Weekend Adventures Part 1

Someone asked me a few weeks ago what I most missed from home. My answer was freedom. The ability to come and go freely, where and when I wanted. Granted, I have no need to go anywhere, as my needs are sufficiently met here on the compound, but not having the option, I do feel a little trapped.

I have been offered motos and bicycles that I would be able to borrow, and I will hopefully be able to start using them and stretch my boundaries a bit more. I hope to be able to start visiting the off-compound long-term missionaries, etc. Starting next week, there will be a time when I will be alone in the guesthouse and hope to start this stretching when I have a new bit of time in the evenings free.

As for stretching beyond Mango, I have expressed a desire to explore when possible, and thus far a few trips have been attempted. I try to make use of my weekends without responsibility at the hospital.

A few weeks ago a trip was attempted to Dapaong. The plan was to hike, peruse the markets, and eat at a restaurant. Our ride decided to break down on the way there, so we definitely had an adventure, just not the one that had been planned.

Broken down on the side of the road. The cliffs we had planned to explore are faint in the back ground blurred out by the Harmattans.

So we left our little car at the road and went exploring anyways.

One day, maybe I'll actually be able to make it back North to Dapaong and will hike while the Harmattan season has ended. I look forward to being able to compare views. Just finding someone willing to hike will be the challenge. End of Harmattan = start of hot season. (Amanda & Christel pose for a picture).

One with all three of us, Christel, me, Amanda.

We did get the little car started again and headed back South towards Mango again.

But Zip Zip, the little car, just couldn't quite do it. So we left her roadside again, and explored waiting for some help to come up to us from back in Mango.

A little more recently an adventure was attempted to Kara. The plan was to visit the Elephant Reserve, eat at a restaurant, and again visit the market. As zip zip is still out of commission a kind missionary family lent their vehicle to make the adventure happen, but we were then on a timed schedule, and when it took us 5 hours to get there rather than 2.5, plans change, but adventure still happens.