About The Trees And The Bees
· This weekend I got to be a fanny-pack wearing, map using, full blown tourist in Ghana. We got to visit the Canopy Walkway in the trees of Kakum National Forest. Our tour guide ensured the group that each bridge was strong enough to bare the weight of two elephants… I was not convinced. Each walkway was a long wooden plank about 1.5 feet in diameter. There was a rope net surrounding the walkway as well as long ropes connecting each bridge to the tree tops above. They swayed immensely from side to side as you walked across, as if to test your balance. By the third bridge, me and Charli, another intern, had mastered walking across the bridges and decided we wanted to run. Although significantly harder than walking on solid ground, we were able to run across the bridges with out falling over. In between each bridge was a rest stop, similar to a mini tree house. Here is where we all took a few moments to admire the spectacular views. We ere at the top of the tree line and could see the rest of the forest that seemed to extend on forever. On our hike down the forest hill, we were greeted by a stand of locals, but instead of selling lemonade, they were selling fresh coconuts and cocoa fruits. For just one cedi (30 cents) we all enjoyed fresh coconut milk, followed by the meat inside. It was very refreshing after the hike. Once we were done with our adventures in the trees, we visited the “Stingless Bee Center”. The one and only center in Ghana. It is a small, but gorgeous plot of land where four types of stingless bees are bred. The walkway into the center was lined with pineapple plants, with one unripe pineapple sprouting hot pink in color. Once inside the gaits, we were greeted with beautiful pink flowers, butterflies, and vivid green grass (a rare commodity in Ghana). Through the humming of the bees, our tour guide taught us a little about each species of stingless bee and let us get an up close look at each hive. When the tour was over, he brought us to the shop where fresh honey and bee Propolis (natural antibiotic made by bees) could be purchased. To top off our interesting day, we visited Hans Cottage and Botel (Boat/Hotel). We had lunch here, but the interesting part followed our feast. One of the co-workers took us to the side of the boat/restaurant where crocodiles appeared. There are about 40 crocs that live in the water surrounding the restaurant. She claims that she has trained them and let us pet the crocs. One at a time she led us to the tail of the croc where we were able to crouch down and pet its back. Let me remind you that this is Africa, and that NO, the crocodiles mouths were not taped. It was a very daunting feeling getting close to such a large creature, but a once in a life time experience none the less.