Road Trip Day 2

It was amazing riding in the truck with the air conditioning and the comfortable seats and great view.  Even though it was dark and we still had a long ride ahead of us I was able to relax and look forward to a new start to our vacation.  I reflected on everything that happened in the past 24 hours and it really gave me pause.  I questioned my resolve to stay for the second year of my contract.  Is it really worth it to stay here?  Just before we left on our vacation our daughter announced she was 9 weeks pregnant.  Why was I risking my life to teach?  If I cannot get a teaching job back home in the States than maybe I should find something else to do.

Another stressful situation that had erupted while we were stranded at the Police Station involved the very men who were there to protect us.  We all had given the two guards their previously agreed upon amount for the trip to pay for their expenses above their government salary.  But they asked for more money from us while we sat there on that porch.  We had already dug deep for the unexpected fuel cost and the second guard we found out just the day before we were to leave we had to have, so we said no because we had only budgeted so much for this trip.  We do not have infinite pockets of money just because we are white.  They had set the fee ahead and we agreed to it so it was not okay to change it after we were already away from home and in a difficult situation.  To make matters worse we felt like they were robbing us standing there with their rifles.  The six of us stood in agreement that it was not right and we simply did not have the money anyway.  It became a heated argument between our principal and his wife who had made all the arrangements and the two guards and it just added to everyone’s stress.  They finally let it go but it left us wondering how it might effect the rest of our trip.

The road up into the Afi Mountains where the resort is was a series of 20 switchbacks.  The corners were extremely tight and the truck was a stick shift.  Not being able to see what was beyond my view over the edge of the cliff made me very uneasy.  It was almost as bad as driving along the edge of Crater Lake in Oregon but there you have a cliff on both sides of the road.  I kept my eyes closed for most of the way up.  When we passed a car which looked like it had rolled off the road above I really had to focus on staying relaxed and think about nothing but my breathing.  My stomach was in knots.  When we pulled up at the resort reception building Clint and the first grade teacher’s friend both jumped out quick ahead of us and leaned over like they were going to vomit.  It was not an easy ride up for anyone who gets motion sickness or is afraid of heights. 

This was our African Hut.

On our first morning we spotted these cows being herded through the resort by a boy and his dog.  They get milked everyday and the milk is used at the restaurant.  They walked right past our hut.

We checked into one of the African Huts.  It was really a nice modern bungalow except the electricity was only on from 6 PM – 12:30 AM and 6 AM – 10 AM.  There was no air conditioning because of the cooler mountain air.  We laughed when we saw the heat register.  We turned it off and wanted to open the windows but there were no screens.  The shower felt so good and the bed was soft.  The restaurant closed at 10 PM so we all had just enough time to clean-up before getting dinner.  I think we arrived about 9 PM to the resort.  It was nice falling asleep after a good meal.

This little friend followed us as we walked to the top of Holy Mountain.

We arranged with our guards and drivers to pick us up at 9:30 AM.  We went to the top of Holy Mountain to see the view of the green hills all around us and the waterfalls.  The tour guide showed us the area where the local tribe had hidden in underground bunkers during the Civil War in the 60’s.  Next, we went to the Grotto where one of the streams comes down off the mountain.  A brick dam was built there so people could take a dip in the cold mountain water.  Clint climbed up the mossy rocks to stick his feet in the falls.  None of us got in the man-made pool beyond our feet.  We didn’t want to be wet on the hike back up.

This was our group on vacation and Sonny one of our guards.  He wore a sweater and leather pants on our day of hikes.

The man-made, cold mountain water pool.

Mr. Crazy standing on the wet, moss covered rocks.

Finally, we went on the canopy walk.  After a long hike we came to the edge of a ravine which was densely covered with jungle trees and brush.  The bridge through the canopy had a metal grate to walk on.  On each side was a net with a wire at the top and bottom.  The whole thing bounced as people walked along it.  It was hard to keep your balance because of the bouncing.  I felt like I could easily fall over the edge or through the net if I lost my balance.  At the opposite side of the bridge was a tall metal viewing tower.  We climbed to the top to see above the trees.  It was really beautiful but I was very glad to get back on solid ground.  The tour guide went with us but the guards stayed at the entrance to the canopy bridge.  In the afternoon we rested and then went to the coffee shop before dinner.  We all had only planned to eat one meal a day at the restaurant and then just eat our snacks we brought the rest of the day so we all met up again for dinner and cards afterwards. We released the guards and drivers after the tours so they could enjoy some free time too.

Looking back at the guards and drivers.

Looking ahead to the look-out tower.

Looking down the ladder on the metal tower.