Back Tracking To Saturday, 7/8/17

Some how in all of the hubub I left out an important day! The day we went to the Botanical Gardens! 

7/8/17

After the late night we slept in. A typical morning finds us up by 7:00 am for an aerobics class. I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of students who show up constantly. However, the numbers have steadily deterring. We usually have at 6-10 (there are 22 of us including Dr. Johnson). Our weekend classes are pushed back to 9:00, which is lovely. (There were only 4 of us after the late evening prior.) It gave us just enough time to work up a sweat, clean up, grab a corn muffin and board the bus. 

After the another lengthy ride up the ridge into the foothills we arrived at the Abbouri Botanical Gardens. We had a guided tour and learned about the origins of a number of spices in the region including allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg among many others. We also learned about the coco (pronounced ca-cow) tree. It was smuggled out of the Caribbean by being ingested and then planted in Ghana after the transatlantic voyage. It took a few years but before long the plant was thriving in the tropical climate. The trees were gorgeous— we learned about the strangler ficus which is spread by birds who carry the seeds in their beaks. The seeds are like burrs. The birds fly from tree to tree rubbing their beaks against the tree to try to dislodge them. The ficus slowly strangles the threes, hallowing out the inside over a period of years. 

Strangler Ficus

Shem inside the Ficus.

After a lengthy lunch we headed back the the guest house to get ready for the Diaspora African Forum Gala. It was a lovely, lengthy, event. Everyone looked fabulous in suits and dresses. We met the ambassador and saw both the President and Vice-President. Dinner was tasty, mashed potatoes, poached fish, half a sprig of asparagus and a small bundle of green beans. We also had an assortment of juices— you name it they had it; guava, pineapple, apple, pear, cranberry, passion fruit. The service was quiet slow— with the exception of juice service. Unfortunately, I have very few photos from this event because I only brought my phone into the event.