Photos above are my scary looking lunch of moringa leaf juice and moringa pie, supposedly very nutritious, tour guide showing entrance to slave dungeon, and door of no return through which slaves passed on their way to the ships for the middle passage
Hello again from Cape Coast!
I've been keeping myself busy checking out the town and its surrounds. I think I'll be staying until Sunday morning to hear the president of Ghana speak. Yesterday I toured Cape Coast Castle, one of the capitals of the trans-atlantic slave trade, which was pretty heavy. Then I got to hear the whole story of the African back-story to all that from my host Uncle George, who was a history teacher before he lost his sight (he has gone back to university to become a special education teacher, and is now working and going to school in addition to running the guest house. What an amazing guy!). I've taken detailed notes that I'm sure I'll incorporate into something somewhere. Today I visited the Kakum national forest reserve, which is a bit north of here. It's a rainforest area that they have guided tours of. Alas no animals on account of it being midday and raining. Tonight I've got two friends from the guesthouse taking me to the festival dancing, and tomorrow I'll continue the festival and head off to Elmina castle for more history.
I made a "tragic" discovery yesterday when I realized my laptop doesn't fit into my power converter, so I am now out of batteries with no way to recharge it...here's hoping Johannesburg airport can hook me up with a ground/no ground plug adapter so I'm not just hauling dead weight around. Bummer.
I'd love to download a bunch of pictures to the site, but perhaps another time. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to do that at an internet cafe with all the firewalls and stuff, and with no laptop, I'm a bit stuck, but there's lots to show.
The only thing I can't show you is the poverty I see all around me, because the only thing more unjustifiable than that is the idea of my taking my expensive camera out to take a picture of it. I'm kind of struggling right now with what to make of it and what my response to it should be. I don't know what I can really do in two weeks here, or what I can do when I come back to the states to make a difference, but it certainly gives me something to be up nights thinking about....
I've been keeping myself busy checking out the town and its surrounds. I think I'll be staying until Sunday morning to hear the president of Ghana speak. Yesterday I toured Cape Coast Castle, one of the capitals of the trans-atlantic slave trade, which was pretty heavy. Then I got to hear the whole story of the African back-story to all that from my host Uncle George, who was a history teacher before he lost his sight (he has gone back to university to become a special education teacher, and is now working and going to school in addition to running the guest house. What an amazing guy!). I've taken detailed notes that I'm sure I'll incorporate into something somewhere. Today I visited the Kakum national forest reserve, which is a bit north of here. It's a rainforest area that they have guided tours of. Alas no animals on account of it being midday and raining. Tonight I've got two friends from the guesthouse taking me to the festival dancing, and tomorrow I'll continue the festival and head off to Elmina castle for more history.
I made a "tragic" discovery yesterday when I realized my laptop doesn't fit into my power converter, so I am now out of batteries with no way to recharge it...here's hoping Johannesburg airport can hook me up with a ground/no ground plug adapter so I'm not just hauling dead weight around. Bummer.
I'd love to download a bunch of pictures to the site, but perhaps another time. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to do that at an internet cafe with all the firewalls and stuff, and with no laptop, I'm a bit stuck, but there's lots to show.
The only thing I can't show you is the poverty I see all around me, because the only thing more unjustifiable than that is the idea of my taking my expensive camera out to take a picture of it. I'm kind of struggling right now with what to make of it and what my response to it should be. I don't know what I can really do in two weeks here, or what I can do when I come back to the states to make a difference, but it certainly gives me something to be up nights thinking about....
1 comment:
Kate- What an experience! I finished Poisonwood Bible and loved it (as you said I would) and it sounds like you are getting some from the book in person. Bummer about the laptop but I am sure you will find an adapter to work at some point during your travels. If that is the worst of your issues, you will have one heck of a trip! Enjoy and keep the posts coming.
Nikki
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