OMG I JUST HAD THE MOST FUN TIME OF MY WHOLE LIFE

Now that I put that out there, I guess I should justify it by describing the insanely cool things that this weekend contained. I made a list so I wouldn't forget anything. This post is going to be long. Just warning you.

Different Species of Wild Animals I got to see:
Elephants
Baboons
Bush Bok
Water Bok
Kob
Green Monkeys
Wild Boar
Mosquitoes

I was going to do a Top 10 List next, but I really can't rank this weekend because it was all so awesome. So I'm just going to talk about it in chronological order. We started off driving finally around 10am Thursday morning because we planned on leaving at 7am Ghana time. Ghana time means that everyone will forget something and have to go back for it (like my very own camera) and then decide that our bus is too small for a total of 40 hours driving packed into 5 days. So then we waited for a new bus. Finally we went and began the 4-5 hour trip to Kumasi. We stopped on the way a Kente weaving village. These people hand-weave the most beautiful cloth in the world. It is brightly colored with cool patterns. In fact, I'm going to link to it. RIGHT HERE. And I definitely think I took a picture of that very guy weaving. After we went there and I bought 2 cloths, one kente and one not but also hand woven, we went to some craft shops where I bought some gifts for people. I'll leave it at that so I don't spoil anything. I think I'm going to go back though and do some more shopping. I really want another piece of Kente cloth. I think I want to get a huge one that I can use as a bedspread or wall tapestry. But that's for the next Kumasi adventure. Back to this one. We didn't do much in Kumasi that night besides take hot showers, eat dinner, and pass out. Note: This trip brings my hot shower count up to 3. Oh yeah baby!

The next day circa 8am, we started the 11ish hour trip up to Mole + a stop at Kintampo Falls. Kintampo Falls was so pretty!! I got a bunch of pictures and really enjoyed hiking up around it and appreciating the views. Then we got back on the bus and continued to Mole National Park. We finally got there around 8pm, ate dinner and passed out. Days- and then there were 3.

Saturday was by far the most awesome day. 1. Because we didn't drive. 2. Because I saw more wild animals than God meant to create. So we started our hike at around 6am, but Heather M. and I got up extra early around 5.20 to catch some previews of some monkeys. Which we did. SCORE. Then we went on our hike through the bush/savannah were we proceeded to happen upon 3 elephants within the first 6 minutes. Our guide even made us back-track because we were too. close. to. wild. elephants. That is right. I have been told that I am standing too close to roaming, free, wild, could potentially trample me, but wouldn't because I love them and they love me that much back, ELEPHANTS. We also got to trek through muddy swamps up to our shins, cross over rivers on fallen logs, and find bush bok hiding in... well, bushes. After our hike and the realization that I WAS ON A SAFARI IN AFRICA, I needed a nap. Or at least some rest. So I sat in a tree off the edge of a cliff overlooking a watering hole where there were elephants. (If you can't tell, I'm kinda into the elephants...) And I took about a million pictures of them. All the while swatting away at mosquitoes and these evil little creatures called ankle biters. They are from the devil. It hurts when they bite you and they literally draw blood out. So you are left with itchy, bloody welps all over your legs. I swear I have at least 20 on each leg. And that's really not an exaggeration. Those things were biting everybody all over. They didn't really get my arms though. Just a few on each one. And one on my stomach. (I kept thinking to write "evil little buggers" but no that's a pun, then "evil little suckers" but nope, that's one too, so I think I'll just leave it.) At one point Molly tried to take a picture of a mother baboon and child, and the whole pack started chasing her. It was terrifying at the time, but so friggin' funny now. Heather M. was even about to throw a chair at them before they finally stopped running after Molly. Word to the wise: don't mess with baboons. They don't joke around.
After that we visited the Magic Stone (no, I am not kidding. There really is a local stone that is thought to be magic and you make wishes to it.) So we listened to the stories and made our wishes before continuing to the Larabanga Mosque which is the oldest mosque in Western Ghana, built in 1421. We went on a "tour" which means that we paid to stand outside the mosque and then walk around the mosque while listening to a man tell us who could go in which doors. We, however, couldn't go inside because a. we weren't Muslim and b. we are Obrunis (white foreigners). I had a villager attached to me at the hip telling local folklore. At the end of the tour I gave him a Cedi for his nonexistent deflated soccerball for his nonexistent soccer team. I hope Fuzi (the kid) buys some food with it.
After we got back to Mole from our little excursion into town, we went straight onto our SAFARI NUMERO DOS!! This time we rented a Land Rover + driver and guide and toured around the bush in hopes of some lion sighting (hopes were in vain, unfortunately). We got to see elephants and some bok and kob though, so that was cool. The coolest thing though was the fact that we were riding on the ROOF. Oh yeah, welcome to nature. Dodging branches and hanging on for dear life. We even drove through rivers. Those safari things are hardcore. But it was AWESOME. I would do it again in a heartbeat. No doubt. Even if death was a fleeting thought at times, it was the coolest thing I have ever done in my whole entire life. By FAR. That pretty much wraps up Saturday. Days- and then there were two.

Sunday we drove back to Kumasi in MAJOR traffic and even though we left at 5.30am, we didn't get to Kumasi until after 7pm. It sucked. But I started my iPod project which is to listen to the whole thing on shuffle all the way through. I have a feeling it's going to take a while. I got through like 200 that day though. So then again, hot shower, really good food for dinner, and pass out. Days- and then there was one.

On Monday we toured the Manhiya Palace of the Asante King and went to the Cultural Center in Kumasi. The tour was pretty cool- kinda freaky what with the wax dummies of all the past kings and queen mothers everywhere. At the cultural center, I bought my little gift-giving heart out. I'm still not finished, but I definitely made a dent in my Christmas gift requirements. The coolest thing that I bought on the trip: A kick-ass carved African chair. It is made of two solid pieces of wood that interlock to make a super comfortable really killa chair. There are two designs carved into the wood. The top one is people's faces and the bottom one is of a bird I think. I can't remember. I'm going to go sit in it as soon as I post this. After I bought all the stuff, we pretty much just drove home and went to sleep. Molly and I started Hook off of our Julia Roberts bootleg DVD from God, but we fell asleep halfway through, so we'll finish it tonight. I'm pretty excited. Robin Williams had just gotten his Pan back. Boo-yah!

So that was my super-awesome, amazing, I can't believe that I got to see wild elephants trip. I hope you enjoyed the recount. I'm pretty tired now from writing it, so I'll leave you to envy my elephant experience. I love you all and can't wait to see you!!!

-H