We just got back from a whirl wind trip around Ghana, and it was something else, to be sure. We went to Kumasi, which is the economic and cultural center of the country, Tamale, which is way north and the main point of trade with other West African countries, Mole National Park, and then Lake Bosumtwi. All the places we visited were super awesome, but the traveling part really sucks! We spent at least 30 hrs this week in sweaty, dusty, bumpy, crowded buses on rutted dirt roads. It takes a long time to get anywhere here, since the roads are rather poor, but luckily there is always something to look at out the window! And considering how far everything is, rather cheap to get around. We spent less than $80 in traveling costs to go all over Ghana! I had an amazing time, and hope to do a little more traveling before I leave. Crazy to think I'll be back in the "real world" in seven weeks. I will admit, though, I'm seriously looking forward to AC, even though Tennessee will be about Ghana temps by the time I get back!
This is an over head view of the market in Kumasi, which is the main city for trade, etc in Ghana. It's approximately fifty times crazier than it looks!
This is the mosque in Larabanga, which is the village right outside of Mole National Park. It is the oldest in Ghana, and one of the oldest in West Africa, built around 1423. Pretty interesting.
This is the outside of the Armed Forces Museum in Kumasi. The whole place was super cool. We got a two hour personal tour with a guide, and saw lots of relics from a variety of wars Ghana has participated in. You forget that the colonies in Africa fought during WWII..... And Ghana was right next to Togo, which was a German colony at the time, so there were battles in the area. Neat.
Another picture of the mosque in Larabanga.
These baboons were right outside the pool area at the hotel in Mole National Park. I love this pic... such a human like face! :)
Snack time!
Like I said, they were just chilling there... people maybe 15yds away! Crazy.
Tree wrestling
Now you see it....
Now you don't.
"Oh nothing, just hanging out...."
This guy was apparently quite hungry. We opened a pack of crackers, and he tried to come in the room! We closed the door, and he knocked on it. Later when we left, he chased Jon! (He wanted the crackers in his hands...) Pretty scary dude.
Who wants crackers when you can have a snack like this?!?!
Male elephants at Mole going for their evening bath.
It's amazing how such a giant creature can be so illusive! We took two 2hr safari walks through the park, and chased elephants for most of the time!
Natural salt pits at Mole. Basically it was hard lumps of dirt. Cool to look at, but no fun to walk on!
Sunset at Mole, the view from our hotel room.
Sneaky, sneaky.
This is right outside of the living quarters for the staff at Mole. As you can tell, seeing elephants ain't no thang here.... just part of every day life!
Apparently they really like the flowers that are planted around the buildings... so they come up quite a bit to munch on them. :)
It looks kinda far away, but I can honestly say I stood within 40yds of a real live wild elephant in Africa. What?!?!?
These are a different kind of monkey in Mole. If you look closely you can see the baby hanging onto the momma's tummy.
Don't know what this guy is thinking about, but he's thinking hard about something....
We saw several types of antelope, too. The guide said this guy can be seen sitting here, in this exact spot, every day. They are very territorial, and sometimes fight to the death. I definitely wouldn't want to cross his path.....
We sat for half an hour watching this guy have a mud bath. It was a little spooky though, cause we could see a few crocodiles swimming around!
Obruni in their natural habitat.
This is the village Mognori, which is on the outskirts of Mole. They live very traditionally, in mud huts, no electricity, etc. Except, if you can see, they have solar powered street lamps!
We learned a little about how they live, and watched a lady making shea butter.
Dum Dum..... Dum Dum......
We saw this fisherman, from the village of Mognori, doing his work on the Mole River, catching tilapia, etc.
We went on a canoe safari on the Mole River. Didn't get to see much as far as wild life, but now I can say I've been canoeing in Africa! It was pretty interesting.
Yeah, not so cute. Wart hogs ran all over the park! They sat right outside of the fenced in eating zone, praying someone would toss them some leftover rice. And they smell about as pleasant as they look.
Pumba!
This is at Kintampo Falls. We had a really long and dusty tro tro ride, so taking a wash was awesome! The water was super cool and refreshing. I really wanted to climb up to the top, but it was super slippery.... definitely didn't want to fall off a water fall in Ghana. (though it would be a cool story...)
Kintampo Falls again. They are the highest falls in Ghana, and quite lovely. There are three stages. The first two are kind of small, and this is the last bit. Very picturesque!
Girls selling water at the tro tro station. They were quite interested in talking to obruni... :)
Kintampo again.
This is Lake Bosumtwi, a sacred lake in the middle of Ghana. It was created by a meteor and has to rivers either flowing in or out, so it is constantly growing (especially in the rainy season!) There are forested mountains surrounding the whole area, quite idealic really.
Because Bosumtwi is sacred, boats are not allowed on the water. The fishermen get around this by floating on boards! They have scoops in each hand for paddles, and toss their nets off the side. They catch a variety of fish, including tilapia, which I had for dinner here and was absolutely delicious!
This family was walking back from the woods with a load of firewood. Most people cook outside over an open fire here, so that's the main use of the wood. They certainly don't need it for heat!
There is a goat butcher right outside of the school where they get the meat and dry the hides. This vulture was getting a few scraps from the fresh hide. They dry it out and use the leather for a variety of things, from shoes to drum heads.
I'll try to post more "every day life in Ghana" pics next time. Please let me know if you have any questions or special requests for things here. I'm adjusted now, so a lot of stuff isn't novel anymore, and don't always think to take pictures! Hope this finds everyone well! Sending my love!
Ecua
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