My first weekend trip here in Ghana was a success. We planned to leave at 12:30 yesterday afternoon, and ended up being only 10 minutes behind schedule. Not bad for a group of eight girls venturing into the rainforest for the night. Ironically, when Erin and I were on our way to get snacks and water from the nearby Shell station, we ran into one of my professors from OU, Paschal Younge. He and his wife Zelma come to Ghana every year to lead a study abroad, and their group just so happened to be touring the Elmina Castle yesterday. Just as we were making the five-minute walk to Shell, a small bus rounded the corner, and I could see a face looking out the window and waving at me. So even in Ghana, it is a small world.
Two taxis took us up to Kakum, and we arrived around 1:30pm. One of the girls called earlier in the week to reserve our spot in the tree house, so we checked to make sure that was still a go. It was. We met our tour guide, Samuel, and were given instructions to meet him in the park restaurant at 6pm. We got another cab, and made the short trip over to the monkey sanctuary, owned by a Dutch couple. Some of the animals we saw include a variety of monkeys, snakes, an antelope, some tortoises, alligators, tree dassies (more on those later), and some other cat type things that were all pretty cute. The animals were cool, but the most amazing part was the couple. Seven years ago, they quit their jobs in Holland and moved to Ghana to start a bar and guesthouse. The bar and guesthouse are still unfinished, but in the meantime, they have built a mini zoo where Ghanaian animals can find sanctuary. Some of the animals were given to them by people who could not take care of them, others were found, and some were purchased because they are endangered. The sanctuary has no electricity or running water, and they have not returned to Europe since arriving seven years ago. Afterward, I think we talked more about how strange their lives must be than the animals themselves. Still, it was a neat experience.
We made out way back to Kakum to eat and wait for our guide. It was only 3:30, so we enjoyed our food and played a long game of Bananagrams. We actually play this game at home, and I found it funny that other people have actually heard of it! When we had had just about enough bananas, Samuel showed up, and we headed off to the tree house. We picked up three European volunteers on the way, who turned out to be an interesting trio of girls. Earlier, Samuel gave us the option of a two-hour night hike through the rainforest, starting at 8pm, or a morning walk, starting at 4:30am, and followed by a walk on the canopy bridges. After the 30-minute hike to the tree house in the fast approaching darkness, we opted for the morning walk. By the time we reached the tree house, we were all drenched in sweat, swatting at mosquitos, and a bit jumpy after hearing stories at the monkey sanctuary of poisonous snakes and biting ants.
The tree house consisted of a huge tree, a wooden platform built around it about 40 feet up, mosquito nets for walls, and a tin roof. In the pitch black, we climbed the crooked zig zag steps to the top, and wished there was a railing on more than just one side. When we reached the top, we found a number of thin mats for us to sleep on, two large mosquito nets, and a tent. We put our things down, and, glad for an excuse to avoid the stuffy air, joined Samuel back at the bottom for a brief history of Kakum. Although his English was hard to understand at times, and he had the tendency to season his stories with phrases that don’t make sense, Samuel was a pretty good companion for the night.
We met the guard, who was carrying a shotgun and didn’t speak a word. Samuel showed us the bathroom, which was little more than a hole in the ground with a seat attached, and then we headed back up the house to get settled in for the night. Oh yeah, it was only 7:30.
Trying to forget what time it was, we got settled in in the tree house. Three girls went into the tent right away and did some reading. Five of us sat out in the open and chatted a bit. The European girls went on the other side and giggled about who knows what. Just as we were feeling comfortable in our new “home,” the girl next to me let out a gasp and jumped up quickly. We looked at the water jug she had previously been sitting next to, and saw some sort of grasshopper/lobster mix that had to have been about four inches in length. We all got a lot less comfortable, and after realizing that taking the flashlight off of it caused it to run/jump very quickly, sat there with three lights shining on it, weighing our options. At first, we thought it was just a grasshopper, because it did have the legs that come up next to the body, and we couldn’t really see any pinchers/stingers. However, it had two inch long antennae sticking out of its head, and the longer we watched it, realized that its legs were resting almost flat against the jug. The 90-degree angle I’ve come to associate with grasshopper legs was gone. It really did look like a lobster. After a few minutes, we decided to yell for Samuel. He was eating, but said he’d be up soon. Getting anywhere near it did not seem like a good idea, so we called over to the Three Gigglet-eers, asking if they like bugs. Intrigued, they came over, and were taken by the bug, which we again decided was a grasshopper. They gently guided it out of the house, with a stick, and we started to relax again.
