Hi Ho - The road to Ho, or, the woman who would not stare at goats

After experiencing both a water outtage and a power outtage yesterday, I felt today had to be a better day.

On the 13 HOUR drive from Wa to Ho, I had to do something to amuse myself.  So I dozed some, munched on some peanuts, and then as we were driving into Ho after all that time on the road, came up with a really bad parody of "Hi Ho" from Snow White that recounts our adventures today.  I think I'll spare you that. It'll make be giggle all night though.

Again, I want to reassure everyone that it all came out OK...for most of the participants involved.

The way to Ho begins with "Accra Road" - the road that will take you from Wa to Accra.  When you get about 2 hours from Accra, you hang a left on "Ho Road" - the road that will take you to Ho and many towns along the way.

Even though it is Saturday, traffic was terrible, especially around Kumasi. After experiencing Kumasi only twice, I can still confidently say that Kumasi has the worst traffic in Ghana. Worse than Accra. It took us an hour just to get through Kumasi.  There were a lot of trucks on the road (the kind with no pollution controls and a lot of people walking alongside the road. Saturdays are the traditional day for funerals, so lots of funeral-goers clogging up the road in EVERY town. Some in these long black "mourning robes" looking scary.

I didn't realize that Ho was in the mountains, so the road to Ho is also a climb into a rain forest.  It's beautiful, but a little scary with narrow, twisting and turning roads. Like Western Pennsylvania with people walking alongside taking up half a lane carrying bowls of plantain, bananas, mangos and coconuts. Virgin was dedicated to the cause of bringing some food home. You see, he lives around Ho. So we made many stops for yam, mangos, more mangos, bananas, plantain, even more bananas...well you get the idea.  This is one of the EIGHT fruit stands we visited:

There are goats wandering all over Ghana's roadsides it seems and just when I was astounded at how few goats we saw roaming around the Volta Region, one popped out of the bush and...well, what can I say? Virgin killed his first goat. At least he says it's his first. I have to say that I kind of figured this would happen.  But then Virgin and George had to stop and get out of the truck to look. I declined.  Not much to look at when a goat gets a fender in the head at about 90 mph. Hopefully Madame Goat will feed someone.

So, I am staying at what is basically a teacher's dormitory for the universities here in Ho.  It's basic but clean and will be OK for three days. George is going to take me on a little tour of the Volta Region tomorrow and Bea and I will go to the Kente weaving village before we leave for Accra on Tuesday.