Did I really just sit on a crocodile?!!

I mean, flipping heck! The minute I start to feel confident on the bike, and begin to say goodbye to the hot sweats and flushes of fear, they decide to throw us at a bunch of crocodiles! Why oh why can I never just say no?!!!

As if the motorbike ride for three hours out to Paga wasn't stressful enough, we were to meet some crocodiles when we got there. Maybe that's why they do it, so that we feel like the moto-riding really isn't that scary at all. Or maybe they are just mad. Either way, here we are on another crazy adventure!

The ride out was long but a lot of fun and we visited a lovely little town called Sirigu on the way where they have distinctive buildings painted in red, black and white, and are known for making and selling all kinds of handmade crafts, art, woven baskets, fabrics and jewellery. We relaxed there and did some sopping, and it was all fairly tame and nice compared to what was about to come. Kind of like the calm before the storm, or the peace before the stress!

We rode another hour or so and arrived hot and fairly exhilarated at the Eco-tourism project in Paga. We started to melt in the heat as soon as we took off our helmets so were ushered into a little hut where a few men were waiting around lazily and a few little chickens were wandering around on the floor pecking aimlessly and nervously at the ground. A few negotiations took place between Baba our instructor and the organisers of the 'crocodile experience', including some kind of odd conversation about the price of chickens, and then we were bundled outside and towards the 'sacred crocodile pools'. I am glad I hadn't read the guidebook before we went there...I have since discovered that there are about 200 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) crocs of various ages and sizes living in these pools. Oh my god. What were we doing?????!!!!

Local tradition has it that Paga was founded by a guy called Naveh, the grandson of an important chief who had a crocodile totem. When the old chief died, his son Paniogo lost the succession dispute, and the followers had to flee from their homes on horseback chased by soldiers. They came to a river, and in desperation asked a crocodile for help, he pledged that in return he and his followers would never again harm a crocodile. The crocodile dived into the water and beat his tail so hard that the water parted, allowing them to cross to the other side. They settled in a place close to a crocodile pool which was declared to be sacred. Another story is that years later, Navah went missing from home because he had fallen into an aardvark hole that collapsed in on him, and he was stuck. A crocodile found him and helped him to find a way out, and so the crocodile legend goes on. I read this in the Ghana travel book, and the guides today are attempting to re-iterate the story,, but somehow I just cannot be convinced that these creatures would ever in any way be in the mood to be friendly and helpful, especially as in the corner of my eye I can see them crawling towards us, dark slobbery mouths with huge sharp teeth wide open gaping at me and drooling with hunger!!! Their beady eyes too just give me the shivers.

As we crossed the scrubby grassland past a few lost looking donkeys and confused goats (do they have no idea that crocs live here?!!!) we came closer to the croc pool, and slowly but surely a number of what looked like brown logs began to move eerily towards us from the depths of the pool towards the shallower waters. They were really hard to spot at first, it was like looking at a magic picture, where when you start to spot one thing in the picture you can then spot another and another and it all eventually comes into focus. By the time my picture was in focus I was feeling pretty nauseous as there must have been at least 15 crocs all by the shore, all floating together towards the shore and some crawling in a slow step, step, step, motion onto the pool banks and towards us muggings standing there staring at them. Some just stayed perched at the banks, pointing in our direction with their mouths wide open. I think that's what made me feel most uncomfortable - the fact that they just sit there with their mouths wide open, slow and steady and menacing with their now-you-see-me-now-you-don't grey-green camouflage skin. Brrrr, it makes me shudder again thinking about it. But, for some crazy reason, there we all were, hiding behind the guides, wanting to get close to the crocodiles, but not wanting to be the first one just in case they snapped!

There was one rather large beast of a croc, a brave soul who practically marched straight up to the guides; clearly he knew the reward he would get for playing to the guides commands and allowing us crazy white tourists to perch one by one on his back in order to have our photos taken. At first I thought there was not a chance on this planet I could do it, I honestly felt sick looking at the big ugly thing. But as all the others took it in turns to confidently stride up there and straddle it's back and pose for photos, holding the tail too as they got off, I remembered the rather cocky phone-call I had made to my nephew earlier that day, telling him so confidently that his aunty Emma is going to sit on a crocodile today and thought to myself he'll think I am a right chicken if I don't actually do it now! So reluctantly, and squealingly, I did! Now, don't be laughing at the photos, I mean being on the back of this prickly spiky deathly creature posing nicely for a photograph was not at the forefront of my mind!

Whilst this entire hullabaloo was going on around Big Croc, we had barely noticed that the others were now feeling more confident too, and were slowly crawling on their big bellies towards us, surrounding us in a menacing circle, mouths wide open all white teeth and pink tongues, yuk. So we made a swift exit and headed back to the safety of the hut, barely noticing the flutter of chicken feathers scattering behind us as we left!

I am very proud of my achievement today - something I had not expected I would be doing in my life, never mind whilst on motorbike training in Ghana!

With love from the croc pool!

xx