Shai Hills, favorite things, and things I miss

Day 55.

Tuesday. 7:30am: BOTN 427 Field Trip to Shai Hills Resource Reserve – a 52km2 protected area, home to monitor lizards, many species of birds, bats, kob – an African antelope species, and baboons. In the botany department vehicle, my professor, myself, and two other students (the third was left behind for being five minutes late… contradictory to Ghanaian time?) rode an hour and a half into the Accra Plains. Upon arrival, we were met by a truck-bed full of teenaged Ghanaians wanting to talk to us (“Obruni, bra bra bra bra”. “Bra” means, “come”) and the Reserve’s manager. After a meeting with the five head officers of the reserve, we were taken on a private tour by the chief of law enforcement. His job is to keep poachers out by any means necessary. While we were driving, I noticed from the backseat that there was a bullet shaped scar on the back of his right hand…..crossfire? Our tour consisted of driving through a grassland savannah spotted with hilly rock outcrops – reminiscent of The Lion King. We parked the old SUV at the base of one of the hills to visit a baobab shrine and climb the rocky hill to a bat cave. Damp and cold, the cave echoed with the sounds of bats and smelled of guano. Squeezing between two slanted rocks to the back of the cave where fragments of sunlight broke through, we reached their home. Through a crevice, we saw hundreds of bats flying agitatedly in circles, making the most unique screeching sound. After a few minutes of watching in awe and silence, we turned back, leaving the bats in peace. Only a few minutes after we returned to the reserve road, Professor Adomako spotted two kob about 300 meters away stopped dead in their tracks, staring directly at us. Seeing these animals in their natural habitat is a rare occurrence, even at the reserve…we were in luck. Not even a mile away, as we were passing the security guards’ housing, we were met by three adult baboons and two babies idly minding their own business…double luck.

A few weeks prior to this field trip, I had been feeling like I was in a little swamp. I wasn’t having a terrific time here because I got lost in my ideas of what I thought Ghana would be like. I hadn’t traveled in a while (not including Cape Coast) and I was feeling murky on campus. After talking to one of my favorite people from home, I felt much better. This trip was like a new beginning. It reminded me of why I came to Ghana in the first place – not to go on touristy adventures but to have once-in-a-lifetime experiences that I will never forget.

To keep on the positive side here are my favorite things so far: wli falls. nzulezo. kele wele. receiving letters. listening to the drums. traveling light. fresh pineapple. mount afadjato. rainforest trees.

For the sake of balance, here are the things I miss most: lying in the grass. tap water (hot water?). mexican food. fixed prices. fixed gears. mary’s napoletana pizza (with no cheese). pickles. Mlzs!(use the code, detective).

Traveling this weekend to Busua for their annual festival...crossing my fingers that it's more enjoyable than Cape Coast...