Aburi, Classes, and Village Life II

This weekend I went to Aburi national park. This was a really cool park that CIEE brought us to. We all loaded up in buses and trekked out there. Through tiny villages and mountain roads, we arrived first at a wood carver's village. The sad thing was that non of us really remembered that we would be going there. We were all just thinking that we were going to the park and that would be it. So when the bus pulled over into a random parking lot that had no botanical sights in view, we were very confused. At first we were convinced that it was nothing more than a bathroom trip. But Abena(one of the CIEE folk) herded us into a corner where 4 men were carving wood. It was at that point that we realized where we were. One of the men gave us a history and introduction to wood carvingm, then were left to wander the shops. If we remembered that we were going to stop there we all would have brought a lot more money. Instead, we all wandered around amazed at how nice the stuff was(at least by a tourist's stand point) while trying to find someone to borrow money from. Since I didn't have enough, I figured the best thing to buy there would be a drum for Ty. I was looking aroung and was dismayed by the first few prices that I heard. The first guy offered me a drum for $65. Which is rediculous over here and I was terrified that we were stuck in a horrible tourist trap where everything is two to three times more expensive then it should be. But I kept looking around and I eventually found the same type of drum for $24. Since, I had lent some money to a friend, I had to go borrow from a different guy to buy my drum. But in the end it worked out and I was so happy. I felt kinda weird being so pumped about a drum that wasn't even for me. BUt if you bought the same drum in the US, it would have cost $150-$200. So I felt great and Ty should love banging it around campus. So enjoy, bro(a few months from now, that is).

After that we went to the garden and it was nice too. Our group(we split up) started in the royal garden. That's where dignitaries go and plant flora when they visit Ghana. All of the trees, bushes and flowers there were planted by Kings, Queens, Presidents, Prime Ministers, etc. For example, Queen Elizabeth planted a tree there. Other cool things were these trees that were enormously dense forests in and of them selves. There was so much life packed onto their branches that it looked like the tree was giving birth to other plants(ferns, mosses, smaller trees, etc.). Those ones got me really excited to go see a real ghanain forest. I couldn't wait to hike through one. My other favorite plant there was this canibal tree. Its starts like an invasive vine wrapping around and parasitically sucking the life out of its host. As it grows it takes on the form of the traditional tree(roots, trunk, branshes) as it engulfs its meal. Then, it replaces its host and dissolves it into nothing. So in the end, the tree looks like any other one out there, but with a hollow core(because the original tree once stood within).

I'll post again soon. I love you all. I'm off to Twi language classes.

peace