GHANA OVER-RUN BY JULANDERS......Part One-A

Over a period of three weeks, four Julanders made the long and arduous trek from Utah to visit their grateful missionary parents. Justin and Logan arrived September 1st. The following pictures, taken by the two of them, chronicle half of week one of their adventures. (Between our three sons, they shot over 3,000 pictures......so we will most likely do at least 6 blogs!!!)

We went from the airport to the Ancillary on Temple Square where we stayed the first night. We did a temple session the next morning, then left Accra and took the following pictures on our way home to Takoradi.

Woman selling Plantain chips, Accra

                                             Strange, unusual, and colorful building we saw on our way to Takoradi

                                                                                                                            Pedestrian overpass

Interesting display of bikes and tricycles.

                                                                    JD wasn't here (yet) to see his fast food joint

                                                                                  Accra street-side market

One of hundreds of road-side 
fruit and veggie stands.

Old fort outside of Cape Coast, built to protect the slave castle.

Logan has never, in his entire life, had a "store-bought" haircut and hadn't had one since we left in December! So, he had been awaiting his "free" ($1,500.00 +) " haircut from his mom. 

Being a non-conventional child, he opted for a hideous "bowllet" - combination bowl cut and mullet - before the "real thing".

With a decent length of hair, he and Justin (who also got a mom-cut) were ready to go on splits with 2 of our beloved missionaries.

                                               Justin      Elder Odongo      Elder Shinasi      Logan

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 We went to Kakum Rainforest where we did the Canopy Walk and also the Forest Walk. From there we went back toward Cape Coast, stopping at the Crocodile Pond @ Hans Botel...
yes, you read that correctly, "Botel".

                                              

                                                                                                               

                                    

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Our next adventure took us to the Cape Coast Festival Parade where we loved watching the people as  much as the parade. Our boys were just as impressed by the children and babies here as we have been, especially the children on their mother's backs. 

                                                                                        Flag twirling dancer      
                                                       
                      From left: Tareasa, mission home cook & maid, Sis. Stevenson, Sister J, Elder J. and Logan

Just a few of the girls representing
the medical field. They ranged in
age from around 4 to 15 years, and were ALL wearing wigs!

                                                                                                        

             The parade was all about showing off the chiefs from local villages and towns, who were "literally" carried on the 
                                                                                       heads of their "underlings".

                                                                                                 Brass Band

                                                                                  Drummers for the Chief

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                 After the parade, we made our way back down the street toward the beach and the
                                                              Cape Coast Slave Castle.

5-chamber male slave dungeon, where up to 1,000 slaves were held, waiting for the ships to arrive.