Cape Coast

Today in Ghana we went on a mini-break to Cape Coast.

My absolute favorite part of the day was the canopy skywalk that took us through the rain forest canopy.

 

I can't remember the last time I felt so alive, energized, and awed. Being up 10,000 feet at the top of the rainforest reminded me that all of this, all of Africa, all the people, the plants, everything is His creation.


The Canopy Walk


A (still inaccurate) attempt to show you how high up we really were. The floor is much further down.

I also got to live my dream of drinking coconut milk out of a real live coconut. 

On a much sadder note, the second place we visited was the Cape Coast slave castle. 

We took a guided tour, and things we learned awed me in a completely different way. We visited the dungeons where captives were held in the dark for sometimes three months before being released onto a slave ship. They were forced to live, eat, and sleep in their own urine, vomit, and feces which climbed the walls as high as three feet. The feeling of solemnity I felt inside the dungeon stays with me now, even after a happy and filling dinner of fried chicken and jollof. 


Mostly I can't believe that we as humans are capable of doing that to one- another. Where was God in all of this? To add a little irony in the mix, the Englishmen held church in a room above the dungeon. As our guide so eloquently put it, "they were singing their praises to Heaven while above the living hell". Despite it all, the Ghanaians continue to remind me through their signs and store titles that God is good. And if they don't forget it, neither will I.

Now we are in the car on our long drive back to Accra. It was a wonderful day, and I am falling more and more in love with Africa every second. The scenery alone is just so beautiful, not to mention that delicious food and genuinely kind people.

 

I haven't done any actual work yet, having arrived on a Friday. Also, I am feeling healthy and in good spirits besides the jet lag that dominates me everyday. Tomorrow we plan to visit a market and go to church. Glorious! Will keep you posted.

PS. I want to introduce you to my friend Bismark.

He is one of the Unite for Sight drivers and he was the one who was kind enough to drive us three and a half hours each way.