"Jimmy Buffet ain't got nothin' on us."

In a semi-successful attempt at escaping the oppressive heat of Mali's hot season (the humidity made up for slightly lower temperatures), Lindsay, Sarah, and I made the 3 day overland trek to the coast of Ghana. After a dream-like week on the beaches I have a bone to pick with my PC placement officer. Why wasn't I posted in Peace Corps Ghana?? I am not yet an accomplished enough writer to adequately relate how refreshing the green tropical forests felt after 7 months in Mali's Sahel desert. This Seattle girl had been land-locked for too long.
At Mole National Park in the north of Ghana, a two hour walking tour allowed us to see elephants, antelope, water buffalo, warthogs, little monkey, and big baboons. Actually, we didn't even need the tour to see the baboons. They came right up to our breakfast table and stole our coffee pot. The park staffers weren't quite as excited by that as we were:)
So much time on African transport left us completely wiped out, and spending two nights at the secluded Ankobra beach was exactly what we needed. Nestled in a grove of coconut palms, a short walk from the fishing village Axim, we had Ankobra lodge practically to ourselves. There, we dined on lobster skewers (3 small, locally caught tails per skewer) and cocktails in coconuts that a Ghanain boy had recently scrambled up a tree and plucked for us. It was here that we met Dale, the American who basically lives at this lodge and kept saying "welcome to paradise, girls" and "Jimmy Buffet ain't got nothin' on me." We agreed.
Our next spot was the Rastafarian beach, Busua. Righteous. What a crazy culture. After banana pancakes and fresh juice, Sarah and I tried our hand at surfing. Actually standing up on the board proved to be harder than I expected, but playing in the waves was a blast anyway.
The historical slave fort we toured at Cape Coast could have been a downer after so many carefree days on the beach, and it certainly was horrifying, but I believe one can use for good the passion stirred by powerful experiences. Not only do the remnants of slave trade still afflict West Africans today, but some forms of slavery are still very much in exsistence around the world. I'm newly motivated to return to Tioribougou and work with my people.
The vacation eneded up in the Ghanain capital, Accra, where I was able to meet up with the wonderful Paul Sari. A GU and GIF grad, he's now doing Peace Corps Ghana in the northern city of Tamale. Finally seeing a familiar face was pretty exciting. Sarah, Lindsay, and I spent the afternoon at the botanical gardens just north of Accra. Who knew there are so many different varieties of palm trees? The exotic flowers are also spectacular, but my favorite are the spice trees: cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg:)
Coming home was rough. It took much longer than we expected, and I've never been so dirty and tired. Plus, returning back to the desert is less fun than heading down for a vacation in paradise. Still, we did make it safely and considering the conditions of the vehicles and roads, we're grateful just to have made it. Now I'm ready to be back in Tioribougou to start Hearths and malaria prevention projects before rainy season hits in early July. Keep me in your prayers and in the words of our Rasta friends, "be free."