Our Last Hurrah

Hello, my little monkeys.

(Speaking of which, we are sad to report that we have seen no more monkeys. More on that later.)

We said goodbye to University Basic Schools on Friday, which was an incredibly sad ordeal of course. Previously, on Wednesday, the Headmistress announced our departure plans to the school assembly, and I was asked to share a few words (mostly sad ones). We also toured the Junior High classes we were teaching in to say goodbye. (Also sad.) On Friday we again were bid farewell to in front of the Primary Assembly (the little kids… oh so cute), and we were given some beautiful gifts from the administration. Kaylee received a set of earrings, necklace and bracelet which were crafted in traditional glass beads. We both received lovely Kente cloths. We will miss this place.

We were then taken by our host Ms. Fortune to her seamstress and tailor. She had purchased some beautiful traditional fabrics to make us clothes. Kaylee and I were both fitted for them: she is receiving an African style dress, and I am getting a tunic-like shirt. They will be matching too! (Gross.)

Now for the fun stuff! Our good friend and favorite server from our neighborhood haunt, Timothy, joined us on a trip to Cape Coast. We made arrangements to meet at 5:00am so that we could depart early and have gobs of time to enjoy ourselves. We would meet at the restaurant and then travel to the bus station. Kaylee and I were eight minutes late at the restaurant, and we felt terrible because Timothy was quite adamant about the 5:00 departure.

5:15 rolls around. Still no Tim.

Then 5:30. I call to see what the problem is, and Tim assures us he is on his way.

5:45.

6:00. Finally 6:10 and Tim shows up. Apparently there was some early morning traffic, and he did not get home early from work the night before. As much as Kaylee wished to strangle him, as she missed out on some valuable beauty sleep, I was able to subdue her and we got on our way.

After a trip down to the city center transit station, we hopped in a large van bound for Cape Coast. The trip took about two hours, and we finally got our wish to see the landscape outside the city. It was incredible. Rolling hills, lush foliage, the ocean. Amazing.

We arrived at Cape Coast, which is a beautiful little city and much cleaner than Accra. We took a cab immediately to Kakum National Park, essentially the purpose of our entire adventure. We didn’t know this yet, but the high price the cabbie was charging was to ensure his presence with us all day long. A blessing in disguise.

Kakum was magnificent. We joined a group of obronis that were ready to depart for the “Canopy Walkway.” This elaborate system of suspended rope bridges is located over a hundred feet off the rainforest floor. Did I mention we were in a rainforest? A real one? It was awesome. The view from the bridges was enough to invoke the acrophobia which Kaylee inherited from her father. I was fine. Thanks mom! We saw a myriad of butterflies and armies of ants marching up and down the trees. Oh man, the trees. We were suspended only halfway up their massive trunks, and I still felt a mile high. We will post pictures: don’t worry!

Alas, the voices of our party frightened away all hopes of seeing a monkey. Bastards.

After this we left Kakum to find a bite to eat. We stopped at a somewhat-touristy spot that featured a crocodile lagoon. We got out of the cab and our friend Tim immediately recognized a server there. Apparently they worked together at another restaurant. This man led us down a path behind the buildings to “see a crocodile.” We saw two in the water right beside us (no fences by the way), and much to our surprise, a massive male just sitting on the path ahead of us. Our new-found tour guide showed no signs of stopping.

“What are we doing?”

“We’re going to see the crocodile.”

“Oh my gosh.”

We walked right up to this guy. Touched, poked, petted. He just laid there, and we were assured that he would not move a muscle. I was certain that I was moments from digestion.

Yup. Kaylee and I manhandled a man eater. No cage, no trainer, no hope for survival. Something tells me you wouldn’t find a similar place in the U.S.

We then scarfed down a sub-par meal and continued on our journey. Our last stop would be the famous Cape Coast castle, a noted slave port during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. This castle, very well preserved (down to the piles of cannonballs everywhere), was full of other tourists and guides explaining the various purposes of the rooms we were in. We toured the male slave dungeon (creepy, to say the least) and the main courtyard. Again, I can’t wait to show you pictures of this.
The view of the ocean was spectacular. Amazing how a place built to house such evil could look so incredible.

We took a cab back to the terminal we arrived in, just to learn that the bus we would be taking was full. This was particularly sad because it was a much nicer bus than what we arrived in. So we hopped over to another terminal to board a rickety bus. At that moment, Tim realized he no longer had his cell phone. He would have to join us back in Accra while he tried to get his phone back. Yay. Traveling alone on a rickety bus next to strangers where we don’t know how the stops work. Perfect.

After a LONG trip back due to traffic and frequent stops, we arrived at the “end of the line,” where we were forced off the bus. Timothy told us that we would find ourselves at a busy market, where we should wait for him. That’s great, because we’ve had excellent practice in waiting for Timothy. 45 minutes later, Tim shows up and we take a cab back home.

This was one packed day, full of excitement, and my legs are still sore this morning after our hike through the rainforest. Pictures are coming as soon as we get back home. Kaylee and I would have felt so cheated if we didn’t get to have an experience like this. How can you say you’ve been to Africa if you never left the megacity you arrived in? Unacceptable. We like adventure! And I think we definitely had one.

Praise God for Timothy coming with us: it would have been a difficult journey by ourselves.

Today we pack and depart. Pray for safe travel and REST on the plane. Thanks for everything you’ve done while we were here!

Much love,


The Freemans