Volta Region

Last Friday we (the UNC study abroad group) left at 7 am on a bus to travel to the Volta region.

Our first stop was a tour at the Volta dam, where the majority of power in Ghana is generated. We were shown how the energy is harnessed and the process by which the energy is converted into electricity.

Our second stop was a monkey sanctuary! The monkey sanctuary is inhabited by four families of monkeys. In ancient times, the monkeys were considered gods and worshiped by the tribal peoples. The monkeys in this particular sanctuary were called Mone. They are small monkeys with long tails. So cute! We walked through trails with a guide who made noises to call the monkeys. Soon we were surrounded by one of the families and given bananas. The monkeys would climb down the branches, lean onto our hands and peel the bananas with their tiny fingers.

The next day we climbed up the tallest mountain in Ghana. The climb was a straight incline the entire trip and at many points we hand to crawl on our hands and knees along the rocks. I don't normally enjoy hiking, but I really enjoyed the challenge. The climb was long and after about an hour we reached the top. Standing on the top of the mountain was amazing. Although I don't like heights, the view from the top was beautiful. Miles were visible of dense forests dotted occasionally by small villages. Soon after we arrived at the top, a group of local children reached the top and surrounded us with smiles and endless questions about who we were and if we could take pictures of them. They reminded me of Thomas, because I could totally see him sprinting up a huge mountain and then running around once he got to the top.
After a quick lunch at the hotel (they had mac n cheese!) we hiked to the Wli Falls. Along the way, our guide pointed out cocoa trees, coconut trees and bananas trees. The waterfall was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. We decided to try to swim into the pool the waterfall drained into and under the waterfall. We got about halfway to the fall when the spray hit us. It literally felt like thousands of tiny needles stabbing me all over my body. Needless to say, we didn't get much closer to the waterfall. Upon exiting the waterfall pool, I was pulled by about six different Ghanaians who were overjoyed to have a picture with someone so white.

We returned to our hotel, exhausted from all of the physical activities. We ate dinner and soon heard drumming and yelling coming from the village near the hotel. We traveled down the road to find a group of about fifteen children playing drums in the street. They pulled us into their circle, and soon we found ourselves dancing along to the music. We learned that there was a church service going on in the village and we went to check it out. The church service was outdoors and very lively. The sermon and singing were in a local language, but the spirit and excitement of the people didn't need to be translated into any language. There was much music and dancing as well.

The next day our tour guide informed us that we would be having a "relaxing, leisurely day" visiting caves and a local weaving workshop. However, the "relaxing, leisurely" description turned out to be false. We soon found ourselves climbing up yet another mountain to reach the caves. We then had to climb basically vertical sheet rock with small indentations to reach each cave (there were five). There were more than a few times when I looked down and realized if I made one wrong move I would probably fall down the side of a mountain. Our guide was a wiry older man who climbed everything holding a machete. It's amazing how many completely normal things here would be very illegal in America.

Later in the day we traveled to a Batik workshop, where village women used wax and dye to make patterned cloth. We also visited a weaving workshop where very detailed patterns were woven.

On the way back to our hostel, we stopped at the Volta Lake. The lake was beautiful and I really want to go back and rent a small canoe. While there, we stood on a giant area that 40 years ago had been completely covered by the lake. Global warming!!