Waterfalls and Monkeys

We arose early to take a 4-hour journey to see Waterfalls and Monkeys. Our reststop was at a very nice resort in the first photo. We crossed over a large bridge and headed into the mountainous region.

Our first stop was the village of Wli, populated by the Ewe people of Ghana and located close to the country of Togo. We hiked through the Agumatsa Forest Reserve, crossing over the same river nine times (Asher counted for us) until we reached the Wli Waterfall.

The waterfall was absolutely spectacular. When underneath, the sound is deafening and the force of the water is very strong. Asher was not altogether thrilled about getting too close to the falls, although he gave it a try. After being so hot during our first days in Ghana, we all enjoyed the cool water.

I got out to snap some photos of the family as Charis helped Asher to the water's edge.

High above the pool, a huge army of bats nested on the rocks in the second photo. Some students took Asher under their wing and helped him skip stones.

Invigorated by the swim, we walked back through the beautiful rainforest.

I was determined to shoot more signs today. They were fantastic!

Next up was a visit to the Monkey sanctuary, We took a short hike into the forest and met the lively Mona Monkeys at this preserve. Our guide had bunches of bananas and we were able to feed the monkeys who aggressively snatched the bananas out of our hands.

Our kids and the SAS students really loved feeding the monkeys!

Next up was a walk through the local village, population 1000. Steve asked how many people in the village were Christian. The guide looked confused and said 99%. He went on to say that there were 10 churches of all denominations in the little village and everyone went to church.

Our favorite part was meeting the kids!

Here the women are crushing palm nuts in order to make palm oil, a staple in Ghanaian cooking.

These young men are making Kente cloths on the traditional looms.

Everyone carries huge loads on their heads--even the little children. Charis loved taking their picture and showing them their image in her camera.

The large tree on the right is where the village elders gather to discuss important issues.

In the bus on the way home, we were given cold water, which was much appreciated and these delicious plantain chips. I thought they would be sweet like banana chips, but they were salty like a thick potato chip.

Here are videos of the Wli Waterfall, two clips of feeding the monkeys, and an impromptu drum circle in the village right before we left: