The first picture is the base of the baobab tree that I talk about a little later. The opening would have been a bit larger when it was being used to store slaves. As it is now, I would not even try to go through it. It would not have been a pretty sight. The guide said that some tourists do give it a try.
The top of the tree is open, so there was a flow of air so they would not suffocate. However you look at it, though, it would not have been a very humane way to treat people. In fact, I would not think that we would even treat our livestock in such a manner.
The second picture is the outside of the Widnaba Welcome Centre. In front of it are my bike and Susan's bike. We were glad to get there, after travelling down a very tricky dirt road/track for 11 km.
Following is what I hope will be my weekly update. For those that receive the email from Yahoo!, this will be a repeat but with pictures attached.
01 May was a holiday here in Ghana, as it seems to be in many places in the world other than North America. It was Workers Day and was celebrated here in Ghana with various marches and speeches, including one from President Kufuor saying that there would be changes in pay structures and retirement plans. Overall it was pretty low key.
I took advantage of the morning to go for a motorbike ride between Bolgatanga and Bongo. There is a dam there that people had talked about as a place to go for relaxation and a picnic and I thought I should see it since it is close. Rather than going the direct route, I decided that I would explore. I did eventually find the dam and it does create a nice lake. The water level is pretty low right now, as it is very near the end of the dry season and hasn't rained any significant amount for several months. I was glad to see it. I continued cross-country from there to Bongo and got further and further into the country. I thought I was going in a big circle, but I don't think that was what happened. And then I started to run out of fuel. I switched to reserve and finally started asking for directions and for petrol. The directions I got but there was no petrol that far out. The last time I stopped for directions I was told I was still 5 miles from Bolgatanga and I had no idea how much fuel I had left. So, I skipped going to Bongo and headed straight back to town, fully prepared to walk if I had to. I made it to the station and filled up without walking, which was a relief.
Later in the day, my housemate and I rode up to Widnaba, about 60 km east of Bolga. That included 14 km on a dirt road that soon became a track and was a bit of a challenge, even on motorcycles. Widnaba is another ecotourism site. I don't know how successful it will be because it is a little difficult to get to. I enjoyed the trip and enjoyed the tour. We were taken to the Hidden Place. The story is that the villagers all gathered in this open field when the slave raiders came looking for them. From the surrounding hills the raiders could see the villagers, but when they got to the field where they were hiding they somehow became invisible. So that has become a local shrine that the community still uses for making various decisions and for celebrations. We then went to the slave market. There is the remains of a British fort on a hill overlooking an old, large baobab tree. The tree is hollow and has a small entry in one side. We were told that the slaves, up to 40 at a time, were held inside this tree while waiting to be taken to their next destination. If you go to my blog (http://ghanadavid.blogspot.com/) I plan to post a picture of that tree there so you can get an idea of what I am talking about. What I get from these tours is a reminder, if I need one, of how cruel people can be to each other.
This week some of the district offices have made contact in order to get their computers. So I anticipate starting the installation and training portion of my assignment within the next couple of weeks. It will be good to start doing what I came to do. It might be challenging to fit in all of the other things that I have been doing instead, some of which were quite beneficial to the Bolga office. But I will manage somehow.
I will conclude with a couple of interesting things that I have seen or experienced this week.
Thursday night a storm came in through the night. It was awesome. The thunder rolled almost continuously throughout the storm that lasted from 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM. There was one lightning bolt that seemed to burst just outside my window, followed almost immediately with a loud clap of thunder. It looked and felt like an explosion. The rain came down so heavily that it was not possible to sleep once it started. The temperature dropped more then 10C during the storm, and it actually felt cool in the morning, though it was still about 24C. And it is possible to see green in the fields already, after only the few storms that we have had in the last month.
Friday I finally got a wardrobe for hanging my clothes. Saturday I finally unpacked my suitcase, which had been lying open on the floor. As I was taking clothes out I saw something moving among my clothes. I finally recognized it as a tarantula. As I decided what to do, it kept rearing it's head towards me and looking for a dark place among the remaining clothes. I suppose that I should have killed it, but instead I trapped it in a pot that I had and released it outside of the compound. It reminded me that I need to look inside my clothes and shoes before putting them on.
The final story is about lizards. I was waiting to go out last night so stood and chatted with the night watchman for a bit. He pointed to the security light over my bedroom window. There were probably up to 30 geckos and lizards around that light. They were having a feeding frenzy on all the bugs that were attracted by the light. I had never seen so many lizards at a time, or watched them eating insects like that. It was like going to a stocked pond and throwing food to the fish. It was funny to watch.
I think that I have written enough for this week. I hope that you find it somewhat interesting and entertaining. Feel free to write to me - DavidPerryGhana@gmail.com or livingbyplan@bellnet.ca are the two best addresses to use.
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