Cape Coast Weekend (Day Two)

We made our only stop on Sunday about half an hour up the road at Kakum National Park.  It sparkles on the scale of all things that are spectacular and is located in the dead middle of the rainforest.  Rainforest! 

                                      

Kakum is best known for its series of hanging bridges that skirt the canopy layer of the rainforest. 

rainforest canopy

Nets and wires connect 7 platforms that run the length of over 330 meters. I'm not normally afraid of heights, but it's a terrifying sensation to be suspended above the air by a series of 2-by-4s and mesh netting.  Coupled with this, we were told not to expect to see too many animals but if we were quiet and kept our eyes open, a monkey might grace us with its presence.  I hate monkeys.  

close up 

the super cute Ghanaian family dressed up in the same print fabric

the narrowness 

fear face

side view 

But the walk was exhilarating in a heart stopping kind of way.  

We followed this with a guided tour of the plant life in the forest learning the medicinal value of much of the foliage.  For example:

Fagara (Zanthoxylum Chevalieri)--a flowering citrus-type plant that's deadly if pushed into one 

the tallest tree in this part of the rainforest 

weird girl, big tree

no idea but it looked cool 

We finished off with a stop in a gift shop and on the way we had two brushes with wildlife--first we witnessed a colony of ants devour a crushed scorpion.  Then, we accidentally interrupted a colony of fire ants on the march. They ended up on my shoes, crawling up my ankles, scratching and clawing their way up.  Folks, if I can impart one nugget of wisdom, can I just say this: fire ants are given their name for a reason.  

And that's what I learned in the rainforest.