We, Jack, Red and I, went to Bolgatanga today while Steve flew to Accra to take care of some business. We had a wonderful time. Usually when we go to Bolgatanga it is on one of the hottest days of the year. Well, it was raining this morning when we woke up and it was cloudy for a good portion of the day which made it not so hot. This was the coolest day we have ever spent in Bolgatanga. Bolgatanga is several hours north of Tamale and closer to the Sahara desert which makes it hotter than Tamale.
We went to Paga to visit the crocodile pond. We bought a live chicken and the care taker of the crocodiles shook the chicken around a bit, the chicken’s cries called the crocodiles out of the pond. Jack took his chance and sat on the back of the biggest crocodile and then held the crocodile’s tail. After the ordeal the crocodile was rewarded with the chicken. Poor chicken! The villagers believe the crocodiles are sacred and are their ancestors. When a crocodile dies they bury it just like they bury their own people. They said that the crocodiles come into their yards and make nest. They are happy that the crocodiles want to live among them. They said in the evenings the crocodiles come into their yards looking for food. Too creepy for me!
We also went to the slave camp that is near Paga. It is a very sad place but it is very interesting. The slaves had to walk from the top of Ghana all the way down to the coast to be put on the slave ships. They said that it would take about 70 days to walk to the coast.
Of course we could not leave Bolgatanga without doing some shopping. Bolgatanga is known for their hand woven grass baskets. Baskets were not the only thing we bought. We ate lunch off the street. We had parched corn, fried yams, hot sauce and a coke. By the time we got back to Tamale we were ready for a real supper.
On the way back from Bolgatanga we stopped at the airport and picked up Steve. He had a successful trip and got the papers for our resident visas. We were approved for resident visas for another 3 years.
Take care and have a great day!
In His Service,
Jack, Steve and Kandie
