In our second trip we would explore Volta region, on the east part of Ghana, close to neighbouring Togo. The trotro picked us up in the midst of the night. The ride was so crazy that I preferred to sleep than to be awake and consequently aware of the extreme speed, overruning and turbulence on a bumpy dark road. Things went as planned until an extended horn noise and some blindingly powerful lights woke me up. Although we were in the middle of nowhere, a huge lorry was speeding right towards us. I shut my eyes, convinced that I would soon see my life in photo frames. A laughter of relief coming from Mario interrupted my thoughts and assured me I was still on earth. He said "I was just thinking from which window I should escape".
A few hours later we arrived at our accomodation to rest till the morning. Next day, still shaking from last night's drive, we were warmly wellcomed by the owners of the hotel. Milo, eggs, yums were served in the restaurant as a breakfast in order to load up our batteries for the rest of the day.
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Next up was hiking on Mountain Afadjato. A silent teenage girl with short hair, some of which was grey, sold us boiled eggs and water. The way to the top was steep and seemed pretty long under the hot sun. Finally, we reached the peak of the mountain, sweaty and proud. A group of excited students surrounded us, the obrunis, to take a picture together as if we were any Hollywood actors. A sign congratulated us on our acchievement "Wao! You have made it! You are on top of the highest mount in Ghana! Enjoy the panoramic view!" . But the sign was soon refuted by the sight of one clearly higher mount right next to it.
As it often happens in a tropical climate, the sun was succeeded by thick clouds, which resulted in no time in heavy rain. And there we were: On the top of the highest (or not) mountain of Ghana, exposed to tropical rain. The struggle of the Chinese to maintain their dryness subsided. Soon we were all soaking wet but totally happy. The way back was transformed into a muddy slide. I took off my non-suitable allstars and kept sliding barefoot. Some travellers were not discouraged by the rain and mud, and kept ascending the mountain. By the time I returned at the starting point I literally looked and felt like a dirty pig. Luckily our next stop would be Wli Falls, where we could have a nice swim.
In a little while we were at the entrance of the Waterfalls. We paid the fee and walked through the rainforest escorted by a guide, who was holding a vast umbrella. He was very helpful and obviously expected a tip. As we were approaching the highest Waterfalls of Ghana, the sound of the falling water pounding on the lake became more and more loud. The moment I saw this amazing spectacle, I had no second thoughts about swimming. Everybody was in the water, knowing how to swim or not. The sand was moving at some places and the depth of the lake variated. The Waterfall was so mesmerizing that we moved as close as possible to it, holding each other and creating a human chain. The water was gently "whipping" our backs, like a good massage. The feeling of freedom was unique.
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