So between getting ready for our company to arrive and dealing with periodic internet outages, it has been awhile since my last update. Our household has (at least temporarily) doubled in size with the arrival of my mom and my two brothers. We picked them up from the airport Saturday night and whisked them north to Kumasi on Sunday. On Monday, we all headed into Kejetia Market, the largest market in West Africa, to do some shopping and just soak up the atmosphere. The guys were a big hit, as you can see. ;) We bought cloth for everyone and took it to our favorite seamstress so she could whip them up some shirts. Then we came home and made a reasonably authentic rendition of groundnut stew for dinner before sending our weary travelers off to bed.
On Tuesday, we struck off for Lake Bosumtwi, though we never made it there after getting to experience one of the less-appealling aspects of life here. Because the lake is such a tourist destination, some of the more "enterprising" residents of the area have taken it upon themselves to come up with various scams and schemes to milk off money from the "obrunis" who come to see the lake, including a "toll booth" on the main road to the lake that basically consists of a bunch of guys with a rope across the road, which only goes up when a car full of white people approaches it, and the "toll" is arbitrarily set based on any number of factors, including their mood that day, the angle of the sun, etc. While none of us would have any problem paying an entrance fee to the lake if we thought the money was going to help the community or fund projects, just lining some jerky guy's pockets was not on our agenda. When we asked for a receipt for our toll, the "gentlemen" got so belligerent and it turned into such an ordeal that we decided it wasn't worth the hassle after all and headed back to Kumasi for a late lunch and a drive through the university campus instead. Too bad. It's experiences like that one that can really put a black mark on this country's otherwise promising future as a tourist destination.
Today we awoke to the sound of rain on the roof. After promising everyone night after night, don't worry, it will storm and cool things off, I think they were beginning to think we were full of it. But it finally rained, and the whole day was cool! This was something not even we had experienced yet. The fun thing about having company is now we have an excuse to play tourist. Today, we drove out to Adanwomanse, one of the five original kente villages, where they have several tours set up for visitors. We took the kente tour and even got to try our hands at weaving. I think we all had a much greater appreciation for the craft afterwards.
I promise photos of the kente village and Ashanti shrine we visited today, along with photos from tomorrow's trip to Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary at a later date, but for some reason, I can't seem to get them to post right now. Thanks for reading!
Hiking at the Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary
Ben and Mom look for birds at the Owabi Reservoir
Dusty and Elliot take a break after our hike
Matt at the Ashanti Shrine in Besease
Dusty tries his hand at weaving the kente
Everyone wearing their kente in traditional fashion
In addition to attending the weekly expat playgroup in town, we now host our own impromptu play dates, albeit with fewer amenities (no pool, swingset or snacks) and no moms. Basically, any children who happen to be playing in the vicinity of the compound get invited in to play for 45 mins or so while Dusty hangs out outside and I make dinner. Word travels quickly, and we have had upwards of 10 kids, ranging in age from not yet walking to 8 or 9 years old over here running around, chasing Elliot's soccer ball (and each other) or just following the little obruni around to see what crazy things he will do next. It is the best means we have found yet to earn ourselves a quiet evening. Though tonight it may have worked a little too well...
