Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve to you all!!! I promised a more exciting blog, so here you go!

The trip last weekend to Nkoranza was a fun time and much enjoyed. The orphanage was beautiful and one of the nicest places I've stayed so far. There was a gift shop that sold chocolate chip cookies and wine. We sat out on the patio that evening and enjoyed a drink and the best cookies we've had in Ghana!!!

Maaike has been suffering from intense mosquito bites that don't heal and have caused giant open wounds on her legs. On Monday, she decided to go to the Nkoranza hospital to see a doctor to get some medicine. We walked up to the hospital at about 9 am and noticed that there were about 100 people gathered outside. Upon further examination, there was a taxi in front of the hospital and a wounded man was being taken out and put on a stretcher. Many of the people were there with him, I think. He had a very bad head wound...and when I saw him, I immediately had to find a place to sit, as I almost passed out. Maaike proceeded to wait for the doctor, but Katy and I walked into town to wait for her. We never did get the full story of what happened to the man, but I am fairly certain he did not make it.

Wednesday of last week brought some division among the troops. We saw David (the rockstar) off for his trip back home to Canada. Katy took six of the boys (Kwame, Akwasi, Kwaku, Christian, Set, and Oppong) to Kyekyebon (their home village) for Christmas. And Maaike and I took off for Mole National Park in Northern Ghana.

The trip to Mole was an adventure, to say the least! We left at 9 am. First, we took a taxi to a town called Atebubu. That was about an hour. Then we took a taxi to Yeji. That was another hour with seven adults in a compact car. I was sitting in the front bucket seat with another lady half on my lap. Once we reached Yeji, we took a "ferry" across Lake Volta to Makongo. Please disregard any images of a ferry that you have in your mind. This ferry was a giant wooden canoe with a motor attached to the back. There were about 100 people on board, as well as one motorcycle. It was an enjoyable ride, though. It took about an hour to cross the lake.

Once we reached the other side and jumped off the boat...we got onto an army-type vehicle that was made entirely of wood (well, except for the cab and the undercarriage). It was a little scary - but we got to sit in the front seat. The wooden door stayed closed with a piece of twine. Luckily, we were only in that vehicle for about 10 minutes...it only took us from the bank of the lake up into town, where the driver told us we would need to take another vehicle to Salaga. He pointed to a livestock truck. Maaike and I looked at each other. There was no other option. As we walked toward the truck, a man opened the back gate. There were other people in the back, but then luckily the driver told us we could ride in the front cab with him. That took another hour on a dirt road. On the way we picked up and dropped off a cow alongside the road.

We reached the small town of Salaga and then waited for two hours for the bus to Tamale to fill up. Finally, after another 2 1/2 hours on the road, we reached Tamale. It was then dark. We checked into a hotel (which in America I'm pretty sure it would rent by the hour). But, it had air conditioning (which we determined was TOO cold and turned it off) and was attached to a Chinese restaurant. We ate like pigs, after having eaten "road food" all day (crackers, peanuts, bread, and a juice box).

We had to wake up the next morning at 3:30 to ensure a seat on the 6 am bus to Mole. We arrived at the bus station to the news that the bus was already full. We hung out for a bit and were about to buy tickets for the second bus at 10 am, but then magically, the driver appeared and sold us two tickets for the first bus! After three more hours on a dirt road, we arrived at Mole Park. The bus ride was interesting. Maaike was harassed by a drunk calendar salesman. Vendors often jump onto the tro tro or buses to sell their goods before the bus leaves. He wanted Maaike to buy a calendar, and she, of course, did not. He kept calling her "foreigner" and telling her to go home. He even offered her the calendar for free, and she declined. I was just glad he wasn't bothering me.

Once we got on the road, another man stood up in front of the bus. He was a "Magic Cream" seller. For over an hour, he shouted about this cream he was selling. It was guaranteed to cure all kinds of medical issues. Rashes, hernia, sexual dysfunction, body pain, ringworm, headache, eyesight (rub it on your eyelashes (not your eyeballs) for one week and you can throw your glasses away), tiny breast enlargement, etc. After his sales talk he told the bus that he was selling the small bottles for fifty cents. I was amazed at all the money that was passed forward immediately. I actually even almost bought one!

We arrived in Larabanga, which is the town closest to Mole Park (about four miles away). Maaike and I were the only people to get off and the bus was swarmed with people wanting to help us - carry our bags, tell us where to go, etc. We quickly found out that we had four miles to go and our options were to walk, rent a bicycle and ride, or ride on the back of a motorcycle. (You can guess which one we chose). It was a long walk. Just kidding. We hiked up our skirts and rode on the motorcycles, of course!

We stayed at Mole Motel for two nights. It was pretty nice...the only bad things about it was that the restaurant did not have any Fanta and the water was on in the hotel only at certain times. Other than that, it was relaxing and enjoyable. We did a walking safari at 6:30 on Friday morning. It was fun...a three hour walk through the park, looking for animals. We saw bush bucks, crocodiles, kob (deer), monkeys, baboons, warthogs, a vulture, and other various birds. There are many elephants in the park, and we tracked one (we saw it's poop and footprints) but didn't manage to find it up close. We could see elephants from the hotel, though, which was up on a cliff overlooking a watering hole, so each day we saw them come around for a drink and a bath.

While we were at Mole, we made friends with a couple from Norway, Geir and Hilda. They were visiting Ghana for Christmas. Hilda is a middle school Geography teacher also. Long story short, they had a hired car and driver and were headed back to Kumasi the same day we were leaving. They offered us a ride in the air conditioned Audi. We rode with them for four hours and they dropped us off with only one and a half hours to go. It was so nice to travel like that!!!

Now I'm back in Ejura for a few days. Kwabena and Mahadev are the only boys at home. It's been so quiet around the house. It's been kinda nice. But, I do miss all the other boys, too. Maaike and I were planning to head up to Kyekyebon tomorrow for Christmas, but I think we may change our minds and stay home. The taxis may not be running and apparently Kyekyebon is not the easiest place to find. I am not in the mood to travel all day and not even make it there. So, it may be a quiet day at home tomorrow, which is fine with me.

Katy's father is coming from Texas to visit this next week. Then Katy, Maaike, and I will head to Cape Coast for New Year's and to Takoradi (another town on the coast) for one last hurrah before Maaike heads back to Holland on the 8th.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. I am sad to not be at home with my family, but I am happy that I am here. It's not too sad, as it totally does not feel like Christmas. I look forward to celebrating when I get home this spring. I have volunteered to cook a turkey! Hope you all have a restful and stress-free Christmas.

Love you all!

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