African Safari, Treehouse Adventures

Mole National Park proved to be wonderful, in retrospect. The morning after we arrived, we went on a walking safari through the rainforest that surrounded the area. We were quickly educated on which animals are indigenous to that particular area of the forest. No lions or tigers, which helped the majority of us sleep a little more sound. We learned about Gazelles, Elephants, Crocodiles, and a member of the antelope family that barks. Shortly after our walk started, we were on the trail of elephants! We were able to get within 50 feet of the elephants, taking photos, trying not to be too loud. Our tour guide insisted on herding the elephants toward the watering hole, which I had my reservations about. Soon we were surrounded by 6 elephants, about equally spaced out around us. We retreated to the woods nearby to avoid upsetting the elephants.

Soon after the elephants arrived at the watering hole, we were able to go right next to the water. Crocodiles were across the lake, gazelles were grazing in the field nearby, and the elephants' heads and trunks were just barely above the water. We stayed for 30 minutes to take in all of the unfamiliar, awesome sights.

Larabunga is a village of about 4000 inhabitants, all Muslim, all living in mud huts and cement cubicles. We were able to tour the village, starting with the mosque. The mosque looked extremely unique. *I will post pictures later. The leader of that particular mosque would stand on the roof and chant, calling all nearby members to prayer. Fatow, a local 18 year old, walked with me through the city, basically narrating where we were walking and what we were seeing. The villages main resources are yams, mangos, and whatever goats can produce. Like most places in Ghana, this village has no system for their waste. This results in trash lining the streets and sewage troughs throughout the city. From the moment we got off of our bus until we left, we had an entourage of about 75 people following us.

That night, 12 of us slept in a treehouse in the jungle! Heck yes! We broke out our glow in the dark bracelets, some music, and had a party. We we invited by our guard to go for a short walk, supposedly to mark our territory. As soon as our walk began, we encountered a baby crocodile. So the logical thing to do would be to walk to the edge of the pond and shine your flashlights in the water, right? I don't have many freak out moments ever, BUT WHO DOES THAT?! I refused to go anywhere near the pond, insisting that whoever goes over there would regret it after they woke up with an amputated face.

I fell asleep in peace, listening to the sounds of the rainforest, looking at the stars and moon. The same moon and stars that I gaze at in America!