the waterfall

it was sunday and sofie, andrew, and i had spent the last few days jumping tro tro's and seeing sights.

our first tro tro driver was obviously not concerned about arriving to the waterfalls alive. andrew was gripping the seat in front of him and kept glancing tensely over to sophie, who seemed equally uneasy. the ride was over 3 hours, on a very bumpy road and this man's speeding was so prolific i was thankful the spedometer was broken. i had checked it while i formulated the tragic but miraculous story.

'he was going 130 miles per hour just before we drove off the cliff. i don't know how we all escaped that crash with just a few scrapes and bruises, it was scary for sure!' i'd tell the newscaster, with the wild look of a survivor.

"and can you tell ghana what it feels like to fly?"

"truly incredible. unlike anything else."

my story was boring me so i dealt with the uncomfortable fact that this could be my last ride ever in another way, my favorite way. i fell asleep.

when we did finally make it to the waterfalls my friends were a bit on edge, and sofie was especially ornery. i was hoping she'd take a dip quick, i was certain the cool water would change her mood.

"you just slept the entire way!" andrew said, stupefied.

i looked down and gave a little shrug. 'it's what i do.' i said. then i looked up to take in the beautiful surroundings. we had made it! the waterfall was unlike the one i had been to with senam, this one seemed less intimidating, more interactive, although both were equally gorgeous.

the path of the water was wide, and tiered down from atop a distant slope where it all ended in a large deep pool. you could walk up the rocks, alongside the water, to the most powerful fall at the top of the hill. we had arrived later in the afternoon, missing the midday sun that would have been shining down onto the bottom pool. instead, it was dark and shady and not very enticing. my imagination turned the darkness into murkiness.

"aren't you ladies going to go in?" andrew asked.

we all looked over at the water.

"um, ya, in a little bit." i said.

sofie walked over and stuck her toe in. "it's nice." she said, walking away.

then we sat for awhile.

some locals boys ran and jumped in, filling the area with life and energy and dispelling the feeling that swimming in strange water gives me. but it hadn't left completely. i looked up to the top of the hill, the waterfall was glistening in the sun and i was certain the birds would be chirping up there. maybe i'd see a unicorn?

then i looked around where we were at.

"let's go up there." i said.

so we did.

when we made the short trek to the top sofie and i ran to the water. we both went directly underneath the fall and let it pound down on our backs and head. i have a habit of screaming like a child in waterfalls, of being over dramatic. it is completely fake, but i do it anyway because it heightens the fun factor, like hollering as you drive through a tunnel. i wondered if sofie wanted me to shut up, but i didn't care, so i kept it going.

when we got out the first words out of her mouth, as she was shaking out her hair, were "our chances of having been infected with oncho are now greater than having not."

oncho- Onchocerciasis, a sub-saharan disease transmitted by the bite of a black fly. these flies typically dwell near fast flowing rivers. without treatment it can lead to blindness, known here as 'river blindness'.

i had been reading about it in the tropical disease book but didn't think it was in ghana.

andrew chimed in sarcastically "isn't it great traveling with a doctor?"

she was inspecting her body with a furrowed brow. "we'll just take some Ivermectin when we get back. they have it at the clinic."

then she ran off.

i spent the remainder of the time chasing patches of sun, and defending myself against anything suspicious trying to land on me. i tried washing andrews white shirt in the waterfall and experienced a split second wave of guilt. was i ruining the sacredness of this place by washing our dirty clothes in it? i justified my act as a very ghanaian thing to do, except i wasn't using soap and the shirt wasn't getting clean.

andrew had left adventuring and came back with news.

"we've got this gorgeous waterfall here, really picturesque yeah?" he spanned his hand against the backdrop. "and you just think, this is it. kind of like it just starts pouring out from this spot." he had started to laugh, his chokey laugh, the one i heard when he first saw our mansion house. "but then i took a stroll up the hill and just on the other side there are about 20 women doing their wash! it's really funny to see that!"

it made sense, and i bet most tourists never find out they are swimming in the local washing machine. i had to laugh too.

the day was starting to close, we still had to get to our accommodation before nightfall and it was far away. we all decided to partake in something i consider extreme opulence, but was glad to do. we hired a driver to take us the rest of the way.

i felt refreshed and happy, mixed with a slight bit of paranoia due to the black fly. i just needed to know exactly what the side effects were after being bitten. that way i could recognize them when they came, and if they didn't come, i could manifest them into existence from worrying so much. the ride was long so i had time to remind my self that paranoia is not from God. ultimately, at the root of my paranoia i was fearing pain and death. those are big things to deal with but i wasn't going to let a measly fly, the size of my thumbnail, take me away from the present, from reality, from god, and propel me into the wasteland of whatif's.

by the time i dealt with my self, and took a deep breath, we had arrived at the lodge, in the monkey village. a man greeted us just as we stepped out of the car.

"hello. i am Patrick. I will be your guide tomorrow. meet me here early please. you must be early to see the monkey's."

sofie was excited to see monkey's, she really likes them she said.

i was completely jaded, after having been on 2 african safari's in places renowned for big game wildlife. one had just happened that summer and was filled with jaw dropping sightings. my favorite being a herd of elephants clearing out of the brush in a long single file line, less than 5 feet away. babies gripping their mother's tail's with their short stubby trunks, and the older ones, enormous, with ivory tusks protecting the rest of the herd. one by one they all kept walking out of the bushes, on their way to the other side of the road, where they stepped back into wilderness and away from our eyes. it was truly wild.

there were water buffalo, a blue balled monkey, an early morning baboon party, hippos galore, crocodiles, a leopard hiding deep in some foliage, and so much more that now, i had become indifferent at the thought of going to a monkey reserve. but i kept it a secret, i didn't want to spoil the fun, and monkey's ARE fun.

i entertained the possibility of something incredible happening. maybe i'd get to deliver a monkey baby?

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