Taxi Drivers

Can be very interesting people. I'm sure you won't often find a cab driver without some kind of story to tell or experience to share--with all those people he or she sees in a day, there are bound to be some great conversations.

Ghanaian taxi drivers are no different. Over these past couple years I've been regaled with drivers' stories and opinions on many issues: Ghanaian politics, Barack Obama, whether it is just to hit a street hawker with your car (and the economic implications), China in Africa, taxation, whether Chelsea is better than Manchester United, what qualities--loosely interpreted--one should look for in a wife. And so forth. Some conversations can be difficult as their English might not be up to snuff, but listening is nonetheless entertaining.

Conversations always start the same way:

Driver: So where are you from?

Me: The US.

Driver: [after a few moments' silence] But you look ... so ... what is it ... uhh ... like a Korean?

Me: Oh, my family is from Asia. But I am from the US.

Driver: [more silence, eyeing me carefully] Are you quite sure?

Me: More or less.

Today's cab drivers happened to be entrepreneurs. That's another thing about taxis in Ghana: drivers often drive as a second, even third, job. My driver in the morning was saving money to start his own business. He wants to sell neckties. Something that often comes up in conversations with drivers is how safe, peaceful, stable Ghana is. For him, this meant opportunity--an opportunity to have his own business and send his kids to a good school. Driving a cab was how he would save for this enterprise. Enterprise. A very good word because that's what most 'businesses' are called here: enterprises. Indicative of a can-do, creative spirit. For this driver, this enterprise was being saved for day-by-day, one pesewa at a time towards a goal of three thousand cedis. He hopes to have enough saved within a year, at which point he'll sell his car and start selling his neckties.

My second driver today after our typical "you're-from-the-US-but-you-look-so-uhhh-Korean" (are you quite sure?) icebreaker informed me that when he was not driving he worked for the World Bank and drove Americans around all the time. He told me he loved working for the Bank--unlike working for a typical large Ghanaian firm, he felt that he was treated with more respect. For those who have not been here, a lot of firms operate very hierarchically--lots of bringing coffee, "yes, sir; no, sir", etc. with little respect. But he loved meeting people from various Bank countries, learning more about foreigners. He even knew a lot about the institution's substantive work, and we talked for a while about that and what it meant for Ghana. For him, driving a cab provided a nice second income, but I think he truly cherished the opportunity to meet new people.

I've often said that tro-tros provide a great way to learn about Ghanaian society and meet interesting people, but the same is true for Ghanaian taxis. You never really know what will come out in conversation, whether the driver will be passive or aggressive, whether his opinions will strongly conflict with your own. Once in a while, you will have a gem of a conversation that's worth remembering. It's all a learning experience. And, yes, I am quite sure.

Wli Falls and Mt Afadjato, Volta Region, Ghana

Top of Wli Falls, Agumatsa National Park, Volta. Note the bats hanging out on the rocks. All photos in this post taken with a Nikon D60 with 55-200mm lens.

Last weekend, my colleague and I finally made our way out of the stifling heat of bustling Accra to the stifling heat of admittedly greener and more beautiful Volta Region, specifically the Northern part surrounding Hohoe. Now the pronunciation of Hohoe, the second largest settlement in Volta, has always given me trouble, but I think in our travels there, we have settled on a bimodal outcome: ho-HOY and ho-HO-way. You be the judge.

Sign in Hohoe pointing us to the falls, which at around 80m are the tallest in West Africa.

From Accra, we took a tro-tro from Madina Old Road, just north of the city, direct to Hohoe. As often is the case, we got there as the last Hohoe tro-tro was looking for one more person before it could go--and we were two. I feel that this eternal conundrum could be modelled with a clever probability distribution. WAWA = West African Wins Again. Alas, we waited only half an hour and the second tro-tro arrived. The ride to Hohoe was surprisingly quick, only about 3.5 hours, though much of that can be attributed to our driver's lead foot, though he was surprisingly adept at slalom maneuvers to avoid potholes that I think he left Lindsey Vonn and half our breakfasts in the tro-tros gathering wake of red dust. Skirting safety aside, our tro-tro also included a rather boisterous young man who insisted that the fare (GHC 6.5) was too high. This young man then got a lesson in social capital as he was almost pulled out of the tro-tro from the back window by fellow (unionized) drivers who rushed over, seeing the commotion. Apparently, they prevailed upon him to pay up.