Soon, Samuel came up as promised, except we didn’t need his assistance anymore. He stayed anyway, telling us more about the canopy walk and the park. I discovered that he spoke Twi, not Fante, and we were able to chat a bit. He learned our names, and, by the light of his flashlight, told us some stories. With the five of us gathered at his feet, he seemed in his glory, telling stories of Ghanaian spirits, mysterious deaths in his family, the history of the Akan people, and he even threw in a few Ananse stories for good measure. Each time we heard a new sound echoing through the trees, he would point it out and tell us just what animal was making it. The loudest and most frequent noise came from the tree dassie, which you might remember from the monkey sanctuary. A vegetarian, nocturnal mammal, Samuel told us that the dassie makes a loud, awful screeching sound to scare off other animals down below before making his decent to scrounge for food. Apart from the occasional dassie screech, the night was cool and peaceful. Perfect for sleeping in a tree.
Just as we were dozing off into a story-induced sleep, we were thrown out of it by the sudden onset of loud, poorly recorded singing that sounded more like “The Circle of Life” than anything. “Hello?” Samuel answered. Deep in the rainforest, on our quiet and peaceful getaway, Samuel was receiving a call on his cell phone.
Samuel bid us adieu and promised to wake us at 4am. It was only 10pm, but we climbed under the mosquito nets and tried to get comfortable. I ended up taking the last spot in the tent since only four could fit under the mosquito net. The mats were pretty comfortable, but a little damp, so I wrapped myself like a hot dog in the sheet I brought from Elmina, and inflated my blow-up travel pillow (yeah, one of those donut things). I originally planned to listen to my iPod to help me fall asleep, but the quiet of the night was more inviting. I listened to the orchestra of sounds coming from the forest, and could pick out a number of different ones. I thought about the trip so far and chuckled to myself, grateful for the opportunity to find myself in such a situation. After about an hour, I turned on the iPod and rolled over to try to get some sleep.
Although it wasn’t my best night of sleep ever, I don’t think it was my worst, either. Either way, when we heard Samuel’s boots trudging up the stairs at 4:15, we slowly pulled ourselves together and got ready to leave the tree for another hike. Still dark, we set off with Samuel in the lead, who pointed out a number of plants and trees, indicating their medicinal and practical uses. He kept saying, “The forest is like a pharmacy and a supermarket all in one. Everything need, we find here.” He had a point, and I was pretty impressed with the creative ways the Ghanaians have used their natural resources over the years.
I admit it - the hike was a little rough at first. Still dark, only half of us had flashlights (something I forgot in the mad dash to get packed in time). I wasn’t able to see the ground for the first 30 minutes, and ended up tripping a lot, or getting caught on vines. Thankfully, I didn’t bite the dust. We soon came to a stop and Samuel informed us that the path was blocked with a large mess of trees and vines, and so we would have to turn back. We reached a bench at one point, and I saw one of the European girls (from England) sitting on it, saying, “Ouch! Oh my god, it hurts.” Apparently, she had stepped in some soldier ants, and they were inside her pants and socks biting her. Samuel did his best to pick them off of her, and she continued to say, “Ouch, that hurts.” I couldn’t help but turn to the closest Global Mama and whisper, “And it’s still hurting.” She managed to get the majority before they bit her, and we continued on, the rest of us on the lookout for the ants. A few minutes later, I heard her comment that one was in her pants, climbing up her leg. Again, I couldn’t help but to start singing James Brown’s famous tune, “Some big fine mama come and give me a chance."
Soon, we made it to the canopy walk, which was the real reason I wanted to go to Kakum in the first place. The walk consists of seven different bridges are connected by tree platforms. They basically go around in a large circle, enabling you to walk above the canopy. The bridges vary, but range from being suspended 30-120 feet above ground. They are very narrow, and sway a lot while you walk. Usually a major tourist attraction, it was completely empty at 6 o’clock in the morning. We piled on the bridges, squealing as they moved and creaked beneath our weight. Samuel reassured us that, “No one has died yet,” so we soon got used to our “bridge legs” and enjoyed ourselves. The morning was beautiful, with a slight breeze and light mist hanging over the canopy. Not normally one for big reactions, I found myself saying things like, “This is amazing, “ or “Wow, this is so awesome!” I was definitely not ready to go when we finished, but took my share of pictures to remember it fondly.
We parted ways with Samuel, and got two taxis back to Elmina, arriving home at 8:30am. Although the house is alive again with the other girls awake up from their naps, it’s still a pretty laid back Sunday for us. I was able to Skype my parents to wish my dad a happy Father’s Day, and plan to sit down with the guidebook to plan the next weekend adventure when I finish here. Tomorrow it’s business as usual as we all head back to our respective work places. I plan to start music with the kids tomorrow, and have some work to do to get ready for that. We are also out of bread and peanut butter (never a good thing here), so I daresay we will make a grocery run later on. But for now, naptime.
I'm glad no one fell out of the trees.
ReplyDeleteAmy, this is all so awesome. George and I talked with your Mom at Church this morning and told her how much I enjoy your posts.nh
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