A Million Minutes in Africa

We visited a gold mine in Ghana. Ha, ha, no, we didn’t get free samples.  However, the place was impressively modern and full of fancy equipment, at least compared to the mine we visited in Bolivia.

Before entering the mine, we put on jumpsuits and hardhats. We also got headlamps with heavy battery packs that strapped to our belts.

We took a long elevator down 24 levels. Each level is about 100 feet down.  You do the math. This is one of the tunnels we walked.  This one has a track for the metro… but, seriously, mostly you walk through puddles and muck.

Have you ever seen someone with such a difficult job seem so serene?

Most of the men allowed us to take photos as they worked.  Ah, yes, just a couple of tourists passing through, guys.  Have a nice day.

These guys actually look happy to be here, despite the incredible heat and air full of particles and not a whole lot of oxygen, or nitrogen, or whatever makes that fresh air such a pleasure to breathe.

The people who run the mine are safety conscious. Other people find skulls and bolts of electricity to be hysterical.

On the way back to the surface, we shared the elevator with 20 or more miners.  OK, so here is a test.  One of these men is not a miner.  Would you have noticed if we didn’t tell you?

Dan the Safety Man is pleased to be breathing fresh air again. My shirt is completely soaked not from a gentle afternoon downpour.  No, that is all sweat.  We walked for three hours through the stale, diesel exhaust-tinged air punctuated by the ear-piercing noise of digging machines.  Desk job look good now.