We got up this morning at 4:00, left the mission house at 4:30 and got back to Yendi 15 hours later. Today was the day we did some sightseeing and of course “shopping”! We went up to Bolgatanga. Bolgatanga is the last big town before reaching the northern border of Ghana. Everyone calls it Bolga for short. Bolga is famous for its hand woven grass baskets and leather works. If any of you have been to visit the “Ark” or shop at TJ Maxx you have probably seen Bolga baskets.
Our first stop was the Pikworo slave camp. It was one of the holding places for the slaves that were gathered from neighboring countries and from warring tribes inside Ghana. The slaves were held and sold at this camp site before they made the almost 400 mile march to the coast of Ghana to be boarded onto the ships.
Next we went to the crocodile pond to see the crocodiles personal and up close. I mean really close up! We purchased a couple of small chickens and the men that work there used the cries from the chickens to call the crocodiles out of the water. Some of the crocodiles are tame (I use that word very loosely) and will let you pick up their tail and squat over their back for a photo. The crocodiles are sacred to the villagers and they believe that they are their ancestors. When a crocodile dies they give it the same type of funeral and burial that they give their own relatives. It is considered good luck if a crocodile decides to make her nest inside your compound. (I am not sure who it is good luck for!)
We went to the basket market and to the cultural center but we bought very little. The basket weavers and vendors have been hard hit because the Covid restrictions and border closings have affected their business. Many of the shops had to close because they could not make a living.
When we passed through Tamale on our way back to Yendi we stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken; yes we now have a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Tamale, and got something for supper. We did not want to have to worry about cooking when we got back to the mission house.
As we were passing through the second to the last village before we got to Yendi the guys saw the electricity go off. Thank goodness for the generator. We pulled into a dark compound and the first thing Steve did was turn on the generator. We will sleep cool tonight thanks to the generator. We were proud to be back safe and sound.
Thank you for your love, prayers and support.
In His service,
Steve, Kandie, Marcus and Taylor
