UPDATING MY CV

An MD normally follows my name, but I will now add CCW, CCT, CTW, and CTP,  which stand for Certified Canopy Walker, Certified Crocodile Tamer, Certified Toad Whisperer, and Certified Truck-Pusher. 

Certified Canopy Walker (CCW)

For years, I have been promising myself that I would visit Kakum National Park, so on this trip I snatched a bit of time between trips to and from Takoradi and Kumasi (more on Kumasi later).

Kakum is famous (infamous?) for footbridges 130 feet (twelve stories) high suspended from one giant tree to another above a rich forest canopy. It is notorious for making people sweat at the thought of plunging into the depths, and for causing acrophobic subjects to stop dead in their tracks, gripped by paralyzing panic.

Twelve stories may not seem a big deal when you’re in a building, but when you’re on this bouncy contraption, it can be another matter altogether:

THE WALK IS DESIGNED TO GIVE BENEATH YOUR FEET, WHICH IS PART OF WHAT BOTHERS SOME WOULD-BE CROSSERS

In fact the walk was not as scary for me as I had imagined, partly because I had imagined that the bridge swings wildly from side to side. In fact the movement is primarily up and down and it really isn’t that bad. Apart from that, I love forests and find them soothing and awe-inspiring. Those of you who have read Wife of the Gods know that a rather unusual forest scene forms the prologue.

BREATHTAKING VIEWS OF THE FOREST FROM THE WALKWAY

At the end of each of the three bridge sections, there is a safe-station secured to a tree, from which you move on to the next segment. The height is most dizzying at the third bridge, which reaches the highest point. Nevertheless, as you can see on this vid of me making the crossing, there’s nothing to be afraid of . . .or is there? A little less mischievous than the preceding video is this clip of an experienced Kakum walker.

Once you’re down from the bridges, you’ll realize how much fun it was, and then you can take a rest and gulp down a bottle of water as your reward for surviving the walkway.

Certified Crocodile Tamer (CCT)–sort of

Not far from Kakum is a frequent stopover for walkway survivors, Hans Cottage Botel, a hotel and guest house lodging notable for its proximity to a lake teeming with wildlife. Many herons and other birds populate the area.

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AN EGRET RESTING AMONG THE “UPSIDE-DOWN” NESTS CONSTRUCTED BY MASTER-BUILDER WEAVER BIRDS

But the most prominent animals are undoubtedly the crocodiles, which I personally could stare at all day long in fascination.

THE CROCS THERMOREGULATE BY SUNBATHING AND KEEPING THEIR MOUTHS OPEN FOR HEAT EXCHANGE

For five cedis, about $2.30, you can “pet” a crocodile, and another five will buy morsels of raw chicken, which one of the caretakers will feed a crocodile for your viewing pleasure.

SAY HI TO MY NEW REPTILIAN FRIEND

Of course, crocodiles have a reputation of being vicious, aggressive and lethal. Footage shown ad nauseam of the crocodilian massacre of wildebeest during the great Serengeti crossing of the Mara River probably doesn’t help to establish them as cuddly pets safe around the kids. However docile crocodiles are documented in quite spectacular fashion in the far northern Ghanaian town of Paga, where fascinated tourists marvel at crocodiles who have no objection to being touched, stroked, or even sat on. I would postulate that a creature who has stuck around for a couple hundred of millions of years is smart enough not to bite the hand that feeds it, and the crocs both here at Hans and in Paga are a well-fed bunch. Watch this clip of a Hans attendant trying to feed a reluctant crocodile that simply wanted to take a nap and be left alone. It had earlier had a full breakfast of raw chicken and that was quite enough.

Obviously my qualification as a crocodile tamer is very dubious, since I arrived to find them in an already docile and domesticated state, but let’s just pretend.

Certified Toad Whisperer (CTW)

 Walking through a cool cocoa grove, I spotted a little toad hopping across the pathway. It was fawn with a hint of pink, and so close to the color of the ground I would have missed it if it had stayed still.

To my surprise, it didn’t move when I came closer, and of even greater surprise to me, it didn’t appear to mind stopping for a few moments to be gently “petted.” Since my interaction with toads has been mostly dissecting them in biology class in secondary school, I was happy to exchange this friendly moment with the little fellow. After a few moments, the toad hopped happily away to continue its journey.

IT APPEARED CONTENT TO BE GENTLY STROKED

 

Certified Truck-Pusher (CTP)

All across Ghana’s cities, teenaged boys and young men push four-wheeled carts from place to place, transporting scrap metal, car parts, electronic supplies and other sundries.

A PAIR OF TRUCK-PUSHERS CROSS THE SOUTHERN END OF BARNES ROAD IN ACCRA

At the very lowest rung of the socioeconomic ladder, these tireless youngsters are nevertheless an essential part of the informal recycling sector. Not that electronics recycling in particular is safe, but it could be argued that truck-pushers have a narrowly-defined role of picking up scrap in one place and delivering it to another, and therefore they can’t exactly be “held responsible” for the dangers of taking electronic components apart.

For some reason, I have been long fascinated by the work truck-pushers do (they feature heavily in my second novel, Children of the Street) and I’ve always wanted to find out what pulling or pushing one of these carts is like. While briefly in Cape Coast, I had my chance. A friendly truck-pusher obligingly allowed me to get the feel of it.

HIS LUCKY DAY: I GAVE HIM A PHAT TIP

The cart was very heavy, and I didn’t even have a load on it! Remember that these workers have ten to sixteen hours of toil, most of it under the merciless equatorial sun. I doubt I’ll be doing that anytime soon, but still, I’ve finally fulfilled my wish to pull a truck-pusher’s cart. The kids below apparently approved (they weren’t really there–I’m just looking for an excuse to show off one of my prized photos.)

DELIGHTFUL KIDS IN THE HINTERLAND