The 'road' to Wli Falls.

Hohoe was rather underwhelming, despite the fervent recommendations of the Bradt Guide. For one thing, we arrived during the middle of what must have been six funerals, and there wasn't an available hotel room in any of the places we checked. Even the mangers were occupied. We eventually found one questionably-ventilated closet of a room for about GHC10 that had running (away from you) water and two TV channels that played screaming Nigerian movies and silent Mexican soap operas. Best of both worlds. In future, I would recommend staying at Ho, the regional capital, as it is a bigger, more exciting city with a wider range of accommodations.

One of the nine bridges on the way to Wli Falls.

In Hohoe, we met our gallant cab driver, X.zibit, who ferried us around on Saturday (to the falls) and Sunday (to the mountain). I know what you're thinking: wait, did Joe just say the cab driver was named 'X.zibit'? Yes. And, no, he did not come out of a T-Pain music video. His cab is very easy to spot in Hohoe, as it says his name right across the back window. In any case, he was a great cab driver, having driven many obrunis to these attractions, and he regaled us with stories of his girlfriend who lives in the US. And he blasted Ghanaian rap most of the time, featuring Sarkodie and 4x4. Good stuff.

Wli Falls. Note the people at the bottom.

The falls were incredible. They are about a 30-minute drive from Hohoe and a 45-minute walk through the forest, a walk that takes you over nine river crossings (the bridges were still there when we did it). There are two hikes: one to the top of the falls, and one to the wading pool at the bottom, and we did the latter, which was very easy and enjoyable. As you can see from the photo above, you can even wade in the pool, but I chose not to due to risk of bilharzia (not sure if it's there, but why risk it). Another cool feature of the falls were the bats that clung to the rocks surrounding the falls. As it got turns late afternoon, the bats started to rouse and swirl overhead. Very cool sight. Overall, a refreshing afternoon (the mist feels so amazing in the heat), and a place I would highly recommend for a picnic and some lazy reading.

Sunrise in Hohoe.

After a cozy night of sleep in our charmingly sweaty hotel room with its two TV channels, we set off the following morning for Afadjato, which is billed as the tallest mountain in West Africa. Now, there are a couple of things that require clarification. First, it's not really a 'mountain', and objectively speaking it's not that high or impressive. Second, it actually feels much much much higher when the trail goes straight up the mountain rather than being a switchback trail, and you bring a heavy backpack, inside of which is a large bottle of water and a fairly heavy camera, not to mention things like a first-aid kit. Not that I'm talking from experience. (You should still take that stuff, especially a first-aid kit, though maybe opt for lighter equipment ...).

Mt Afadjato.

The views from the mountain are quite incredible, and on a clear day one can see all the way to the Volta Lake. Apparently there are also a lot of bird-watching opportunities on this mountain, but we did not see too many birds--or, at least, I was too busy keeping the sweat out of my eyes to notice. If you can, it might be a good idea to climb Afadjato in the morning (about an hour up and an hour down), then hike to Wli in the afternoon for a refreshing dip. That might be a more fun afternoon than climbing into a cramped tro-tro for the four-hour ride back to Accra when you might be the worst smelling people on there. Again, not that we're talking from experience.

View from Afadjato towards Volta Lake.

This coming weekend I'm off to Kumasi to visit friends, and then the following weekend I'll be off to Mole National Park. Expect plenty of safari-style photos of wild animals. The following weekend I may venture to the Nzulezo stilt village in Western Region. Should be amazing.