Ghana Day Two- April 12th (the day before Helen’s 21st!)

On our second day in Ghana, I had an SAS trip called “Mona Monkeys and Wli Waterfalls.” It was an all day trip because in Ghana, nothing is close. The Wli Waterfall was a 4 hour drive away and the monkeys were another hour past that. It was a long ride, but I read The Old Man and the Sea to pass some of the time.

When we finally got off the bus, we met our guides. They led us through a small village where we got to stop and look around. I bought several pairs of awesome earrings for less than one dollar per pair. The hike to the waterfalls was a beautiful 45 minute walk through a forest and over a river that snaked back and forth eight times; the dirt path was littered with sun ripened mangos, which we peeled and ate.

The Wli Waterfalls themselves were breathtaking. I’m pretty sure it’s the tallest natural waterfall in the western hemisphere, but I could be remembering that incorrectly. Either way, wow. We had swimsuits, so we waded into the water; it wasn’t too chilly. Standing in the water looking up at the falls was incredible. The day was sunny and the light was reflecting off of the lush green moss covering the rocks and crevices all the way up either side as water crashed down into the pool. Bats were flying back and forth dodging the falling water. It looked like a scene out of Avatar.

We swam out and posed for pictures under the falls for a few minutes. The water was coming down pretty hard and it was practically impossible to see, but it was super cool. We found a deeper part of the pool and jumped off of the rocks a few times before we had to get going. I would have loved to stay longer, but the downside of traveling on SAS trips is that you have to stick with the group. We shared more wild mangos on the hike back. I bought a Coke from a local vendor and we ate lunch on the bus on our way to the Mona monkeys.

Our next stop was to a monkey preserve where we walked into the forest and got to hand feed the Mona monkeys. You hold a banana and they’ll run right down the branches, peel the banana in your hand and start eating right there. One of them even held my wrist still while it ate! Super cute! Unlike the monkeys Emily and I played with in South Africa, these monkeys were much darker in color and a bit bigger; the babies clung to their mama’s belly instead of her back.

We had a five-hour bus ride back to the ship that night.


Love,

Molly