In Paradise, Tokor, Ghana, March 21

Today, I hesitated again. Someone told me that on Monday there would be a large gathering of revelers, musicians and dancers near some waterfalls some 2 hours North of where I am. I also wanted to go back to Accra to unload some of my camping stuff as my pack is too heavy (28lbs) to travel in this hot climate. I chose to stay around Ho for another day and go visit the villages around the mountain of Adaklu. I boarded a trotro that took an hour to load before departure-it was filled with women with babies returning from the market. I got off at a little village at the base of the mountain and started walking along the dirt road (see video clip), stopping at a couple outdoor church services along the way. Soon after leaving the village, I spotted a tiny walking trail going towards the mountain and decided to take my chances. I wanted to go around the mountain and hopefully get to some remote villages. I walked passed cultivated areas and the trail ended. I then entered a thick jungle and found a trail not too far after following a dried-up creek. The trail started going up and around a corner I met a very young girl trying to load a huge hardwood log on her head. I gave her a hand and was blown away that she could carry a 20lbs chunk of wood like that. She was not older than 7 or 8. After a while I asked her if she wanted me to help her carry the log and she agreed. Walking uphill with that amount of weight was hard for me! (see video clip). I got to the small village of Tokor (see video clip) (population 300) and immediately got surrounded by young children. I sat down with them under a big tree and was soon greeted by a gentle man named Bismark. He took me to his house and we chatted under the porch. He works for an NGO based in the US that sponsors projects such as water catchments, libraries and schools (see video clip). The little village was the cutest thing I had seen so far. Clean, organic in every sort of way, with mud dwellings, no electricity or running water. With a constant breeze and tucked on the side of the magnificent mountain, the place felt like paradise to me. I wanted to stay and inquired about that possibility. Bismark was open to the idea and introduced me to one of the village elders as he accompanied me out of town. At the next village at the bottom of the hill, I stopped for a cold drink and was greeted by some pretty drunk young men who lectured me on God and heaven. I told them I had just visited paradise but they did not get it! A rowdy young fellow of no more than 17 or 18 was having a fierce argument with some other men, yelling and cussing. I walked a mile out of that village before being picked up by a cab. Guess who was in the cab-the rowdy fellow, still yelling, obviously pretty pissed about something. The ride back was interesting... (see slideshow of the day)