Friday, September 9, 2011

Photographing Caves and Village

September 9, 2011

So happenings of late:  I am supposed to take photos of our village and caves to give to the Ghana Tourism Board so they can put them on their website.  Also I’m gonna have my sweet Aunt Anner print me up some laminated posters so I can post them around HoHoe (at Hotels and stuff) for advertisement for our tourism site.  So, this week a couple German couchsurfers stayed with me and I used them for models.  So Wednesday we climbed the mountain, toured the caves and the waterfall and I took pictures…it’s my job, dude!!!!!  So hopefully within a couple weeks I’ll get the pics organized and sent to Ho.

I love having visitors and showing them my village.  It makes me really see how much I like it here and how much I’ve started to enjoy simple things: like kids playing and laughing, a spider catching a bug, the way the baby sheep flip their tails when they drink, watching the chickens chase the lizards, seeing the villagers play jokes on eachother…the list goes on.

Also, so we are now trying to go to Burkina Faso and Mali instead of Togo and Benin.  I’ve really wanted to go to Dogon Country in Mali and hike, but some of Mali is closed off for PCV’s to travel through, although there is Peace Corps in Burkina and Mali…so we got the ok to travel there.  So now we are trying to plan a 2 week trip for October to bus/tro from Ghana through Burkina to Mali and a 4 day Dogan hike, tour mudcloth making process, maybe take a Niger river ride, and then just hang out and see the different cloth and stuff they have.   Both countries are French speaking…we are not :)   So, hopefully our vacation requests will be approved by next week and I’ll be able to pick up my Burkina visa while in Accra for Mid Service Medical check up.

That’s about it!  Mom and dad are getting excited to come in January, and I can’t wait to see them!!!  I’ve started looking at possible plans for England, Ireland, and Scotland after service is over…seriously, I love planning trips!  The logistics of getting where you’re going in the most interesting and efficient way…I need to check into a travel agent or travel writer position…if you guys got any ideas, please pass them along!

Peace & Love,
j
These girls hid from the rain on my porch.  They played "Hairdresser" with some found weave.

This tree in my village is the Community Gathering place.

Koffie caught a bushrat...yummy.

Likpe Todome in the morning.

Charlotte and Uve (couchsurfers/aka models) in front of the reception center with the kids gathering...

Gathering spot again...I really like this tree.

This kid was cold this morning!!

a boy and his dog

View over Todome, beginning of ascent.

This little girl went on the hike with us.  I can never make the head cloth stay on.  "Your hair is too slippery, Sister Boala."

Cave 2

Uve climbing down into cave 3.

Everyone in cave 3...this is my favorite cave!

Repelling down after cave 3.

Climbing up to cave 6.  My second favorite cave.

Now climbing over to cave 6.

Lookout point in middle of cave 6.

The group climbing out of the top of cave 6.


Our Wadjakli waterfall; Francis and Etanorm climbing the falls.

Rose, Lelabi, and Dixon being goobers.

What my room looks like now.  I have my clothes hanging on the wall since my closet leaks and molds...in case you were wondering.


View from my porch.

My herb garden.

Old Todome man doing metal work. I like his hat.

In Todome.

Lena...Francis's girlfriend.  She's in the batik group and super silly.

Me folding fabric to tye dye and then stamp.

Dixon and Michaela waving goodbye to me.  She's my favorite baby.

Me climbing up to cave 3.

On top of the mountain.