Tuff Gong Records

"One good thing about music, when it hit you, you feel no pain"

On one of our tours up to Aburi Botanical Gardens, we happened to get a chance to stop off at Rita Marley's Studio! Rita Marley these days lives in Ghana in a town just south of Kofuridua. Many of the Rastafarian's that I've met in Ghana say that they can take me to meet her; who knows, maybe one day before i leave i just might take them up on their offer.

Community Dunks Tournament!

Anywhere and everywhere...we BALLIN!

So you know I had to do it! After meeting a ton of people here at Legon University, a couple of friends decided that I should join their basketball team. Not having any expectation of what this Basketball team or tournament might be like, I decided to go for it. I arrived with my friend Wolf and Tintin to the tournament and to my surprise, this tournament was no joke. The tournament is sponsored by Sprite and Indomie and is TELEVISED on TV Africa every wed! We have weekly games which is aired on basketball TV Program. Each district in the city has a team and I happened to be on the Legon team. The atmosphere was nuts! There was an African drumming group which played throughout our basketball match which really made the whole experience surreal. We won our first game against Nima. Check out our victory pic!

Week 6 - Likpe todome

Caving in the Jungle Deep

Reaching the half way mark of our Ghana trip, the group and I just had to celebrate. And what a better way to do it than to go caving! Saturday morning we arrived at Likpe Todome which is a small village just off the east side of Hohoe, Volta region. We met up with our guide and without wasting anytime, began our journey up the mountain to the Caves. It's becoming increasingly apparent to me that if anyone wants to see/do anything in the Volta Region, there is an implied minimum walk of at least an hour and a half. After walking up the mountain reaching its peek, the tour guide began to tell us the story behind the historical significance of Likpe Todome.

According to our guide and other sources from Accra, many years ago the Ewe people were chased from their homes by the tyrannical rule of an ancient Chief (from the lands that are now Benin). Fleeing further and further, the Ewes finally arrived in a virgin bush, unblemished by the hands of men. There the people began a small settlement. In those days everyone fetched water from the river and did so at the same time. One of those times, members of the majority lineage killed a pregnant woman of one of the minority groups living on the fringe of the settlement. The murderers refused the custom of replacing the deceased with a member of their own tribe and, thus provoked, the plaintiffs began their preparations for war by sharpening stones used in battle. As a result, scouts from the majority party saw this action, known in Ewe as "likpe," and returned with the news of a pending conflict. Cognizant of the fact that they could no longer live in harmony with their antagonists, the Likpes fled to the hills into the caves hoping to once again escape the tyranny of their oppressors. For many years the Likpes lived in the caves on the modern border with Togo. After years spent in hiding, they finally emerged from the caves and founded the first of ten Likpe settlements known as "Likpe Todome" or "Sharping stones from under the mountain" because they came from the caves or "under the mountain." Today Likpe is understood as the people who live under the mountain Todome.
Upon each entrance of the five different caves, our guide explained its purpose to the Likpe civilization. There first cave was the gathering room, the second the bed rooms, the third the dungeon/prison, the fourth the watch tower and the last the the thrown and hide out of the Chief. It was incredibly interesting to find advanced sophistication in the lifestyle of the Likpe peoples who's existance must have dated back hundreds of years ago. And even more interesting was having a chance to meet their descendants of today. All who reside in the village were very kind and welcoming. From our arrival to our departure, I really couldn't help but feel the warmth and acceptance from those who live in Likpe Todome.

Week 5 - Volta Region Part 3

Where the water flows forever..

Our last day may have been the most epic! Bright and early on Sunday, the crew and I met with the expedition guide to go to the upper falls at Wli (pronounced vlee). He warned us that it was going to be a tough hike but in no way did believe a word he said. I figured it be a walk in the park in comparison to all we already had been though the past couple of days. We picked up some water and some bananas and began our ventured into the jungle once again. After 40 min of walking with no incline, we arrived at a cross path where our guide distributed walking sticks. He said to us, "this is where we start".
Still not convinced at how hard this hike could possibly be, we entered onto a path which veered off the initial walking trail. After 15 min, i was drenched with sweat, my legs were sore and my bag seemed to get heavier and heavier. It soon became apparent to me that our guide had not exaggerated one bit! This hike was ridiculous! We had been climbing straight up for an hour and a half with almost no plateaus to rest on. There were large spiders, steep cliffs, fallen trees, slippery rocks and so on. You name anything that could have made this climb difficult, it was there! After 2 and a half hours, we finally arrived to the upper falls and let me tell you, I felt like the scenery was straight out of a movie! Every sore and ache i felt in my body was worth what i was experiencing at that moment. The wind was blowing against my face from the crashing of the water, the splashing sound was calmingly unfamiliar and a cool mist filled the air. Completely untouched by any sort of tourism development, the beauty of this place was indescribable! The falls looks amazing in pictures but in real life, it is out of this world! Chris and I, eagerly jumped into the fresh water (which was drinkable) and climbed the large boulders on the side of the falls. Shortly after, we slowly walked into the crashing water where we had the best shower of our lives. We made it all the way though touching the back wall which was absolute insanity. After spending some time at the upper falls, we headed back to the lodge and head back to Accra. Like I said earlier, probably the most adventurous weekend of my life!

Week 5 - Volta Region Part 2

Moglie is in the building!

Our second day at Volta Region was nowhere near a disappointment. Early in the morning, we left Paradise mountain lodge in Biakpa and headed to our second destination; Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary. And by the way, we rode on the back of motorcycles there just to make it interesting! We soon arrived, and the little town of Tafi Atome was a marvel. There were children and animals running around small mud huts and dirt roads. And to add to the paradise like aura in Tafi Atome, the people were extremely friendly and welcoming. It was like nothing I've ever seen.

