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Published: March 20th 2006
Sunset in Kukurantumi
This was an amazing sunset following a storm in Kukurantumi. As we neared the waterhole I could begin to hear a subtle sound. Anticipation coursed through my body, as I desperately wanted to see the source producing the sound. Again I heard the splashing of water and this time a low rumble was added. Only the trees that lined the waters obscured my view. Finally the trees broke and I looked out with awe over the herd of enormous male elephants wallowing in the murky water. They sprayed them selves with a fine mist of water from their trunks. Despite their imposing size they seemed playful, dunking each other underwater until all you could see was the tip of a trunk. On the banks a single elephant was dusting off by throwing dirt all over himself to keep the flies and mosquitoes at bay. Nearly at our toes, just on the waters edge, a Nile crocodile was feasting on a freshly caught fish. All this was happening less than 50 feet from where we stood. This is the Africa seen in the movies being played out directly before us.
A Packed Couple of Weeks
The past few weeks have been
On Safari
Does it get any more Africian Safari than this!?! We just sat on the shore and watched these guys wallow for quite a while. When they got out we could appertiate thier huge size from 30 feet away! some of the most interesting thus far. We will begin by saying that we are both fully healthy again. We took full advantage it! The trip started in Mim, a good-sized town in the eastern part of Ghana. With a successful completion and opening of another new library we headed north. From this point on, the daily highs would break 100 (41 C) and the land turned from green forest to yellow and brown savanna. We made our way down the 86 kilometers of bone jarring road to Mole National Park. Our few days in Mole quickly turned into a once in a lifetime experience. After nearly riding the elephants and petting the crocs we headed north again to the next library in the small dispersed village of Ta’am Puraam. We even stole a little time in Ghana’s northern neighbor Burkina Faso. The north is an entirely different world, ecologically, culturally, and visually. It was hot, it was dusty, it was dry…but more than anything it was distinctly Africa.
Mim The Mim library had a smooth set up followed by the signature opening ceremony. Drumming, dancing, dignitaries, you’ve heard it all before. All on Africa time of
How fast could you get out of the way?
Africian elephant up close and person. This was taken from the front porch of the hotel. course. Announced time of commencement; 9am. Actual time all those invited had arrived; 2pm.
Mole National Park From Mim we traveled north. Our destination was one of the premier natural and tourist attractions of Ghana: Mole National Park. While there are in fact no moles here (its pronounced mol-A), there are a good number of large mammals that makes Africa so famous. The adventure begins as you turn off the tarmac and head for a long, bumpy, dusty, intestine-vibrating ride. You feel on safari well before reaching the park!
While in America, or even East Africa for that matter, you have to fork over 20 -25 USD to see anything inside a National Park. Here they are asking all of 4 dollars (40,000 cedis) and an extra 20 cents (2000 cedis) if you want to use a camera. After the formalities it’s on to the interior.
What makes Mole so unique is that a 100-foot escarpment breaks the flat savanna that contains all the animals. The hotel is situated on top of this protuberance, creating a perfect off-your-porch safari. Just walking a few feet from the car gives you a perfect view of two large
Every wanted to pet a warthog?
These guys got so close! I did not even need to zoom in for these shots. waterholes below. Add to that our timing of having arrived during harmatton (the dry season) so that the animals are drawn to the waterholes right before your eyes. The other unique aspect of Mole, at least for those of us living and working in rural Ghana, is the quantity of white people. We had not realized that until now we had only seen a handful. Here the place is packed with them!
On Safari Waking early I eagerly walk over to the edge of the escarpment and look down to the watering holes…yet still no elephants. However the warthogs are as plentiful as pigeons in the city. We meet up with our Ghanian game guide, David. Kirt, Katelyn, and myself were grouped with a couple from Argentina and another women from France. David grabbed his gun (which would amount to a BB gun against an elephant) and we headed down to the savanna below. Along the way we encountered kobs, bushbucks (a striped antelope with cool horns) and many amazingly colorful tropical birds. Then we saw the most promising sign…a huge pile recently deposited elephant excrement. Never has a big pile of poop been so exciting.
Olive Baboon
These guys can get nasty, so this close proximity was a little unerving. But they played nice in the end. As we closed in on the waterholes we could begin to hear the sounds of slashing and grunting. When we finally got our first view my jaw dropped. Directly in front of us less than 100 feet away was a herd of 16 male elephants cooling them selves in the brown water. This is what makes Mole so great; you get with in FEET of the elephants. Then we counted a handful of Nile crocs swimming around, snapping at fish and even birds along the shoreline.
