Rain Rain Go Away

Another early-ish start of the day. 7am is early for home standards, but when you are in a place like Ghana, its never too early.... at least for me. Other people like sleeping in, even though they know that they may never again visit places like this. After getting some breakfast, Ben, Nick, Megan, and I headed out of the port and try to get to Ankasa (we also stole some cereal boxes from the cafeteria since we knew we most likely would not be getting another meal anytime soon). One of the taxi drivers we had yesterday that we talked to, said that he would be able to take us there. We told him that we would meet him outside the Port Gate at 8:30. We got there at 8:50 (due to the the obvious delays in leaving: forgotten things in our room, last minute bathroom stops, etc). There was no sign of the taxi driver, and we waited for 20 minutes for him. One of the other drivers who was waiting there offered to take us in his nice car (it had A/C, an automatic win). So we began our two hour long drive to Ankasa Nature Reserve. Anthony, the driver, was an interesting person to talk to. He talked in loudly, used hand motions, kept touching my leg every time he was trying to make a point, and he was very strongly opinionated. He did teach me a thing or two about the Ghanaian kings, the most interesting fact being that the heir is not his son but his sisters son in order to avoid competition/fighting between his own sons. The drive was most beautiful. The vegetation was quite thick and very green for roadside nature. Along the way, we passed by rubber tree forests, palm tree forests, and many small villages/towns that were intriguing to see. One thing I did notice on the drive, is how religious Ghanaians are. We saw tons of cars that had religious-saying stickers on them, stores that were named in religious ways, and Anthony who was a staunch Christian. We reached the dirt road that would take us to the park entrance after about 2 hours. The dirt road was quite treacherous, with mud holes, pot holes, very rocky pavement, and giant cracks/trenches in the ground. Tony had to get out of the car to inspect questionable areas to see if his car would be able to make it through or not. He told us that this road was best/only for 4x4 cars, and yet he pushed his car onwards. After 6kms on this path, we got to the entrance and picked up a guide who would lead us to the bamboo cathedral of the park. We first drove down the park's road for about 15 minutes with the four of us squeezed in the back (I was literally sitting on the door's handle bar) adn the guide in the front. When we started hitting some bumpy and muddy roads, we got out of the car, left it, and continued our trek on foot. This would lead to an extraordinary experience. For one, we were in an African rainforest. Two, this park was not a tourist destination, so we were completely isolated, which a great feeling after being stuck with other people on the ship and in port on trips. And third, it began raining (and it rained hard for the whole time) and this only added to the experience since the others didn't have a raincoat and I was fortunate enough to have brought my umbrella. I don't  know how to describe it but the rain added a certain vibe to the environment and it felt great. Our guide lead us along the road for a couple of minutes, until he took us into the main forest. This part was especially cool, because we were walking on a completely makeshift trail (I'm not even sure the trail even existed before this) through the thick foliage of the forest, while ducking and diving under and over trees and  tree roots. Before reaching the Bamboo Cathedral, we made a quick rest stop in a small campground, and boy was it raining hard. I've seen it rain this hard before (in India) but I've never actually been outside in the open while its been raining like this. The "cathedral" was only a 5 minute walk from the campgrounds. It was spectacular. It featured 10s of gigantic clumps of bamboo that shot up and fanned out to give each clump an cathedral arch like look to it. The air in this place had a serenity and stillness that was quite soothing and relaxing. There was even a stream with a bridge inside this area, adding to the beauty. We were only there for about 10 minutes, before deciding to head back (it was a long hike, and it was raining damn hard). This time, we stuck to the park road and hiked through mud and gravel until we got back to the car and crammed into it again. At the park entrance we dropped off the guide and made out way out. The experience in Ankasa was brilliant. The vegetation was spectacularly green and thick. There were trees and bushes and vines growing everywhere. The place was isolated from any real human activity, so it gave us time to separate ourselves from the world and connect with nature. My pants, socks, and shoes were also soaked with water and mud, so that's a good thing too I guess. The only thing I was sad about was that we did not see much animal life aside from a swarm of army ants and two guinea fowl (which is apparently an endangered animal, so that was cool to see). Since it was raining so hard all the animals were away inside the deeper parts of the forest, and Ankasa is known for its animal-life that is not used to human-contact (and thus more natural). Nevertheless, the experience was exhilarating, and I was glad I made it to the park. The drive back was a quite experience during which time I reflected on my time with SAS so far. I don't know why, but the combination of heavy rain, being in a car with a Ghanaian driver and three sleeping friends caused me to be finally hit by the realization that I was traveling the world on my own. It was a scary and exciting feeling. When we got back to Takoradi, we had lunch/dinner (linner :) in a hotel restaurant near the beach. It felt really good to feed our stomachs after a long drive, long hike, and being soaked. Upon reaching the port, we headed to the ship, and it felt really good to be "back." When I passed by the shops set up by the Explorer, I saw Samuel again who called me into his shop and gave me a large seashell on which he had written "Welcome to Ghana Nimish" (with his email on the inside) as a gift of our friendship. I was touched by this token, and I intend to treasure this shell for the rest of my life. Back on the ship, I did something really important: I took a warm shower and changed into clean clothes, and it felt so good. I also tried to wash the mud off of my pants and socks (the socks just turned all mud red, so I will have to wash them again later). I then got dinner (yes I was that hungry still) and shared experiences with friends. Around 9, Tony, Alyssa, Tesha, and I headed outside the ship, as there was a convenience store right next to the store where a large number of SAS students were gathering to "socialize." I had a good time there talking with Tony and the others, and even ran into Samuel again and chatted with him for a long time about life. When we headed back, Tony and I had to walk through the large mob of drinking SAS kids, and I felt sorry for the Ghanaians there (who had to see and experience these loud and obnoxious Americans who were making fools of themselves and not at all helping debunk the stereotype of Americans being loud and stupid people) and the students themselves (who seem like they can't go a single night in port without drinking or "going out;" I observed the crowd and saw the same people who go out a lot in all of the ports). But that is not my problem, and in all fairness, "To each his own." It was getting late, and I have to wake up early the next morning, so I'm calling it a night. Only two days in Ghana have passed, and I've had two memorable experiences on both days. Dey-ye: Good night
-Nimish
September 23, 2010