The trip itinerary had us detouring three hours on a notoriously terrible road to see the Egyptian Plover, a highlight for most birders. I thought Richard would hug us when Connie said we had seen the Plover in Cameroon. Even so, it was along drive to Kumasi. Richard amazes us with his route finding. With no GPS and very few signs, he is still able to find improbable ways to bypass towns and traffic. They’re not always good roads, hardly ever scenic and we’ll have to take his word that we saved time. But never have we gotten lost.
An upside for us in giving the Egyptian Plover a miss, in addition to an extra hour of sleep, was a brief visit to Larabanga Ancient Mosque, the oldest mosque in Ghana, perhaps in West Africa. It isn’t surprising that this part of Ghana is mostly Muslim, bordered as it is by Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire. James had arranged for a local man to show us around and explain the history of the mosque. Whichhedidforfiveminutesinanunpuctuatednonstopwhisper, most of which I didn’t catch.
We weren’t allowed inside but he Wikipedia edition of his talk says Larabanga was built in 1421 by Ayuba, an Islamic trader who was told to do so in a dream. When he awoke the foundations were already there. The baobab tree, legend has it, marks his grave. Larabanga has had several facelifts, the most recent in 2023. And the tiny mosque has four entrances; one for men, one for women, one for the muezzin another for the imam.
This is also a backwards part of Ghana where many live in thatch-roofed “bandas” or “rondovals.” Charcoal is the chief fuel for cooking. Trucks heaped high with bags of charcoal are lumber along the roads and huge bags are stacked in every village. James said a $5 bag will last a week or so. For those who can’t afford the bulk quantity, entrepreneurial villages repackage charcoal into small shopping bags. Others make a few ceti selling yams, a Ghanan staple. That the wood for the charcoal is obtained legally is highly doubtful. Sorry, Andrea.
