Weekend Update

One of the advantages of doing an elective overseas is that on your days off there are new unique opportunities available. This weekend Dr Wester and I decided to make the 7 hour trek north to Ghana’s Mole National Park. Joe from the hospital volunteered to be our driver for the weekend and we asked him if he wanted to bring his oldest son Carlos along. Carlos is a teenager and Joe had to ask to be sure (Hey you want to go to a national park with two strange American doctors and your dad?). I’m not sure exactly how Joe phrased it, but Carlos came along. The trip up is five hours on the main north south road. Then two hours on a gravel road that has a large number of surface deficiencies.

On the way up we took a break and stopped at Kintampo waterfall. It’s a toasty humid walk into the jungle, but the view was well worth it.

Soon afterwards we were back on our way north. The last two hours were rough and I acquired a new respect for the Nissan truck that the hospital lent us. After a day of travel it was nice to see our destination.

We signed into the park and made our way to the Mole Motel. It’s a nice little place to stay in the park overlooking a watering hole for the animals. On checking in, we found the room to be secured by a trio of animals.


Dr. Wester asked if she could pet them. I recommended avoiding personal contact with the wild animals. The next morning we awoke and made our way to the walking safari. The tour was hot, but we were able to get close to a group of elephants and see some other animals. Our tour guide was a fantastic and knowledgeable individual who seemed to really enjoy his work.

At the end of the walk he allowed me to get a picture of him in front of the staff canteen. Don’t worry about the gun. It’s only there to protect against “overly aggressive animals.” That evening I sat on the small platform overlooking the wilderness, had a tasty cold beverage, and watched the sun go down on West Africa.

The next morning we awoke and began the journey home. On the way we stopped to see one of the oldest mosques in West Africa. A local group of villagers took us on the tour and allowed us to take some pictures. The structure was constructed in 1420 and is still in use for daily prayer.

On the way back to Kumasi we briefly stopped at a local village for a picture or two.

I even got to do some work. On the walking tour I meet a British 4th year medical student working at a clinic in Tamale. When she found out we were physicians she pulled out her digital camera and started getting curbside consults on some of her more unusual cases. It was a long car ride, but overall it was a great weekend. If you do get the opportunity to go to a foreign country make sure you get out and see some of the areas off the tourist map.