playing in the village and some women are cooking on coal pots while others are balancing large packages of who-knows-what on their heads.  I feel slight envy as I watch them and the simplicity with which they live life.  I was amazed to see the strength, endurance and agility of the women in Saint Lucia and Ghanaian women appear no different. 

I remember a time when I was living in Saint Lucia.  My landlady, Elizabeth, was doing something in my apartment.  She needed the large bucket of water sitting at the bottom of my stairs.  I said, “Elizabeth, I will get it for you”.  She smiled and said, “Karen it is far to heavy for you to carry.”  Did you just say I can't do it?  Do I look that weak?  I spend hours in the gym at home!  Really? I was determined to prove her wrong, demonstrating the strength of American women!  I marched down the stairs and spotted the bucket of water.  Determined to prove she had underestimated me, I grabbed the handle and began to move forward, but the bucket didn’t move.  It was so heavy that the only way I could move it was to push it a couple of inches.  How could I possibly get it up the steps?  I walked back up and said, “Elizabeth, you are right.  It is a bit heavy.”  She smiled.  I watched her walk down, grab the bucket and adeptly maneuver fifteen steps with this incredibly heavy bucket making it look as easy as if it were empty.  Simply amazing.

Our Mission

Again, I have moved off topic.  We arrive at the top of the hill.  I look over the tin roofs of homes and buildings in the village to see a wonderful view.   A man on the side of the road approaches the Jeep.  Our reconnaissance mission begins.  Although Ken has never met him, talked with him, been referred to him in anyway, it turns out that this is exactly who we are there to see. I love how these countries work!

He asks Ken, “would you like to talk here by the side of the road or would you like to come to my shop?”  Ken agrees the shop would be the best place to talk.  He parks the Jeep and we are led down some stairs and then up a set of stairs in the back of a building.  It is a tiny shop, but it is clear that it is a good business.  There are two rooms.  One that is official with a counter and the back room containing equipment and maps.

We walk into the back room of the shop and there is a big map of trails indicating waterfalls and views.  There are no windows, the once bright aqua paint is now dulled from age and chipping from the old wooden walls.  It is a dark room but the equipment is surprisingly good quality and well taken care of. There are lots of helmets, a couple of motorcycles and many bicycles hanging from the ceiling and neatly standing on the floor.  There is also one unicycle hanging from the ceiling.  The equipment seems to be well taken care of, shiny and free from debris. There are a few worn chairs pushed against the wall and a half eaten mango on a plate sitting on the table in the corner of the room.  He owns the touring bike shop.

After a few minutes Ken takes his card with a promise to reunite, “You will hear from me soon.”  We wave goodbye and go back to the Jeep.  Ken takes his GPS out and vows to find the falls.  After turning only once down a gnarly path we find the road where we can hike down to see the falls.  It is beautiful.

I encounter friendly butterflies along the way.  I am afraid to move for fear they will fly away, but they don't.  The seemed interested in a few almonds that dropped from my hand.  I had no idea a butterfly would try to eat an almond!  One would not leave the back of my sandal.  I suppose there was a tasty morsel caked in the mud on the strap. (I later looked up Butterfly eating habits and found it is only liquid.  Maybe they were exploring the almond to see if there was any moisture they could gain.)

This has been a quiet day and one that I enjoyed.  I am still amused at the words describing the day: reconnaissance and mission.  It wasn’t such a secret thing after all, but I had to admit I was happy I was able to rise at such a ridiculous hour of the morning to create this memory.

The day in the mountains was over. We drove back stopping along the way for a cool drink at a local hotel.  It is a curious thing.  I have seen two monkeys kept in cages.  One was at the parking lot of this old hotel.  I wonder if it is for tourist enjoyment or if it for some other reason.

When we were leaving Caron remembered an old banana she had not eaten and offered it to the poor creature tethered inside the cage.  As we left he wouldn’t take his eyes off us.  He became animated and expressive giving us a pouting look.  I do believe he was begging for freedom or at the least asking for a bit of companionship.  Maybe he just wanted another banana.  I didn’t like it, but this is their culture and my cultural lens is different.

Down the road we stop at one of hundreds of fruit and vegetable stands that line the road.

We came home, quickly showered and went to Downtown Oso in Accra for dinner.  We arrived at The Republic Bar owned by ex-pats from Louisiana; a woman and her husband.  She was curious to know where everyone was from and then she proceeded to introduce us to everyone sitting outside.  The world was well represented: UK, Canada, Brussels, France, California, Louisiana, Washington DC and other states I can’t remember.  She and her visiting relatives provided the entertainment to close out our day.