More days at Wli Falls

Decided to stay on here for a few more days, to help out at the Tech4Ghana computer school next door to the hotel. An initiative run by Stephen Mohney and Yao Molato, it is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation completely funded by private donations. Kim will carry on and "do" Ho, and then I'll find my way to her on Sunday.

Mozzies are driving me nuts; the bites just get bigger each day. Huge red blister type growths all over my feet... yuck. And I sent my big bag off with Kim and Patrick, so no antihistamines, idiot. Just the cream, which soothes for about 30 minutes... and why has no one told the mosquitoes that they don't like Tabbard?! So I'm back in my room, ready to call it a night, because outside its too hot to wear long clothes, which the mozzies bite through anyway. It's nearly 8pm, isn't that a decent hour to call it a night? Last night was really late, sitting up drinking and chatting with the Germans and Stephen (NOT Steve, he pointed out) and Yao.

This morning I went into Ho Hoe with Bernhard, in his one seater pink Nissan Micra (maybe it used to be red). First stop internet café, but the electricity was down in that road so did some shopping instead. Supermarket, which was a shoebox-sized room, crammed with bulk-buys, from toothpaste to tinned tuna, matches to sweets. Bought some toothpaste, ginger biscuits and a pen... cost under 2cd.

Then off to the market! Just as I would have imagined it to be, rows and rows of tables under shading of some sort, displaying baskets of different colour beans and grains, clothing, fruit and veggies. Bernhard bought some vegetables from a lady who pops over to Togo to get her stock; apparently it is of much higher quality than the local fare.

Visited a friend of his – Martin, a Danish man who has had tried various businesses and doesn't seem to stick to any one thing for long. His latest is cultivating and selling the fruit of the Thaumacoccus plant (also known as African Serendipity Berry) – I must look that up when I get home. It is incredibly sweet, and it is used as a sweetener for diabetics and bubblegum flavouring. Grows like strawberries, along the ground, but the plant itself is about 1m tall, with lily-like leaves at the end of long stems. The actual fruit is red I think – it is just the jelly around the pip that is used.

Martin was put on pension at the age of around 25, he has an arthritic type problem with his hands so couldn't work. So he came to Africa.... he's now probably in his sixties.

Here's the Wikipedia description: Thaumatococcus daniellii is a species of tropical flowering plant known by several common names, including katamfe or katempfe, Yoruba soft cane, and African serendipity berry. It is known for being the natural source of thaumatin, an intensely sweet protein which is of interest in the development of sweeteners. This is a large rhizomatous flowering herb native to the rainforests of Ghana and surrounding African nations. It is also an introduced species in the rainforests of northern Australia. It grows three to four meters in height and has large papery leaves up to 46 centimeters long. It bears pale purple flowers and a soft fruit containing a few shiny black seeds. The fruit is covered in a fleshy red aril, which is the part that contains thaumatin. In its native range the plant has a number of uses besides flavoring. The sturdy leaf petioles are used as tools and building materials, the leaves are used to wrap food, and the leaves and seeds have a number of traditional medicinal uses.

Back to the internet café, where it took thirty minutes to reply to 3 emails, and update Facebook status. Then back to the lodge (minor detour to a mechanic, as there was an oil leak...)

I think the coffee Martin gave me was far too strong – my tummy is complaining! Or maybe it was the fruit... soon after my lunch (chicken, egg and cheese sandwich) I was feeling decidedly queasy.

Managed a couple of hours at the computer school while Stephen and Yao went into town, but young Gilbert had everything very nicely under control. Sixteen years old, he rocked up one day, and wrote a story! He shows great management and computer skills, especially for someone so young. He will go far....

Back to the lodge to start writing this... yes, so much for keeping a journal, I've had to decipher all the scrawl in my notebook to get some details!

Mozzies!!! Fruit salad for early supper (paw-paw, pineapple, banana, and something white – kind of pear or apple maybe?) then back to my room away from the mosquitoes.

Strobe light effect is bothering me – there's a huge fan below the main light. Lights off, watched The Notebook on my little notepad, had a little cry – that movie is just so sad!

Saturday – uggh my tummy is so not happy! Had some oats for breakfast (they do them just like Zacharia on Granddad's farm in Zimbabwe used to – why can't I ever get porridge to taste so good? Is it the fullcream milk that comes only on a farm, maybe?) Sabine boiled up some concoction made from mango bark, I think, with salt, to settle my tummy, which worked. I wanted to avoid the Imodium if possible, but I may need to resort to that for the 2 hour bus ride to Ho tomorrow! Actually I need to sort that out still – where and when I'll meet up with Kim. Patrick apparently told Sabina that he'll come and fetch me, but Kim is his boss so I guess it's up to her.

Haven't done anything today besides go to the computer school, send an sms to Kim from the rafters of Yao's roof (the only place with reception), wait an hour for the reply that didn't come, and then traded my book "We are all made of Glue" by the History of Tractors in Ukrainian author, for Adrey Niffenegger's The Time traveller's Wife. Loving it! The room got a bit hot, and the herbal tea stuff has fixed me so I'm back in the main eating area typing up more story.

Stephen has just popped in to say hi, and told me a bit more about his school in Brooklyn, New York. Located in the poorer side of town, he has a challenging job, but the fact that his school has an arts programme makes it one of the more popular choices in the area.