Day 12 - Canopy walk, Chocolate, Naming Ceremony, and Retracing Roots

Today was another busy day.  A few students had slight stomach upsets so six of us decided to carry on with our activities as our compadres rested to gain their strength back.  Our first stop was Kakum National Park which is famous for the canopy walk.  The canopy walk is high across trees that are hundreds of years old and over two hundred feet tall.  The boardwalks themselves are around a 100 feet high.  As soon as we step on the walkway, high above the ground, you hear a thud that can be intimidating.  As you start walking farther out on the boardwalk, the bridge wobbles unstably and this was a bit nerve racking.  Once we got past the first bridge, we felt confident.  We completed the seven bridges as we enjoyed the thick tropical rainforests from a beautiful vantage point perched high up in the trees.

Kakum National Park - canopy walk

After the canopy walk, we went to a nearby small-scale cocoa farm to see how chocolate was made.  Ghana is the second larges producer of cocoa and it is a very important part of the country's economy.  Our guide described how chocolate was produced from the trees to the pods to the drying and roasting and eventually grinding and mixing of chemicals to make chocolate.  It was a unique experience.  Next, we stopped by a palm oil production farm where local women were making palm oil from the pods.  This was another unique experience.

Cocoa farm, palm oil farm, petting goats

After this we had lunch at a waterfront hotel that had crocodiles in the pond.  We were actually able to pet a crocodile with the help of a guard.  After lunch, we made our way to Simiw village to experience the naming ceremony of an African American couple from the US.  It was the gentleman's birthday so the village elders decided to give him his Ghanaian name.  There is a whole ceremony and rituals that are involved.  We were lucky to be there so my students also got their African names.  We sat in a hot room with numerous people but my students really enjoyed this emotional ceremony.  This was followed by a drumming and an acrobatic performance by a local performing group.  They were exceptional.

Crocodile petting

Naming ceremony and drums and dance

This brought a conclusion to our day so we headed back to our resort to relax for the rest of the evening.  Sitting on the beach, eating food, socializing with others, and enjoying the dancers perform was a perfect ending to the day.  The last two days were probably the two most fun days so far because of what we experienced and also because we were at a very good resort (Coconut Grove African Village) with excellent facilities.

African drumming and music at night

Enjoying the resort at night