A Day in the Rainforest - Kakum and Stingless Bees

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Wren writing:
Today we got in touch with the natural side of Ghana. We took off for Kakum National Park with a bus full of Cape Coast University students and Sam’s professor friend, Peter. They are doing very interesting research about stingless bees which can produce honey that has been used for years by the local medicine men to cure diseases, heal wounds, etc. Peter and his PhD student, Rafela, showed us around all the different nests and told us the many, many uses for their honey, wax, and sticky stuff they make called propolis. It was actually very interesting. And I’m not just saying that to please my father the bee biologist. We talked with the people who had come with us while we waited for the rain to stop. We then left the Stingless Bee Center for the Kakum National Park Rainforest Skywalk. The skywalk is seven rope bridges (slightly less than a foot wide) that hang just over the canopy in the rainforest. It is incredibly beautiful up there and very high too! The bridges bounce as you walk, but there are nets on either side to act as railings so you don’t fall. On the way back we were depressed to see many flooded villages and farms from all the rain there has been. Apparently it is more than there has been for ten years! It’s so heartbreaking to see people’s homes or income sources completely ruined.
After the skywalk, we went back to the bee place and “helped” build the brick posts for a new sign they were putting up. After a while of passing bricks (very, very slowly) to the builder, we decided to go on a rainforest walk with Rafela instead. We saw lots of interesting plants and insects. There were some ants that made Ralph kick his feet up and leap around a lot, which is very amusing to watch.
We then enjoyed dinner at Hans Botel with a very noisy generator which provided for a mostly silent dinner until they shut it off. Ralph, who gets cold very easily, also amused us greatly by wearing Rachel’s fluffy white sweater tied around his head.

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Photos

Stingless Bees
Our friendly bee comrades making honey in their little wax "pots" in their nest (a log).

Skywalkin'
Sam on the Kakum Nat'l Park Skywalk, high above the canopy.