Accra to Parakou-back to Benin May19-25

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3 Days of luxury at the New Haven Hotel in Accra spoiled us. Air con internet at all times day and night at Busy internet to complete our business and catch up and beer and junk food interspersed with a little sightseeing. we met up with the rest and off we went.We travelled north East to Lake Volta and camped by the dam. Lots of water sports and the biggest dam in West Africa. This little travelled area was very beautiful. We continued our unusual route and travelled further up visiting the highest waterfalls with 1000's bats and crossed into Togo at an isolated border post and then on through the highlands of Togo.We camped at a school and were surrounded by 100's of pupils while we cooked our dinner.Moving on we spent a day in Lome and again lots of memories but this time no riots. Lome was once a beautiful waterfront city with beautiful beaches and cafes. If you stepped on the beaches now after wading through faeces, the muggers would get you.
Togo is only 50 kms wide so we were in Benin before we knew it and memories again. We did not get caught up in any border gunfire this time.We got to Oudiah and camped in the National monument to Slavery "The Gates of no return"-26 some dirty overlanders with their tents around this moving monument and cooking at the gates. A half day stop in Cotonou and memories again. This city is still very dangerous and still a dirty rundown dump. Moving on it was Abomey next and the home of Voodoo. Everywhere was fetish markets ,witchdoctors and voodoo ceremonies which we attended. Quite amazing. Then to Ganvie and the city on stilts in a lake-a must see. These people have lived here for a couple of hundred years-first to avoid slavers but now for fishing. Up north to Parakou to continue our unusual transit of these tiny slivers of countries.So that is it for Togo and Benin.

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Photos

Benin Waterfalls
Highest in West Africa

The Gates of No Return
Ouidah Benin-National monument to Slavery

Comments

[Christa]

Voodoo in Benin and Togo
Hi, Annie and Phil, It´s a really interesting description of your tour in West Africa. When you write about Abomey it reminds me again of what I saw when I visited Togo and Benin. During that tour I took part in several voodoo ceremonies. This tour resulted in a book with 120 pages with 166 photos . The complete book can be previewed on the Internet. Christa Neuenhofer, TOGO AND BENIN: HOMELANDS OF VOODOO ( http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/870153 )