Ghana, Day2

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What I did

Elmina Castle

Kakum National Park Cape Coast

Flag of Ghana Elmina, Ghana
Tuesday, February 14, 2012

In the morning the crow of a rooster awaked me. I opened my eyes and through the mosquito netting I saw palm trees and ocean. What a way to wake up. Breakfast didn't disappoint either, we enjoyed jam and toast (Di), banana and chocolate crepe (Caitlin), fruit salad crepe (Matthew) and fruit salad (me). Following breakfast we drove to the Cape Coast Barclays Bank. In the middle of the hustle and bustle, pollution and overcrowding of a real African town we found an ATM machine that greeted my credit card with "Good morning Marc Zimmer". Astounding.

More road side pictures

A jeans tree between Elmina and Kakum

Moneyed up we were ready for the Kakum Rainforest Canopy walkways. It was very cool. Seven walkways suspended 120 ft above the ground. Little scary when they started swaying back and forth, but well worth it. I have no clue how they managed to suspend it so high.

Kakum walkway

Dianne on the canopy walkway

The walkway itself

The surrounding forest

All of us in Kakum

One more tall tree

Spot-nosed monkey....source of human malaria?

Elmina is the oldest slave castle in Ghana; it is depressingly magnificent. And it is eerily similar to Cape Coast Castle. The slave trade industry was clearly a well oiled machine. In both castles a church dominates the center, and male and female dungeons that have tunnels leading to slaving ships surround the church. On the top floors overlooking all the misery are the Governor’s residences. Somehow the church and the Governers found a way to enjoy life and not see the misery 50 feet in front of them. Today surrounding both castles are vibrant, colorful fishing towns. The castles are terrible reminders of what we can do. Somehow they affected me more than the concentration camps I have been to, perhaps it is the fact that the surroundings of the slave castles are so alive and bursting with humanity.