I went off-grid
My trip to the North of Ghana
This week I want to take you on a journey with me.
It was late January of this year. The December buzz in Ghana had worn off and I began to feel myself adjust to daily life in the country.
I could have easily felt flat. Decisions I had made left me with uncertainty about the road ahead, but I was welcoming this chance to start over. I was headed to the North of Ghana by minivan. A 10 hour+ road trip. The first major stop was Mole National Park.
It was meditative to see the landscape change as we progressed further north. Driving through towns before returning to stretches and stretches of open space. The further north we went, the roadside shifted from dense green bush to savannah. I noticed lots of anthills and funnily enough I had brought the book Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe to read for the journey.
10+ hours with my thoughts. I did think a lot.
When we arrived at Mole National Park it was very late. We had not made a booking in advance to stay overnight in the Park’s accommodation. We were very much taking the journey as it came. Whilst there are of course inherent risks with this approach I found myself loving every minute. In fact, I was even surprised that I was going with the flow because that went against everything I had taught myself prior. Plan plan plan. Plan down to the very last detail. Overthink every possible outcome and continuously focus on the next thing.
An armed ranger met us after descending from the vehicle, and we were allocated rooms for the evening. We were told safaris began early in the morning and that we needed to be sure to lock the room doors before sleeping.
Because the rooms sit on the National Park, we would be among wildlife. Baboons were the real reason for locking the doors, with a staff member informing us that they can knock on the doors and then if opened, proceed to enter the room and look for food. This had in fact happened some nights prior to a lodger. I was both concerned and amused at the excitement of it all.
Next morning off we went in a 4WD with our guide John. He had such a gentle spirit and as he spoke about the wildlife, landscape and answered our questions, it was very evident that he loved his job and had a deep respect for animals. They say you can tell a lot about a person from their kindness, or lack thereof, toward animals.
John was born in a community that was local to the National Park which he said made his connection and knowledge about the land strong and instinctive. Our unique backgrounds and lineage can give us an instinctive wisdom that can guide us. We can draw upon this wisdom throughout our lives. I was needing this kind of instinctive wisdom at this moment in my life.
Sitting atop the vehicle, I was closer to the trees and I had a perfect view of the blue sky. The orange dust below the wheels evoked feelings of support and connectedness.
We saw warthogs, cobs, bushbucks, an array of birdlife and elephants. The professional rangers on the park protect these elephants as poaching presents a real risk.
When we were getting ready to leave the park the next morning at the breakfast area, I walked out to the edge of the pavement, the air hot. I stopped to take in the view of the park. From my position, I could see elephants in the distance and then a couple waved me over to observe a pair of elephants that had ventured just below where I was standing. I took in their grey wrinkly skin and their large ears that look like butterfly wings. Silence. I could hear their feet crunching the leaves and sticks underfoot.
We left Mole and found ourselves at Larabanga on our drive out of the area. Larabanga is the closest village to the Park and holds one of the oldest Mosques in West Africa. The Larabanga Mosque has been preserved and restored over millennia, bringing the local community together through the practise of the Islamic faith.
Rooted beside the Mosque is a baobab tree. It was in the North that I first saw these magical trees. I recently read more about them and better appreciated their versatility. Their wide trunks store water and so when the weather becomes dry, they have the power to sustain life.
I think about the beauty of imagining our inner worlds being as powerful as the trunk of a baobab tree. Full of a life-giving force that helps us to keep going even when the environment around us has dried up.
The son of the Imam was our guide and after we spent some time learning about the Mosque and appreciating its distinct structure, we headed to a nearby spot where a smiling woman named Fatimata was preparing shea butter.
I learnt about the process involved in making shea butter which can take several weeks before it is ready to be used. Shea butter is adored for its moisturising properties and its production and distribution can provide an income for communities. But as our guide said,
to make shea butter is a very very hard job.
I sat next to Fatimata who I will affectionately call maame (mother) and she showed me how to knead the dark, smooth mass of roasted shea nuts.
Shea butter in its final form is yellow in colour and no chemicals are added so that it can also be used for cooking, though you can choose to add essential oils to it if you use it on the body. Because of its natural form, it can last for 4-5 years!
After a weekend of travelling we were on the road back to Accra. We travelled through the Bono East Region which is home to the Kintampo Waterfalls.
The waterfalls begin in a village called Pumpumatifi, sourced from the Black Volta, and comprise three drops. We stopped to visit the waterfalls and our guide, Justice, took us to each of the three stages. The last one being the most memorable for me and not for the reasons you may think.
To get to the last stage where swimming is allowed, we had to descend a large and winding staircase. At the bottom, we looked up to see the water streaming down and while my family were taking pictures, Justice beckoned me to follow him across some rocks to the forest canopy. I wasn’t swimming so I followed and when I reached ground, Justice pointed up to some branches saying,
can you see it?
I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking for and then there it was.
Long, lime green and sleeping. A western green mamba.
Apparently it was one of a few that protected the waterfalls. They are highly venomous but Justice described them as keeping to themselves. This was probably the second time I had seen a snake in its natural habitat and I was especially intrigued by the themes emerging from what Justice told me about his previous encounters with these snakes.
Themes around wisdom, protection, and guidance.
The sun was setting. It was time to go.
~
To be taken far from busy cities was a blessing.
To be living off-grid at various points in the journey allowed me to exist in a natural state and in harmony with my environment.
In many ways, being amongst wildlife, feeling the softness of roasted shea nuts against the palm of my hand and quietly contemplating a sleeping snake were moments for me to learn from nature.
This trip helped me to let my guard down and embrace a trip that was not based upon concrete plans. Much like I was being called to do in my life at this time.
Disconnecting from what no longer was aligned in order to connect to who I was always meant to be. Myself.
Recommendations
If you too have fallen in love with the baobab tree, I highly recommend The Eternal Tree by Jori Lewis who is an award-winning journalist living between Illinois and Senegal. You can read or listen to Lewis’ piece here.
What do you desire? I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read The desire line by
who explores the unlikely pathway to freedom and happiness. Read it here.Keep in touch
Look out for this week’s weekly discussion thread if you want to chat further & if you want to see more content from my trip to the North and Bono East Regions of Ghana follow @adjoainghana (by request. kindly dm that you are coming from the adjoainghana newsletter.)
If you would like to swap notes, thoughts or experiences, you are welcome to get in touch.
Thank you for reading!
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The “real reasons to lock the door” took me out! Haha!
I absolutely loved this journey! I really felt like I was there, the way you described the art of Shea butter, perfect!
I felt so much peace and comfort from this particular journal! 🧡