A white guy driving a truck.

By Stephanie Fox -
On a very usual feeling Wednesday afternoon, we were watching Winter. They were by the village and we were standing on the road to get the best view. It was all very ordinary, until we saw the most monstrous looking truck turn the corner at the intersection in Boabeng. It rolled very slowly toward us. We thought the military had come to Boabeng; we faltered for an explanation. Out of habit we all lifted our binoculars to our eyes in search of any clue and immediately all of our mouths gaped in unified thought - ‘Guys! There is a white guy driving that truck.’ We were stumped. Minutes later, Mr. White Guy turned out to be Mike from Fort St. John, BC – sporting a remarkable 12 or so inch beard and reminding me all too much of ‘Mike… from Canmore’ ala Royal Canadian Air Farce. Mike from Fort St. John has been traveling for six months on a self directed overland tour that started in Austria. After traveling Europe he crossed from Spain into Morocco and was now making his way to South Africa. His truck was an old (…really old…I think he said WWII) Austrian military truck that he had refurbished himself for the purpose of his trip. Welcome to Boabeng dear Canadian friend, we said, and please stick around and have a beer with us.  One beer turned into dinner and a few beers, and that turned into a tour of Mike’s truck (he was very proud of all of the gadgets he had scooped up or invented along the way), and that turned into a game of glow-in-the-dark botchi ball, pleasantly accompanied by no other than the fine tunes of MC Hammer. We had hardly had so much fun since arriving in Ghana. Then a friend from Boabeng that he had met earlier in the day demanded that Mike take his truck to Boabeng. And as fast as he came, he was gone. You are welcome back any time Mike from Fort St. John.

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