This post has been in draft stage for many months. Maybe I can finish it today! On the 15th of March the missionary couples and some of their friends took a day-trip to the Volta River, near the Gulf of Guinea. We packed our lunches and met Saturday morning to caravan to the Volta River.
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| Boats waiting for us on the banks of the river |
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| Out on the river |
The river was wide and flowed gently along. It was a sunny day so we were grateful for the shade canopies.
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| Floating greenery |
The banks were covered with lush greenery and for several feet out into the river the greenery seemed to be floating on the water.
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| The power center structure |
We went to an island that had an Empower Playground for the village school. The power generated on the playground is stored in batteries in this building.
Empower Playgrounds was founded by Ben Markham, a returned missionary from Ghana. The batteries charge portable LED lights that can be used in the school or taken home for use there.
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| Merry-go-round |
All the sisters on the merry-go-round. I don't like merry-go-rounds now any more than I did as a child but what an innovative way to generate electricity as the children play.
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| Glider |
They also had a glider that several children enjoyed playing on. Most schools do not have playground equipment.
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| Cemetery |
We sat on plastic lawn chairs and ate our lunch in this shady spot near the playground. A cemetery was under the trees nearby.
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| Elementary School |
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| Classroom |
The school was not far from the playground. This portion had about four classrooms. The school was not in session so we peeked inside.
It would be interesting to see a school class being taught. From the children we see at church, they are generally well-behaved.
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| Village |
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| The Village |
Before heading back to the boats, Robert explored the village a bit.
The homes are made of mud bricks and have thatched roofs. They also build fences from palm fronds.
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| Elder and Sister Smith on the boat |
After lunch and looking around, we returned to the boats and headed back to our cars.
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| Some locals sending us friendly smiles and waves |
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| Living on the banks of the Volta |
Villages dotted the banks of the river. People were in the water, fetching water or washing their clothes in the river.
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| Home or Business? |
We saw many lovely buildings on the banks of the river, sometimes right next to the small villages.
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| A row of lovely homes/buildings |
Some of the buildings were a little smaller and looked like they might be homes or small guest houses.
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| Cruisin' Down the River |
The boats are wood and very shallow. It looks like this boat should sink with it's load.
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| Fishing Boats |
The fishing boats are larger and very colorful. They all had names on them. The Volta seemed like a peaceful and beautiful place to live. This is very different from Accra, where we live, so it was nice to get a glimpse into life on the Volta.
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| There are some large termite hills here in Ghana. |
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| The Blockade |
On the way home we stopped to get a picture of this extra tall termite hill. We see lots of termite hills here in Ghana.
Of course we ran into traffic on the Tema Highway on the way home. Aggressive taxis and tro tros (vans that function as a small bus) began passing on the side of the road, passing the blocked up traffic. The large red truck on the left moved over to the side of the road and Robert stayed next to his rear tire. This effectively blocked any cars from passing us on the side of the road. Some cars took on the challenge and occasionally a car slipped through if the truck or we left any opening. Most cars cheered us on and it made the traffic jam a fairly interesting and fun ride. All in all, it was a fun day out for all of us.