After some time of watching this miniature ecosystem go through its struggles of life and death I began to notice that the elephants were actually getting closer. We watched their behavior for signs of irritation: ears erect, thrashing of water or dirt, a charging stampede of a few hundred tons. Since we did not witness anything we just stood there gawking as these enormous animals came out of the water and into the bush within 30 feet of us. I have spent many years in all types of wilderness settings, from climbing glacial peaks to month long sojourns into the backcountry, but this was this single greatest wildlife experience I have ever witnessed.
Our Fearless Guide
This is our bush guide David...and hid gun witch he ran in to get just for the picture. Till this point I have only seen elephants in the zoo. Now here I am in Africa physically closer than you can get in any zoo to an entire herd!
Giving the elephant herd the right of way, we allowed their passage into the bush before passing to make our way back up the escarpment to the hotel. Getting back, we took rest on the porch watching a new herd of elephants enter into the water below. To add to the National Geographic atmosphere we had an entire troop of Olive Baboons come directly across the porch, passing more casually than
we were even comfortable with. There were huge bulky males, playful juveniles, and moms with tiny babies clinging to their bellies. All passing within arms reach of our seat. Mole is literally the safari that comes to you!
Later in the day we picked up David again, gun and all, and headed back into the bush, this time in our 4WD Toyota. We spent the next couple hours grinding along the dirt roads in search of close views, which were plenty. The rest of the evening was spent swimming in the pool to beat the hundred plus
Traditional Dancing in the North
Watching traditional dancing in the north is an expiernce. The energy created by the drums, singing, and dynamic dancing is indescribable. heat. I cannot think of many better ways to spend a day then watching an amazing display of wildlife with a cold beer and clean swimming pool just a few paces away! I am probably loosing any sympathy I had for getting malaria by now huh?
I know its getting long, but there is still some pretty good stuff below! Larabanga Mosque It was not easy to leave Mole, but we are here for the libraries after all. On the way back to the tarmac road we pass by one of the oldest Mosques in Ghana. Larabanga Mosque is a Sudanese mud and thatch structure that dates back to the 15th or 16th century depending on the source. Today it is a tourist money extractor. As we drove by “guides” who offer such insight, as “mosque is very old”, surrounded us. In addition there is a viewing fee, a caretaker fee, guide fee, and upkeep fee. Rather than brave the crowd and multiplying cost, we just did a drive by to get the snapshot.
Ta’am Puraam Finally we hit the tarmac and did not stop until we reached Bolgatanga. Bolga, as
Kids in the North
Its not hard to get a groupd of kids together for a picture. We asked three of four and the whole town came running! everyone calls it, is the major capital of the Upper Western Region of Ghana. Burkina Faso is only a few miles north from here. The small and isolated village of Ta’am Puraam is only 20 min away, yet many residents of Bolga have not heard of it. To get there we take a dirt road out into the bush were we then follow a footpath for another mile. The houses are still traditional mud and thatch. Grains are stored in seven-foot mud silos and are still ground by stone on stone by hand. Walking through the villages of the north is like walking the living history. The only electric out here comes from a few sporadic solar panels donated from various aid agencies. Water is scares and a single borehole must sustain people for kilometers around.
A young man named Emmanuel became our tour guide. He was able to get us across the border to Burkina Faso for a quick look and a few photos. Back in Ghana he took us to his family home in a traditional village very similar to Ta’am Puraam. He showed us the inner workings of traditional living in such a harsh environment. We
New Arrival
The assistant librarian, Florance, in Kukurantumi just had a new baby girl! Katelyn was among the first to see her of course. were getting the full cultural tour of northern Ghana! Finally we made our way back to Ta’am Puraam in time for the libraries’ opening ceremony.
The ceremony still had a few speeches, but mostly dancing, singing, and drumming filled the evening. The dance of the north is one of intense, vigorous, full-bodied vibration. The rhythm moves down flailing arms, feet respond pounding the ground, sending vibrations through the earth to those circled around. We literally
feel the dancers recreate hundreds of years of tradition before us.
Till Next Time With just over two weeks left in Ghana things are wrapping up quickly. We will head into the mountains again to set up a library in Begero. We will also visit the 120 foot Boti Falls with Hilda’s youth group. Of course the biggest event of all will be Katelyn’s birthday on the 24!!
All those in Akron mark your calendars! Kirt and Hilda will be holding their annual Books for Africa Library Project dinner benefit on May 6th. It will be held at St. Bernard’s Church (on Broadway Ave. in Downtown Akron) at 5:30 pm. No RSVP needed.
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meredith
non-member comment
National geographic
As your trip gets longer the writing in the travelblogs gets better and better. You should contact National Geographic when you get home. You know what this reminds me of? African "Dances with Wolves". If anyone's seen that movie recently they will remember the narraration. Love you guys! Happy Birthday Katelyn!