Last year, Jeny and I visited this remote and beautiful
forest that teems with gorgeous butterflies amid huge and impressive trees. We vowed on a future trip to stay
a night here. Electricity is supplied by generator and is limited to 3 hours
each evening. Bedtime is 9pm, ready or not! When it is turned off, with a warning, the darkness is total. Needless
to say, on a clear night the stars are incredible and so many that they almost
appear to join together. The Guest House has a distinct Germanic feel to it, simplistic
with plenty of floor tiles and opaque glass. Our hosts were very welcoming and our
evening meal was delicious. In fact the breakfast was the best I have had in
Ghana.
The silence and calm of Bobiri Forest, except for the
inevitable singing of insects, encourages you to take in all the wonders of your
environment. In the morning we were taken for a walk through the trees to
discover species very unfamiliar to the three of us. This is virgin forest and
when trees die they are left to rot and for the wildlife around to inhabit as
they wish. There are a number of routes and we travelled a different one to our
previous visit.
We were shown various trees with medicinal properties. One
which cured madness! This required you to gather clear sap by cutting the bark
in the early morning or late evening, when there were no shadows or the sap
would run as blood. The sap should drip onto a raw egg underneath the tree.
This concoction should be taken with a strong slug of Apoteche (very strong
spirit) twice a day. There were cures for everything naturally produced in this
small area of virgin forest. We didn’t feel the need to test any but our guide was in no doubt
that they all worked!
The profusion of butterflies was even more impressive than
last time due to the season and although they were just as difficult to
photograph, the memories and snapshots with a naked eye were good enough for
me.
We loved this place and each felt we could come back for some weeks of
solitude to read, write, walk, watch and listen. Quite a retreat!
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