After paying our visitation fees, our tour guide bought some bananas and began directing us into the path to see.....MONA MONKEYS! After walking for 5 min, we began to hear some ruffling noises in the jungle, and out of nowhere 3 monkeys jumped and swung from the trees which were 3 feet ahead of us! It was just a free for all after that. We were surrounded by monkeys and were close enough to be able to feed them bananas from our hands! The Mona Monkeys even peeled the bananas from our hands and slowly grabbed banana pieces! They were more human than any animal i have ever encountered in my life. The way monkey's interact with one another I found so interesting that i could have watched them for days without getting bored. It was honestly an experience i wish all who read this could experience!

The story behind this great tourism site is Tafi Monkey Sanctuary (a sacred grove) is a traditional conservation area backed by statutory enforcement in co-operation with local communities. These monkeys are found in a remnant patch of forests, and live harmoniously with local villagers. The monkeys are regarded as gods and as such the natives do not kill them. They are protected by local tradition. Furthermore, this attraction is great for the developed of small-scale tourism in the local communities to enhance rural development. So i think you all need to put this place into your bucket list!

Week 5 - Volta Region Part 1

Indiana Jones got nothing on me!

Probably the most adventurous weekend I've had in Ghana yet! It began on Friday morning at 4am. We left our place and headed to the Volta Region which is on the western part of Ghana. We arrive and instantly the adventure began! Deciding to stay at the paradise mountain lodge the first night, our "heartily" crew really no idea or any expectations of what would lie ahead.
Our Trotro (the transportation system in Ghana) dropped us off at Fume in front of a giant mountain where we had to walk up to get to were we were staying. After walking for an hour we finally arrived and what a beauty it was! Literally the six of us in our group stayed on top of a mountain on our own (other than the people who were working at the lodge of course). Later that afternoon we all decided to take on this so called "nature walk". Sounds easy right...not! We were dropped off halfway down the mountain where a path began having nothing but water, a map, cameras and a walking stick. At first the walk seemed to be relatively easy, easy enough that Chris and Tharni chose to wear flip flops. At the time, I was having an absolute blast! Common, how often does one get to venture into a jungle on their own without a guide. As we walked 45 min into the jungle, the path began to get steeper, more dangerous and incrementally more exciting. At one point Thomas, Chris and I repelled down maybe 2-3 stories down a rock wall to find a waterfall which was a hidden gem of Biakpa.
Everything was going great until we hit a point where the path began to split. One wrong turn can really make a difference. As we walked on, i recalled feeling a bit nervous for we had no idea where we were on the map. The path began to get bushier and bushier, splitting at times into three different paths. My heart began to pound because i knew (although i didn't want to admit it at the time) we were actually lost in the jungle!! The sun was going down and we had no idea where we were; definitely a recipe for disaster. As we hit the one hour mark from the turn of no return, a man with a large machete yelled at us asking "where are you going?". He explained that we had been going the wrong way and we had to turn around immediately. What a relief I said to the others but it soon became apparent that I spoke to soon.
We finally found ourselves on the map and just as we thought we were home sweet home, we ran into another barrier.... a giant mountain with no path to be found. Thomas and I frantically ran up the steep mountain side trying to find anything that resembled a path but clearly there was nothing. We climbed down and collectively came to the conclusion that the best plan of action was to go back to where we began. After maybe a little more than 4 hours in the jungle lost and confused, we finally found the street which led to the lodge! We were finally on the right course home and more importantly, we were not going to have to spend the night in the jungle! And that my friends was our first night...

Week 4 - Cape Coast aka Gold Coast

Tragically Historic

This weekend was a bit different than most in a way where history really hit home for me. We left on Friday evening to see Cape Coast which is situated in south central Ghana and was the former capital city. On the shores of Cape Coast is a mysterious looking castle known as Cape Coast Castle who's history is a tragic one. Just to give you all a bit of a briefing of the historical importance of this place, Cape Coast was founded by the Portuguese in the 15th century, Cape Coast grew around Cape Coast Castle, which is now a World Heritage site. It was converted to a Castle by the Dutch in 1637, then expanded by the Swedes in 1652 and captured by the British in 1664. From the 16th century the city had changed hands between the British, the Portuguese, the Swedish, the Danish and the Dutch. Eventually, the British based their "Gold Coast" operations (as in resource exploitation of gold and other commodities, and the slave trade) in the town until Accra became their capital in 1877. Cape Coast was also more importantly where most of the slaves were held before their journey on the middle passage which was South and North America known then as the new world.
Upon arrival into the town, almost immediately I was hit with a feeling which is still very hard for me to describe. Walking down towards the coastal lines to our hotel, I noticed that the architecture of almost all the buildings were disturbingly colonial looking almost sending me back in time. As we arrived to the Castle to take the Tour, I recall feeling nervous, feeling abit uncertain about what I may see or feel. We entered and instantly this overwhelming feeling hit me. So hard that at the time I was completely unable to speak and communicate to others all that was going through my mind. We entered the mens slave dungeon where allegedly hundreds were left to live cramped in a room no bigger than half a High school basketball gym. These men lived on top of rotting decomposing corpses as well as their own waist with little food or water. To see, experience and sort of understand all of what happened in many of the Castle rooms we visited made me want to vomit! I have never been so emotionally and physically affected by a historical site in my life.I felt as though the spirits of those who suffered within those brick walls were all around me...... but i guess that was all part of the experience.