Random Happenings

We were at the church on Monday morning and the missionaries came by to leave their bikes while they went to the Internet Cafe to email. We were just sitting around waiting for Bishop Adjei to come open the church. Kristen had the brilliant idea to ride their bikes, so we did. Mine had a sweet bell on it.

Yesterday Prince took us to a hotel nearby that has a few strange animals. First of all, just so you know, it is called Hotel Messiah. Righteous huh?

Look at the cute baby monkey. It was so little.

I want this monkey to be my baby. When I grow up, no human children for me. I'm adopting baby monkeys.

This monkey is ugly and I don't want it to be my baby.

Spiritual crocodiles anyone?

This is Amelia. She is sweet and innocent. Look at that nice face.This is Amelia's fufu (in the blue bowl). Fufu always comes with a meat. Amelia didn't know what the meat was, so she asked. The answer wasn't what she wanted to hear. See below to find out what the meat was.


Ever heard of a grass cutter? The Greater Cane Rat (Thryonomys swinderianus) is one of two species of cane rats, a small family of African hystricognath rodents. It inhabits Africa, south of the Saharan Desert. The cane rat lives by reedbeds and riverbanks. As humans move into such territories, the cane rats accepted plantations and cultivated areas. Cane rats can grow about two feet long in the longest individuals and weighs a little less than 19 lb (8.6 kg). It has rounded ears, short nose, and coarse bristly hair. Its forefeet are smaller than its hindfeet and supports its weight on only three toes. Cane rats live in small groups led by a single male. They are nocturnal and make nests from grasses or burrow underground. The oldest cane rat can live more than four years. If frightened, they grunt and run towards water. They eat grasses and cane and since they have tastes for cultivated foods, they make serious agricultural pests. So far, their conservation status is lower risk.In the country of Ghana and other regions of West Africa, the Greater Cane Rat is usually called a grasscutter or cutting grass. In both West Africa and Southern Africa, it is considered a delicacy.

A.K.A. a LARGE RAT!! I ate a large rat. By the way, I got that picture from Wikipedia, we don't know that guy. I was terrified at first but since Prince had bought our meal, I felt like I should eat just a small piece of the rat. It wasn't bad tasting, but the fact that I ate it makes me dirty and gross. I think Kristen judged me for eating it. Well, she ate cow intestine. I'm not sure which is worse. We are such babies.

Elmina and Cape Coast

We went to two nearby towns to see old European castles that were used for holding slaves.

This first castle is St. George's castle in Elmina. It was build in 1462 by the Portuguese, then later seized by the Dutch, then the British. They all took part in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. This castle is the oldest standing structure in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The men and women were always separated. This is part of the female slave dungeon. There were a few different rooms, but none any better than this. They were given food twice a day. They were held here for sometimes months at a time.

This is one of the rooms in the male slave dungeon. The dungeons in Cape Coast castle were bigger, but we didn't really get any good pictures beacause they were so dark. In Cape Coast castle, about two thousand men were held in four small, connected rooms. The shortest time anyone was there was about six weeks, the longest was several months. They were given food twice a day and they never left the dungeon, except if they were going to be killed or put on a slave ship.

The two tunnels above lead to the Room of No Return. This is the door the slaves went out of to get into boats that took them to the slave ships. It is the Room of No Return because once a slave entered this room, they never returned to their country.
The structure behind me is a Catholic church that the Portuguese built in the middle of the castle. Ironic isn't it?

The area around the castle is very beautiful.

This is Fort St. Jago, near St. George's castle. It was originally built as a church by a Portuguese missionary but the Dutch took it over and used it for military purposes. We didn't go inside it.

This is Cape Coast Castle. It is quite a bit bigger than St. George's Castle but it has the same history.

There were lots of cannons at both castles. The castle passed hands so many times they must have needed a lot of artillery to protect what they thought was theirs.

Kakum National Park

We went to Kakum National Park on Saturday. It was really beautiful and is famous for its long, swinging rope bridges. The walk begins after a thirty minute hike through a beautiful rain forest.Kristen with our friend David.

Our first glimpse of the bridge. There were seven total.

Each bridge was connected by a platform around a tree.

Our favorite Ghanaian friends. David and Prince.

The four of us as we finished our journey above the jungle.

Another Football Game

Prince took us to another soccer game. It was fun but the best part was all the cute kids we met.
Our adorable new friend, Howa. Kristen taught her a game and she picked it up immediately. She is a smart little girl. I kind of wanted to steal her, but I guess that would be wrong.

Prince brought some of his friends to the game too. As you can see, they are very friendly. The one next to me is David, the other is Wisdom. Seriously, that is his name.

We would write more about the game, but we were too distracted with the kids. I think Eleven Wise lost this week.