June 30, 2015, Tafo, Ghana 鈥 At breakfast, I talked a little bit with Illiesu, the Ghanaian birder who joined us yesterday. He is 28 and just started birding in 2012 (though he already knows most of the birds and their calls) after Kalu got him interested. Illiesu said that he鈥檚 not into it for the living a bird guide makes, or as a business (though he hopes to start leading trips on his own soon), but because 鈥渋t makes you crazy鈥 and 鈥渇or the adventure.鈥 Now that鈥檚 something I can relate to! I said I was less than a year older than him, and he seemed fascinated. 鈥淭his is very inspiring for me,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never met a birder my own age鈥擨 thought they were all really old.鈥 He got a faraway look in his eyes.
Behind him, on the plateau below us, were three elephants (one of which, ahem, appeared to have five legs鈥攓uite impressive). I was a little sad that we had to leave Mole National Park after only one full day, but the clock is ticking鈥攕o, after just a couple hours of birding there this morning, Kalu, Yaw, and I went south, dropping off Illiesu en route so he could return home.
The rest of the day was spent in transit. The plan is to return to the forest for one more full day tomorrow before I continue to Cameroon on Thursday. I watched the length of Ghana slide past the window in a stream of colors: Iron-red dirt, sooty-black exhaust, bright dresses, brown villages, bowls of fruit balanced on top of smooth-shaven heads.
Ghana is a God-fearing country, and it鈥檚 fashionable to show your faith here in every way possible. As we endured the afternoon traffic in Kumasi, I entertained myself by reading business names: The End Time Cold Store, the Saint Computer Service, God Is In Control Sewing & Decoration, the Sweet Mother Bar, By His Grace Phones, With God Carpentry Works Shop, the Blood Of Jesus Sewing Center, the Holy Driving Institute, and, last but not least, the Nothing But Christ Electrical Shop!
New birds today: 9
Year list: 3331
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