The Vultures at Busua Beach

We heard that the best beach in Ghana is Busua Beach.  It is about a 5 hour drive west of Accra.  So, you really have to want to go there.  You probably also need a 4 day weekend or more to make it worth the drive. 

And we found it to be all that it is reputed to be.  It is a beautiful beach that stretches far and wide.  There is a little island with 2 palm trees out in the water, more scenic than something you really need to visit by canoe or kayak (but you can). 

The sand slopes very gradually from the beach. The waves are particularly great.  As a last thought to our packing, we tossed in the Boogie Boards.  We seem to have retained all that our children taught us on the beaches in California years ago.  We had such fun.  It felt like you could ride the wave forever before you got to the beach.

On one of our beach walks we headed toward a large group of birds.  They were too far away to really distinguish.  As we got closer,  we realized that they were vultures.  They thought we were interesting, but allowed us to come within feet of them and never scattered or took flight.  We got to see how they dry their wings by holding them open to the wind.  And, yes, they were feasting on gifts from the fishermen.  Bon apetite!     

A Troop of Baboons

Yes, a bunch of baboons is officially called a "troop" of baboons. 

We were driving with Elder and Sister Dickson to attend Sunday Services in Kpong, Ghana. We had been driving for 45 minutes.  Imagine our complete surprise when we noticed something dark in the middle of the road ahead.  As we got closer, it was in fact a troop of baboons, feasting on breakfast.  A box had fallen off a truck onto the side of the road and apparently had some good pickings.

It was interesting to see right up close just how big they are.  They were totally unafraid of us or the cars going by.  We did not get out of the car, but got a few good pictures.  It was adorable to see the little ones clinging to their mothers as they crossed the road.  They all seemed very savvy about traffic in the road.   We also observed some grooming behavior.  

Imagine living with the same group of people for your entire life. Not just staying connected to the same group through letters and phone calls, or even sharing a house with someone for your whole adult life, but literally being within 100 meters of the same set of people from the time you are born until the time you die.

For humans, of course, this is unimaginable. Even the closest family separates during the day to their various jobs and schools, and kids grow up and form their own families in their own homes. Baboons, however, live their entire lives in close and continuous proximity not only to friends and family but also to opponents.  That makes for some interesting dynamics.