It's hard to believe our West African trip is coming to a close. It is sunday afternoon and we are leaving on Tuesday morning, to arrive back in the US on Wed.
This trip has been such a rewarding experience. All the sights and sounds and smells and sensations are indelibly planted in my mind.
I have been outside my comfort zone in so many areas.
I've sampled the local foods such as Fufu, a specialty dish made by pounding plantain and casava togehter with a wooden pole till it forms a rubbery consistency. This is taken with peanut soup call ground-nut soup and dried tilapia fish. --Very interesting flavors.
The local music is beautiful. The rhythms and harmonies, I really enjoy. The art work and clothes of the locals reflect a rich and colorful culture.
Some of sites we visited included the Big Tree, where a very big tree, the biggest in the region, towers many feet in the sky; a cocoa plantain and factory where chocolate is grown and made; the Palace and Musuem of the Ashanti Kings; and the Elmina castle, the largest slave holding site in Africa.
I crawled into the room called the "place of no return". It was a small dark windowless "cell" that had a small opening leading to the ocean. It is the place where thousands of slaves boarded ships bound for the Americas and the Caribbean.
But I must say, the most memorable experience of West Africa is the people. I have been truly blessed and touched by the kindess, generousity and sincerity of everyone I've met. I did not expect to make any "real" or meaningful friendships while here, especially since our stay is so short, but I must say, I will miss the people I've met and have had the pleasure of making lasting friendships.
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