Today we had an opportunity to visit some interesting sites around the area. First we visited a famous crocodile pond.The Crocodiles of Paga pond are protected by a promise given to them by Prince Panlogo. The ancient crocs had guaranteed the Prince’s safety in exchange for an eternal pledge of protection. With certain death trailing him- he made the deal and ever afterward kept his promise.
The current crocodiles- three hundred in number- enjoy their time at Paga Pond together surviving on a healthy diet of fish and chicken. As their human protectors in Paga tell us, the crocodiles quite enjoy crawling, hunched-back, onto the shore in order to let tourists hold their scaly tails. I hope, anyway, that the crocodiles enjoyed our exchange more than I. You might see from the photos that most of our group had a different feeling and seem to rather enjoy holding coarse crocodile bits.
It was only two dollars to see, experience, and cuddle the sacred crocs of Paga and then only three dollars more to buy a sacrificial chicken. At Paga they use poultry to lure the crocodiles from their liquid hovel by waving them over the pond so as to encourage the chickens to squawk wildly. I’m not sure what process the crocs use to determine who will go on shore and retrieve the tasty morsel but it must be one of the most peaceful and dignified. There wasn't a horde of crocodiles rushing toward the chicken but instead one single croc politely slid out of the water and toddled toward us a few paces. The croc then paused before turning sideways and composing himself with the precision of a supermodel. Shortly there after another croc appeared behind the first, creeping a bit before stopping, partly submerged, in another perfect pose.
We then took turns, rather awkwardly, holding the crocodile’s chewed-off tail as he sat silently breathing with his jaws widely ajar. We each got our photos “snapped” as our new tongue-less friends patiently awaited their prize: a live chicken. After the crocs were tossed their prize they both slid smoothly back into the pond. After they were gone I noticed something small above the pond: I watched as a solitary chicken feather fell lightly on the still waters (sniffle-poor lil' bird).Next we headed for the large dam of Navrongo built in the early 80’s. As always we rode in the back of Pok’s Nissan truck. He had made it quite comfortable for the six of us including a bench,
a couch, and a nice canvass covering. It is always entertaining to ride in the Nissan during the day, watching the landscape and waving at everybody as we pass. Children are especially exuberant when they see us, jumping up and down, waving energetically, and calling out “Solmia!” (White man!). At night the truck has its own unique charm- smells become more accentuated and alive while the sounds surrounding us become vibrant and pulsating. The sounds squeeze in around, the world becoming a noisy stadium with the resonance of frogs echoing off the sorghum stalks.We were riding to the dam on a dirt road deeply pitted by pools of rain and mud. If we had looked more closely at the road we might have guessed what would happen next…however we were too busy waving. Stuck. The Nissan was suddenly caught by the mud and our right side began sinking fast. We hopped out to asses the situation. “Try stepping on it!”… “Try moving back!”… “Maximize the suspension!”… “Left the back!”… “Put some branches under the tires!” …. “Time to Dig!”
Soon, some local men came down the road and helped us dig and push. David and Isaac, dressed better than the rest of us, happily took off their shoes, rolled up their pants and jumped into about three feet of rich mud and began to dig. Due to everyone's hard work we were out and on our way within an hour. We stopped at the dam for a few moments before getting back in the truck and hurrying to dry ground. We had a dinner date at Mama Laadi’s place- always a wonderful conclusion to the day.--Danielle
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