Cape Coast, Elmina, and Kakum National Park

This weekend the study abroad program participants went on a two day trip to Cape Coast and it's surrounding "attractions." The first part of the trip was the uplifting visit to the former slave castle called Elmina. Although I had studied the castle in African History. It was an entirely different experience to be in the location and see the incredible juxtaposition of the beauty of the land and the beach with the legacy of the trafficking of human beings. What struck me the most about the castle was how small it was in comparison to how many humans were being held inside at any given time. With our group of around 40, there were places where we felt cramped and then were told that easily five to 7 times our number were placed in these rooms. The history of the castle being originated as a Portuguese mission and being taken over by the Dutch and English for the slave trade made for an interesting history and the fact that there was a church inside the castle be an interesting hypocrisy of those who lived there. The town of Cape Coast is a fascinating place with very close built European style architecture mixed with Ghanaian markets and the tradition of painting fishing boats in incredibly bright and varied colors.
The next day we took an extreme departure from the emotionally draining Elmina Castle and traveled to Kakum National Park which is home to things such as monkeys, cobras, antelope thingys with big horns, and really tall trees. One of the most fascinating trees in the rain forest is one that can be used as a mosquito repellent, aphrodisiac, and hair growth stimulant. Quite the tree!! Another intersting flora fact were two trees we came upon fused together, where one of the trees is the wood to make the fufu pounding stick and the other is the wood used to make the bowl used to hold the materials used in fufu. The park has a pretty fun canopy walk which at some points is about 300 ft. above the ground. The one person wide rope bridges stretch from tree to tree through the forest. This adventure was a great escape from the city and huge crowds of people and to be able to appreciate the intense nature that Ghana has to offer. In this forest I also had my first cocoa in his natural form. It is actually a huge pod that contains seeds which you suck on and taste kind of sour and nothing like cocoa. I also came upon a spitting cobra who was actually quite small but was not too interested at the time in eating my face.
After the forest we ate lunch at a "Crocodile Ranch." This meaning, there was a restaurant situated over a lake which contained a good two dozen large crocodiles. These were fed using chicken on long sticks and they were pretty fun to watch attack the chicken. I actually went and touched a few of them and they are surprisingly soft and squishy.
This weekend I actually had my first warm water "bath" at the hotel we stayed at. It was really weird to feel warm water.
My major quest at this point in my life is to find some way to ever put pictures online so that you can see what I 've been writing about. Unless I find faster internet somewhere it may take about 2 or 3 weeks to mail a cd with pictures home to be put up. As usual, have a good day and lets continue the malaria free streak!!!