So to pick up from the last post...Wednesday was pretty awesome. From the beach the past Sunday we were told by some locals about the reggae night that takes place every Wednesday, so we (my ISEP group) decided to check it out. Getting there was an experience itself. Waiting a long time for a taxi, then arguing over the price when we got picked up. No biggie though, we got to the beach around 10:30ish. The music sounded great! Lots of people hanging out. Some were dancing, some sitting. Eventually a lot of us went up and danced. Reggae is so fun to dance to because it's so chill, a lot less crazy than club music, so we were up and about for a while. Met a lot of cool people out in front of the stage. I'm not gonna lie, some of the men were a little creepy, but for the most part everyone's there just to have a good time. Reggae night was probably one of the most fun things I've been to so far.
Thursday I took my first ride on a tro-tro. A tro-tro is basically an old van used for public transportation around town. From outside it looks a little sketchy, but it's actually really fun. You just stand at the bus stop and yell out to the conductor (or fee collector) asking where they are headed and depending on your destination you hop on. It's pretty crammed. Those things probably fit around 15 people or so. And the ride is bumpy and shaky because of the roads and the absence of any effective road laws. But it's a great way to get around, especially because it's so cheap. The average ride costs 30 to 50 pesawas, which would be about 20 to 35 cents in American money.
This weekend we went on the trip I was really looking forward to. Over to Cape Coast to see the slave castle and then to Kakum National Forest to go on the canopy walk. The castle was quite a historical highlight. We got a tour of the castle, the bedrooms, the dungeons, everything. I couldn't get over walking around a place that so many people had fought in and suffered in many many years ago.
Kakum might be the second best thing I've experienced next to Reggae night. We hiked up a trail in the rain forest to the canopy walks. They're like rope bridges held by massive trees that overlook the forest. It was amazing! One of my friends in the group kept saying "Bobby we are so lucky to be here!!" And I couldn't agree more. It was hard to believe I was really in Africa walking over a rain forest. What an extraordinary blessing.
I'd like to step aside from the attractions and share some about the culture shock and the people so far but I'll save that for the next post b/c it looks like this one got a little lengthy.
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