the end of the earth (as I know it)

Greetings from Timbucktu!
Yes it is a real place and somehow I made it here. I just landed after a two day ride on a boat up the Niger River.
It is my first time here in the Sahara, I have met some nice people who just arrived on a traditional salt caravan.
Only French is spoken here, but some speak a little English; so i get by (with a little help from some French Friends).
things have gotten a lot better since a low point on christmas eve; mostly because I was sick.
Now i plan to relax and explore since i found a nice family to stay with;
hard to type on this French keyboard, so thats all for now.
Merry christmas to everyone; i wanted to call but could not
love, Forest

travels

So I’m off and moving on my travels. My friend Thomas from Humboldt flew in on the 9th and I’ve had a good time showing him around. We went to see the slave castles where slaves were held until ships came to take them to America. Then we found the nicest beach either of us had ever been to. White sand, warm water and perfect waves made for a great day of body surfing. I finished my last exam on the 13th and packed up. We left the 15th and headed to the Volta region, where we saw Akasombo dam, which generates most of Ghana’s power. Then we climbed Mt Adukla which proved to be exhausting but gave us really good views. The next day we went to Wli (vuh lee) falls, the tallest in west Africa. This was simply awesome, about 80 meters tall and surrounded by a colony of bats. The next day we planned to take a ferry across the lake, but found that it was not running, so we had to charter a fishing boat. We finally made it in this small motorized canoe, and took two more buses and then a real ferry. The ferry was packed with trucks that were packed with produce to go to the markets in the city. We are now in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city. We now head for Mole national park to see elephants and baboons and then to Paga to see crocodiles. Then I part ways with my companions and head into uncharted lands of Burkina Faso and Mali.
Hope everyone is enjoying their vacation.
I will hopefully post again soon
Love, forest.

travels

So I’m off and moving on my travels. My friend Thomas from Humboldt flew in on the 9th and I’ve had a good time showing him around. We went to see the slave castles where slaves were held until ships came to take them to America. Then we found the nicest beach either of us had ever been to. White sand, warm water and perfect waves made for a great day of body surfing. I finished my last exam on the 13th and packed up. We left the 15th and headed to the Volta region, where we saw Akasombo dam, which generates most of Ghana’s power. Then we climbed Mt Adukla which proved to be exhausting but gave us really good views. The next day we went to Wli (vuh lee) falls, the tallest in west Africa. This was simply awesome, about 80 meters tall and surrounded by a colony of bats. The next day we planned to take a ferry across the lake, but found that it was not running, so we had to charter a fishing boat. We finally made it in this small motorized canoe, and took two more buses and then a real ferry. The ferry was packed with trucks that were packed with produce to go to the markets in the city. We are now in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city. We now head for Mole national park to see elephants and baboons and then to Paga to see crocodiles. Then I part ways with my companions and head into uncharted lands of Burkina Faso and Mali.
Hope everyone is enjoying their vacation.
I will hopefully post again soon
Love, forest.

elections

The presidential elections happened here yesterday. It happens in Ghana every 4 years like the U.S. and there are 2 main parties, the NDC and NPP. The lines to vote were huge; most people had to wait in line for about 3 hours. The election four years ago provoked some civil unrest, apparently a few people were killed. So things are a bit tense here, but there is a strong desire for peace. They closed the borders for a few days so no one could sneak in a try to vote. For the past few weeks there has been heavy campaigning, including a parades of people playing instruments, waving flags and doing push-ups.
I finish finals on dec.13, and I will take off for northern Ghana then Burkina Faso and Mali. From there I may go to Senegal. I am trying to plan my trip now, it will be tough because those countries are French speaking. I should get to see some amazing cultures and wildlife though.
Hope everyone is doing well.
Love, Forest