Nkwanta to Bimbilla - Day 286

Date: May 31st, 2010
Distance: 92km
Country: Ghana
Song of the Day: Love Hurts - Incubus

Nothing spectacular about the ride today. It was still over dirt roads. It did rain a bit in the morning though. That was nice for keeping the dust down, but it didn't last. The clouds did stay for the whole day, which I appreciated. It was still hot, but bearably so. The countryside is still nice and green, but less hilly an beautiful. The towns also seem a bit less quaint as well. More boring I guess.

The one thing I was happy to see is that kids have finally stopped calling me "yovo". Now they run out and scream "fadda" at me. I guess this comes from the fact that the Catholic church used to send missionary priest to the area. They were all white men. So in this area all white people are called fadda. For some reason this didn't annoy me. It was a cute missappropriation of a word. Plus it is probably one of the few times in my life I will ever be confused with a Catholic priest.

I was pretty happy to get to Bimbilla. Eventually I found word on the cheapest guest house in town. They really don't offer much. A simple room with a bed. The toilet and place for a bucket shower are at the end of the compound. It is only 3 Cedis though. That is a little over $2. I spent more on food today.

Also, while I was there I met James, a Ghanian business man. He was really impressed with my journey. It was a lot of fun to talk with him. The best part, he didn't want me to take him to America. He knew he would have to do that on his own. He said it takes a lot of hard work and money to be successful there. I really wish more people here got it the way he does.

I guess James and his business parter, Brian, are up here in Bimbilla looking for these special bottles. Apparently they were brought here during the early 1800s as part of the slave trade. The liquid inside was supposed to make the men who drank it forget what they were doing and sell off their whole family. The bottles themselves are special though. I guess they are made with mercury somehow. That makes them very valuable to certain people. I still don't get all the details, but it sounds interesting. Brian even took us over to his uncle's house for some dinner. So it was a very good night.

-Dravis