Christmas Elephants

Christmas Eve we woke up in Tamale in a super king sized bed. Dani had the middle spot and a good nights sleep whilst Maddy & I were on either edge both battling during the night to stay on the bed as Dani did her best to hog it all!


We went off shopping in Tamale, Dani & I trying to find somewhere for breakfast, which wasn't easy - I was either blind or Tamale seriously lacks somewhere for a coffee in the centre of town! We wandered around the market, sent e-mails home whilst Maddy organised our bus tickets to Mole National Park, she managed to get the final 3 seats! We eventually got back to the hotel to pick up our packs and headed back to the bus station to be greeted with chaos. The Mole bus was (as we'd heard was normal) 4hrs late, we waited in the sun for what seemed like forever before it finally pulled into the bus station.

Yet again the journey was fraught; a Ghanian man who didnt have a reserved seat decided to sit on Dani - all hell broke loose and 2 Danes on board with us also tried to help out, she found it all rather amusing; I was fuming!!!


Arriving at Mole Motel in Mole National Park I was thrilled that something had gone right. I'd rung from France in November to reserve a room, something I never normally do; preferring to do my own thing rather than being time pressured by reservations. However this year was a bit different and for a 12yr old from New Zealand to see elephants for Christmas would be a bit special! We were given our room key only to find warthogs blocking the way to the room which made it all the more real for Dani ... We had a meal with our new found friends Aksel & Marie, the Danes before heading back to the room to finish the whisky Maddy had brought with her & the gin I'd bought in Casablanca airport. I was madly wrapping Christmas presents on the veranda outside our room whilst Dani was sleeping probably convinced that we'd forgotten it was Christmas & that she wouldn't get any presents!

We awoke in our hospital ward like room, enormous with an en-suite bathroom but no running water at 6am to go out on a bush walk at 6.30am. Dani woke with a flashing Christmas hat on her head, a stocking full of wrapped presents at the end of her bed & the day started well.

Joining Aksel & Marie (who were staying in their tent!) we wandered over to the park office and met DK our guide and started the walk being told not to drop any litter. Fair enough! So the first place he took us to was outside the staff quarters which had a lot of warthogs, baboons & monkeys all drifting through the staff rubbish dump, full of tins, plastic and other environmentally unfriendly objects.



We didn't see that much wildlife with our guide, DK bushbuck, crocodiles, kob antelope, baboons, monkeys & warthog and after almost 2hrs walking we headed back up the hill to the Motel which overlooks the watering hole below. I decided that Christmas Day was laundry day; the water was back on for a time so I was filling buckets so I'd have a bit to do the clothes in when we heard knocking on our door & someone screaming 'there's elephants'. Everyone rushed to the viewing point over the waterhole and sure enough there was an elephant. DK returned and
took everyone down to the watering hole, Dani got within 30m of her Christmas elephant! I was standing at the top of the hill watching them all when I spotted 3 more come out of the bush ...

We spent the afternoon by the pool, having lunch, being proposed to by a Chinese construction worker and watching other guests being attacked by a few thieving monkeys!!!