Day 125: Offinso – Treehouse B&B (south of Aburi)

For breakfast there is porridge (fufu made from cassava?), some toast and, upon request, one (!) Nescafe. A second towel was only given upon request. But at least we slept relaxed.

Even today the path is rather tough and long. However, it is not quite as dusty because it is either tarred or – amazingly – sprinkled with water.

We take a detour to Ntonso to see the traditional printing of fabrics with Ashanty symbols. There are a few shops in town with nice fabrics, but we can't find a tour of any of them.

At Suhim, shortly before our destination for the day, we spontaneously visit a fair trade chocolate factory. Unfortunately today is cleaning day and therefore no visit is possible. Nevertheless, we receive a warm welcome, learn a little about what we miss (visit to the plantation and the production process from harvest to chocolate) and comfort ourselves with chocolate from the shop. And we exchange contact details with Adjoa if we come to the area again.

Today we are staying at Yao van Landewijk and his family's Treehouse B&B south of Aburi and about an hour's drive north of Accra. Heavenly. Reminds us a little of Villa Maguela in Nouadhibou – a house open to guests, a welcoming reception, a beautiful place.

What else did we see today? As in the last few days, endless roots and tubers, a few tomatoes, a few pineapples, often papaya, lots of banana trees. Rubber like toast bread. Pottery. Plastic buckets of all shapes, sizes, colors. A shop with around 40 machetes. Fabrics, baskets, porch swings made from creaky solid wood. Great wood anywhere. Many schools. Churches and mosques. And graves that suddenly appear right along the road.

By the way, yesterday we found out why teak plantations are so closely planted: the trees are essentially grown for masts and slats and are felled accordingly early. We have been shown that when the leaves are rolled or balled, they secrete sap that can be of different colors (red, pink, blue...). Sometimes things like this get lost too quickly in the course of a day.