Dec. 26

Not much was planned for this day. Certain people woke early, 6:45 to go on a driving safari, while others stayed in bed till ten and did not venture from their room till lunch was to be had. The elephants were able to be viewed much closer on the driving safari then on the previous day's walking one, but other than that nothing much was different. Lunch and naps were had, then onto the bus to travel to the starting point for our canoe safari.

We stopped at Mongnori to pick up our canoe rowers, one of which was titled “Lion Man” due to having at one point in his life punched a lion a few times and that same lion being found dead a little while later so is said to have killed a lie, thought the truth of the matter the lion had been caught and wounded severely in a trap earlier, thus leading to both his attacking the man, and his ultimate demise. We left and went to the river, a tributary of the white volta, where our rowers tried to convince us to pile too many into the first loaded of the two canoes. We tried it anyway for a brief period, we both were in this boat both after and, before unloading people to wait on the shore.

No more than a few birds were seen while we were in the water. Upon returning to the starting point, after brief jaunt upriver then back down, we sat speaking to our guide as the second canoe, which had been the first up the river and back made another trip with the remaining people. He told us about some of the people in the area and how he was sometimes 'lent' out to tourist groups as a guide for the rest of the country. We went back to the village, were our rowers went about their business while we visited a shea home. We got a demonstration of the process of making shea butter. After this a brief summary of the design on the walls of the houses in the village and the thatched roofs. The designs came about as a way of recording the home's history and as a calendar for children's ages and other events but sadly is now just a design element and holds little to no meaning to the population.

We then went to meet the chief to tell him our mission in his village, our guide told us about the two different chief traditions in the country one of which has chiefs sitting on stools, the other on skins. He also told us some of the responsibilities of the chief.

Then dancing. We will let some of the pictures tell that story. Back into the bus, and back to Mole Motel.

Two more have succumb to Cheetah Fever. Tammi fell sometime in the night, much to Chris's dismay, I can only imagine what it would be like, awaking next to a full blown cheetah where once was your quite human wife. Emily noted spots soon after we broke from lunch, and thought best to ask that she be locked in her room as a quarantine procedure. Both seemed to have fully cleared up by dinner, Tammi even seemed tamed that she was able to attend the river safari with us without worries that she would eat one of us. We assume that once you have gone through the change and recovered that you are immune. I will be watching Chris closely however for any change in tones.

Caitlian is now royalty, we are awaiting a bride price of an acceptable amount for her hand, the current being a hundred goats, four cattle, and a chicken. She will be here for three months for the proper ceremonies, and will be wed to the Chief of Mongnori. Thus she will not be traveling back home to the U.S.A. with us. Sorry.

Nikolai And Nathan