We left our home in Ho for Tafi, Atome, where we were going to see the monkeys in the monkey sanctuary and then go to the waterfall. After a long van drive, we all arrived in Tafi in the late morning. We walked into the forest, following the local guide. She bought some bananas on the way and then cut all of the bananas in two so that later on we could feed the monkeys. She led us through the forest until we arrived at the deeper part of the forest, where monkeys would likely dwell in. She utilized her lips to feign the sound of monkeys and held out a banana to demonstrate how to feed the monkeys while not getting hurt or contracting rabies. I saw (mouth wide, agape) that the monkeys, which hid beneath the leaves above our head, slowly and nimbly left their safe zone and approached us, knowing that we have brought them a feast. A monkey hopped on the arm of the guide and used its little "hand" to peel the skin of the banana so it can reach for the mellow fruit. I watched with both amazement and amusement how fast and efficient the hands of the monkey were. Its body was not long: probably 30 centimeters in length, but it has a long tail that stretched from the hand of the guide to the back of her neck. Then two or three monkeys all jumped on the hand of the guide, competing with the first one. After the banana was gone, all the monkeys disappeared as quickly as possible. I stared at their body vanishing into the leaves and pondered how humans were like some billion years ago.
But then it was our turn. We all held bananas in our hands and waited for the monkeys to discover their food. The guide imitated the sound of the monkeys. Little by little, monkeys slipped out of their zones in the leaves and came near us. Finally, one jumped on Chandler and began to savor its snacks. Soon, another one came out and wondered which person to hop on, and ended up hopping onto Linh's arms. Erica got a surprise attack from a monkey that jumped on her from behind. Emily got two on her arms and shoulder. I got a few on my hands as well: they felt really soft and light, and I sneaked a touch of their skin. It felt fuzzy and smooth, like duck feathers, but more velvety. The guide explained to us that there were 6 families of monkeys in the sanctuary, each family with at least 40 members and in all 500 monkeys live in that forest.
After feeding the monkeys, we sat on a nonfunctional taxi and drove to the place where we got our lunch. (We waited over an hour to get the food. During the interval, we played cards. At one time, everyone put a huge bottle on their heads to imitate the Ghanaian women who carried things on their heads.) After that, we wanted to go to the waterfall but it was too late, so we just settled in the hotel rooms. The hotel was comfy and European, but it also costed a ridiculous amount (40 dollars per night for a really simple room with a nonfunctional shower and a nonfunctional TV?) We all snuggled in a king-size bed. In the afternoon, we all sneaked out to the market nearby. Almost all of us got a dress (according to Linh's opinion, because she's the fashion bomb): Chandler got a green dress, Emily got a grey and orange dress, Erica got a blue maxi-dress and I got two tribal pattern silk dresses. Emily also got a backpack with tribal patterns and it looked awesome. (She said: "Hey, I know people will judge me but I will still use it in Lawrenceville.") As usual, we chatted until midnight and then slept (mostly about Lawrenceville).
Seven o'clock in the morning, we all woke up and got ready for the waterfall. We all wore our swimsuit inside the clothes. After a full breakfast of toast and egg, we set off on the 1 mile hike in the woods. We passed numerous bridges and sang many songs ("I wanna be a billionaire so freaking bad" "You make me feel like I'm living in a teenage dream" What else? Pretty much whatever pop music that everybody knows...) When we reached the waterfall, we all realized that our hike was totally worth it. The waterfall was simply astounding. It made me hold my breath for a moment until I realize that it was real. Water fell from the mountain in full speed, splashing, whooshing, dancing, turning, whirling, creating layers and layers of misty air. We took off our clothes and jumped in the water. The water was cold and smooth as it washed against our skin. We all stepped slowly towards the center of the waterfall, where the force of falling water strikes the deepest and strongest. The experience of being right beneath the waterfall was crazy: my back hurt, but I felt I would like to stay there forever. (Richard, our guide, said: "Fine, just get married and stay here forever." Me: "Uh........NO.") I felt as if I were the first person to ever discover this magical place: joy, pride, excitement gently filled my heart.
The waterfall has truly been the most amazing experience of my entire Ghana trip so far. I couldn't wait to tell my friends about how amazing it feels. If I can, I will do it over and over again. But every happy time comes to an end. We left the waterfall after an hour of sheer happiness and frolicking. We hiked another hour and came back to the hotel. Then we checked out and left the place for Ho, where our home base is located. When we finally reached our house, we all felt fortunate: "We survived!" Nothing is more fulfilling than coming to a familiar place that one could relate to. For the first time during the week, I felt like I could live in Ghana for the rest of my life.
Thank you, everyone of you, for making this experience amazing. Thank you, Erica, for making weird faces that make everyone laugh. Thank you, Linh, for your sketchy statements about yourself that entertain the entire crew. Thank you Emily, for being the nicest and most encouraging person for everyone. Thank you Chandler, for being such a mother and taking care of everybody. Thank you, Richard, for helping me conquer my fears and buying us food.
Love,
Jen
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