Took a tro tro to the HoHoe area for a weekend in nature! It was wonderful and so refreshing :) From Hohoe there is a little village called "Wli"about 15 minutes by taxi, where we stayed Saturday night. This village is the real deal! No longer concrete huts, but red mud huts scattered among the lush Africa jungle. Each person, adult and child stops their banging of cassava for dinner with their long wooden sticks, or from carrying big, metal water buckets on their heads, along the trail to hold their hands up and say "You are Welcome" These people are beautiful! There is so much behind each set of eyes.
Saturday took a short hike to the Wli lower waterfall and stood there for a long while just feeling the power of the water crashing down 1600 feet above us. It was so windy! After the locals gave us a beautiful African dance performance and dragged me up on stage for a dance lesson, and after the drums stopped drum, drum druming through the night..slept until the rooster outside my window crow, crow, crowed at the top of its lungs, ha! Got up since sleeping wasn't an option, ate a good breakfast, and headed out for our 5hr trek up the beautiful mountain range to the upper falls. It was quite the adventure..switchbacking up the mountain did not exist..instead we made our way straight up! or straight down! with either a 6 inch trail...or no trail.. pushing back jungle brush well above my head. Our little, guide Alfonso told me there was a 100% chance we would not encounter any snakes... i told him i think thats a good number :) What we did encounter was hundreds of beautiful colored butterfies, bugs, and preying mantis. It was crazy tiring, but well worth it. I think i'm gonna go back, as the cook offered to let me join in behind the kitchen to learn the secrets of making Fufu, and their special..mushroom soup!
On the way home smooshed in with a tro tro full of locals, and my friend Hettie & I asking them a million questions about Christmas celebration in Africa, and starred out the window getting a glimpse of African nightlife in the country. Amazing weekend :) and Christmas is around the corner here now, on and off the ship!
