DEVELOPMENTS

Since my last update there have been a few excitting adventures occuring. My friend Karin arrived in Tamale and we spent a day or so just chilling out and sorting out a few odds and ends. The big one for me was paying for my ticket to Kenya. Booking the ticket was easy enough, paying for it took about 2 days. As the deal was only avaliable at a travel centre and no travel centres here except anything other than cash. The bank however will not let you take out more than US$500 a day. To do this takes about 40mins of your time, plus all this other additional stuff that you have to do when you do not have your passport on you and only a NZ Drivers licence. The money is given to you in a black plastic bag. I had to do this process twice. Then I learn that the banks exchange rate is a lot less (about 6 US cents) less than the one the travel agents require. This requires going back to the bank again... In the end I had to take a photo of the money stacked up as it was at least 10cm high when all stacked up because the cedi here only goes up to 20,000 and you need 45 of them to make US$100. But so yeah anyway Im heading off to Kenya for about 3 weeks next month and are comming back to Ghana for 3 days before flying back to NZ.at the park

My other adventure has been going to Mole Nat Park. It is a wildlife reserve est in 1957. It is over 48,000 square km. This invovled getting up at 4am, climbing over fences to get out of our premises and only just getting seats on a bus as we were Obruni. thankfully we did not need to walk the 6km walk to the park from the town as a employee vechile came past. So instead we traveled on a trailler inbetween sacks of some sorts. The service at the place was really bad and the food and accomodation were over priced...though it was a fantastic experience. I had wort hogs wondering around me when I arrived. I also got to wake up and walk out of my room to see elephants just walking around outside. at one stage one of them was only like a meter away from where I was standing. I swear it is the best way to start a day. The guided walk was also great getting to see the elephants in their natural habitat. I was also able to see monkeys, crocodiles, wonderful birds and antelope on my two hour walk around. This all for only just over 1 dollar American.the mosque

Later in the day I saw what is meant to be the oldest mosque in West Africa. Though apparently this is said about a lot of mosques. This one was build in the 1400's and is made of mud clay and sticks. It is still in working order today and it used by the 100% muslim community there. Apparently they will not allow any Christian churches to exsist in Larabanga.