We're Ghana Have a Great Time

I arrived at the small airport in Ghana and walked from the plane to the terminal clutching my carry-on backpack and my travel paperwork to go through customs. Once I weaved my way through the tiny airport and collected my suitcase I was instantly greeted by Kate who had run past the barrier where everyone else was patiently waiting. Off-balance from my bags, she almost knocked me over and we laughed and greeted each other to strange looks as we walked passed the line of stoic Africans waiting behind the barrier to see their loved ones and friends emerge as I just had. Corey surfaced from the large congregation of Africans and as we passed through the doors to go outside, Mich appeared directly in front of us. We merrily greeted each other and all immediately began talking about logistics. When we got to the car, Jake emerged with a huge grin which was almost hidden by the massive beard which covered his face. The car ride was entertaining with stories shared of travel experiences, including a rather amusing incident where Mich was stopped by the Togolese police and Jake was told to get out of the vehicle so that two police officers could fondle and compliment Jake's beard.

We headed to our hotel, the Hans Cottage Botel, just outside of Cape Coast, Ghana. We got a small cottage for the 5 of us. The hotel was originally a "boat" (hence - "bo"-tel) which was placed in a crocodile pond and a hotel was built around it. Now the boat is just the dining area but the crocodiles are still present. There's a rumor that the owners feed the crocodiles something to keep them from eating people. Kate thinks this includes some sort of drug which makes the crocodiles stupid. Anyway, the result is that morons go over and touch the crocodiles for photo ops. No one's died yet as far as I can tell but there IS a big sign that renounces any responsibility for children who are eaten or drowned. 

 After lunch we drove out to our first hiking destination - a little village, about a 2 hour drive from the Botel. We got there in the evening and had a nice, steady hike for a couple of hours through the rainforest. Half-way back the sun went down and everyone pulled out their headlamps. Even though Kate told me we'd be doing night hikes, I completely forgot to bring flashlights because Gavin usually packs those. Luckily, Kate was prepared with extra flashlights. Mich was nice enough to drive a car full of sleeping friends back to the Botel. 

 The next day we all woke up very early hoping to see some monkeys at the canopy walk at Kakum National Park. We hiked a short way into the park and went up into the canopy of the lowland rainforest. It was beautiful in the treetops and the climate was not as steamy as I had anticipated! Unfortunately we did not see any monkeys because a group of teenagers had camped there the night before and was in front of us jumping around and screaming which probably scared them away.

 The girls decided to spend the afternoon in Cape Coast where we visited an Episcopal Cathedral which was built by an early missionary in 1437. He an his wife were buried inside of the church, underneath the chair where the pastor sits during church services. We also went to a slave castle, where slaves were held before they were loaded onto ships and sent around the world. There was a museum at the castle containing the history of the slave trade, including artifacts from the time period. We took a guided tour of the castle which painted a gruesome picture of the horrible life of slaves captured over the 300 year period. The tour ended with a statement that slavery still occurs and we should do everything possible to end the horrible abuse that is slavery.

 That evening we returned to Kakum for a night hike. Again it was a nice night for a walk through the rainforest. At one point Mich stopped. He had just heard this bird call which he described as a "conga line" in the forest. We went on a sort of scavenger hunt to find the bird. 

which we found

It was fun running around on and off the trails, dodging vines and branches. On the way out of the forest we saw a couple of tree-dwelling mammals.

including the elusive bush baby