After our day of chasing immigration documents and talking to lawyers for work and residence permits, we had a great night out at Cahaya in the East Legon area near Accra. I’ve decided to make DEET my new cologne fragrance. The mosquitos are plentiful, and while most don’t carry malaria and I’m taking medications, they strongly advise wearing it especially evening through morning. “No vaccination (or pill) is 100% effective,” the nurse solemnly told me. Besides, they itch like hell. After dousing, we went out for a great night under the stars. Samuel, the owner, told me this is his side business. His day job is regional sales rep for Dell. Pretty nice side business.
The next morning, bright and early, we set off for Cape Coast. The folks in Palo Alto had been concerned about us being out late the night before with this trip upcoming and the jam-packed schedule we have. We thought it was so sweet that they’d be worried in this way. But we insisted we were big boys and girls and could handle it. Besides, we could always sleep on the 3 hour bus ride, right?
Well, there’s a reason a 90 mile trip takes 3 hours. In this case, the road was in reasonable shape with some traffic. The kicker was the method of flow control. Villages line the coast road at frequent intervals. As you enter and exit each (and random points within), they have sets of 5 huge speed bumps (“sleeping policemen”) that will pop your teeth out. I had chosen the seat with leg room –right over the rear axle – so dozing wasn’t in the cards. Maybe there are things more important in life than leg room.
Gonna Take You Higher
It was an amazing trip. The first stop was Kakum National Park in the rain forest. The nature walk is beautiful, interesting, and leads to the “canopy walk.” They have a series of 8 rope bridges tied to the highest trees. These are suspended about 40m above ground, so you truly are at the top of the rain forest canopy. Very exhilarating. The guide noted that it “is extremely safe. In the eight years after construction, we haven’t lost anyone.” I kept thinking, “yet.”
Left to right: Kweku Fleming, Clinton Etheridge, Corinne Augustine, Robert Mayberry, Guy in Dorky (But Functional) Hat, Melissa Nsiah
The bridges are anchored to common trees, zig-zagging over the canopy
Canopy walk bridge, view from down under
Foreground to rear: Kweku Fleming sprinting, Robert Mayberry, and off in the distance, Melissa Nsiah
One bridge links to another at a tree and a tiny platform. The only way down is over.
Here’s how they anchor the bridge. No sweat
This tree is about 70 years old
To my fellow ‘Lizards and fans
Cape Coast
From there, on to Cape Coast, a bustling city in the central region. This was the terminus for our trip.
A street scene on the bridge in Cape Coast
Left to right: Kweku Fleming, me, Robert Mayberry, Melissa Nsiah, Clinton Etheridge, and Corinne Augustine
Never Again
It is the site of two major castles – Cape Coast and Elmina. We toured the latter, which was the last place in Africa where slaves would be imprisoned before being loaded onto ships to the New World. In the same vein as now-preserved prisons like Auschwitz, the peaceful settings, architecture and overall sights belie the absolute horror and atrocities that went on there. The guide showed us the dungeons for male and female slaves. A room smaller than our family room housed 150 women. No place to take care of personal needs, except on the floor where they had to sleep. And on and on. From there, it only got worse on the slave ships.
I was impacted just as I was on that day years ago when we walked through a gate under the sign “Arbeit Macht Frei” (Work Makes You Free) and on to the gas chambers and ovens. Why do we keep doing this over and over? At the end of the Elmina tour, guests are asked to take a moment of silence which we end by saying, “Never again.”
Ato, our guide, locked us in the cells… but we knew we would get out.
Prison cells in Elmina Castle. The one on the right was for misbehaving guards. They had ventilation and meals until they slept it off. On the left was for slaves condemned to death. No food, no water, no ventilation.
Looking south over the moat to the sea
Looking north up the moat
A disconcerting, Escher-like view
The last place in Africa the slaves saw. The door is very narrow and low to discourage escape
Never again.
Jim – You are a great writer and are bringing this trip alive. Keep up the good work. It is a small world as we well know. I know Corinne Augustine. She and I had coffee and conversations a while back after I worked at Adept Technology and she at Intuitive. Say hello to her for me.
Jim, great pictures and articulation of your experience thus far. Nice video and details on the canopy walk. Extremely emotional account of the slavery memorial and I resonnate the feelings and speak the same words, “never again.” Keep us posted and have a wonderful, fulfilling experience.