It's raining!

I have been very happy for a week in Ghana as we had been told it was the rainy season, but we never had a drop.

Well all that changed as we undertook the 4 hour journey to Kakum National Park yesterday, as it rained all the way there, non-stop after we arrived and all the way back!

It was a pleasant outing though.

This park covers approximately 145 sq miles and was the initiative nitiative of the local people

It has a canopy walkway which is over a thousand feet long, rising atop some of the tallest trees I have ever seen.

As one who is unashamedly scared of heights I refused to do more than one of the 6 walkways.☺

The theory is that you can see some Ghanaian wildlife from above, but the animals are smarter than us though, for they stay home on the rainy days, so we saw none.

There is a tree house there for those who want to overnight and try their luck the next day.

 I did see a mad human though.

He had his passport and wallet with money , credit cards id etc in hand while trying to take a picture with his phone.

Then somehow everything fell overboard into the thick forest below. 

 A guide did say he would go down (he marked the spot) and try to find it, but I would be shocked if they found anything under that thick undergrowth.

My daughter, her friend and and my granddaughter loved the canopy walk and did the entire circuit.

Good for them.

They didn't have a sign which says I 'partially' survived the walk, so I was allowed to stand under it anyway.😷

I learned a few interesting things on this trip though. 

1) Most of the trees, foods and plants they have, we have them too. (In Jamaica)

I didn't see any breadfruit though and in describing it, I concluded that they have never seen or heard of ii.

2) They make wine from palm but although am an unapologetic wine drinker, didn't try it and was told I was wise as it was bitter and tasted weird. 

And it explodes if you don't drink it right away!😡

3) They tend to use plantains more like how we use bananas and only use the banana as a fruit. (ripened)

4) Although we Jamaicans imported Anancy from them, they haven't taken scamming to heart wholeheartedly as we have.  So for example, praedial larceny ( stealing farmers' crops) is non-existent.

5) Ghana has no natural disasters. No earthquakes, no hurricanes, no volcanic eruptions. 

All that happens is that sometimes they have a little landslide and some flooding during the rainy season.

We got a great experience in how disciplined they are as drivers. On our return trip there was a landslide that affected our side of the dual carriageway and all drivers simply  turned around and took the lane on the other side of the carriageway. 

No serious boring, no impatience, no honking of horns, no fights, no pulling of weapons, no cursing and swearing at others, no mishaps etc. 

It was an amazingly disciplined operation although there were no police there to maintain order or give directions.

I was  very impressed.

'Indestructible' Pompeii!

Mount Vesuvius hovers ominously in the background

I think from I was born I have been hearing about Pompeii.

You see, my late father just happened to have been a history buff and he reveled in the stories about ancient Greece and Rome, so naturally tales about Pompeii  which was established around the 6 to 7th century BC and which was overrun by both these colonisers at one time or the other, became part of the almost daily fabric.

According to history, Pompeii grew in importance until it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Ad 79, and it remained buried for over 1500 years. Wikipedia also reports that Mount Vesuvius has erupted several times since then and is the only volcano in Europe which has erupted in the last 100 years.  

Our tour guide also revealed that the last eruption was in 1944 and although it is still considered one of the most dangerous volcanos in the world, some 3,000,000 people have made the surrounding areas their home. I suppose they take comfort from the fact that the oldest observatory is stationed there and everyone (residents and tourists alike) get totally free medical care once they are on Italian soil!

Quite frankly, despite this early exposure to that famed city, visiting it was never on my bucket list, however when I discovered that the Mediterranean cruise I  was taking was calling at the port of  Naples,  a mere half hour drive from Pompeii, you know who had to join that tour and it is probably the best decision I have made for the entire year too! 

The first inspiring thing I  learnt on the the tour was the fact that the tour company we were using, only used history majors as their tour guides. What wonderful news for someone who just revels in history, as no matter how many stories one hears and publications one reads, nothing beats actually walking on the soil with someone who sounds like he has actually lived during the years when the great city was a force to be reckoned with. 

These skeletons dating back 1000 years were preserved by the volcanic eruptions

And we actually saw skeletons of some of those residents who lived there before the Romans arrived which had been found  well preserved by the larva. 

A really impressive aspect of the ancient Pompeii is the grid system they used to design the streets, something so practical and relevant today that it was copied by those who designed New York city many centuries later. 

To actually walk on the streets that were constructed centuries ago with even humps that pedestrians could walk on to prevent them getting their feet dirtied and soaked by the sewage which ran freely on the streets in all those ancient cites, gave one a real insight into the brilliant thought process of those who lived so many centuries before we did.  

The streets were made with humps on which pedestrians could walk to avoid stepping in raw sewage

What is absolutely amazing about this indestructible city is that despite many assaults from earthquakes and volcanoes, so much remains behind to indicate the level of sophistication of those who lived in the ancient city or used it as a vacation destination. For example, it really bowled me over seeing the evidence that around 80 BC, while the Romans occupied Pompeii, they actually established a complex hydro system, gymnasium and even a spa and sauna. 

Wall papered family home!

At the ruins too we saw a well preserved family home with all the creature comforts of that period and remnants of a bakery.

Walking among those ruins was the experience of a lifetime.

Ruins of Pompeii

A PICTORIAL JOURNEY

JOAN WILLIAMS,  moderator of Joan Williams on Line  broadcast on POWER 106, describes herself as an unapologetic addict to the Jamaican outdoors. A foundation member of FUN AND THRILLS ADVENTURE CLUB, she explores the island at any given opportunity cycling, hiking or swimming with that group, family, Jah 3 and anyone else who will have her. In 1995, she published the popular TOUR JAMAICA and the 4^thedition is now an ebook available at;

http://www.amazon.com/Tour-Jamaica-Joan-Williams-ebook/dp/B00EJWCSHS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389464644&sr=8-1&keywords=tour+jamaica+by+joan+williams

Contact; gratestj@gmail.com