Akloa

My head bobbed as we hit another bump in the road. I woke up just enough to catch myself from falling into the lap of the man next to me. Heat pounded up through the floor under my feet, along with the smell of burning rubber and exhaust. The rearview mirror drooped from the ceiling, a tired swing with each pot hole. With a loud crack we lost half of the side mirror, and I realized we had left it back on a projecting tree branch. The engine coughed, coughed again, and stopped. As we coasted downhill the driver enthusiastically revved the engine until it finally turned over and started again. We picked up speed as Bo threaded his way through a series of potholes...the ultimate slalom ski course. Barefoot brown children wearing only a pair of shorts, every rib visible, ran out of leaf-thatched huts to happily wave and chase along the road shouting "Yovo, yovo!!" Apparently, a bush taxi full of yovos was not a common sight along this road.

After working a night shift friday, I joined a group of friends for a hiking trip to Akloa falls, Togo's highest waterfall. Eight of us yovo girls piled into a dilapidated van (fondly referred to as a "bush taxi") for the 6 hour drive after a lively haggle session at the bus station. After the first few stops wondering how many people we would be fitting into a 9 seat van, we finally stopped wondering and just started joking, counting and enjoying the ride. We made it up to 18, a solemn child on my lap patting my waterbottle as we tried out our French and Ewe, and they, their broken English.

After a warm and sweaty hike (well hey, it's Africa...what did you expect!) to the waterfall the next morning. We tramped on a (slightly muddy) winding trail through green meadows and groves of banana and mango trees. The thickly forested mountain rose on either side, swathed in cloud.

"Like something out of a shampoo commercial" says a Togolese website. It does not even come close to the majestic beauty of the 115 ft cascade. A rush of breeze tickles wet hair, the soothing rush of water far different than the growl of diesel engines. This too, is Africa.

After enjoying the photos of the beautiful Badou region and Akloa hike along with our adventurous bush taxi ride above, check out some of the fun Africa photos below...more photos to come as my friends upload theirs!