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Published: December 20th 2007
Houses on stilts
Long pillars are used as the foundation for all structures on the lake to raise them above the water.After some less than desirable experiences in Togo, we were glad to get to the beach at Grand Popo. We had a nice relaxing day on the beach and swiming in the pool. It was just what we needed. We had the opportunity to observe a turtle conservation project on the beach. At midnight a group of 16 of us started walking down the beach (or running) chasing after the conservationalists who were searching for a turtle that was laying its eggs. It was not well explained before hand (language barrier) that we would be running 10km searching for turtle eggs from 12am to 2am. After 15-20 minutes Kathie and I were the first to turn around and go back to camp. In the end, only 5 people made it to see the turtle and they actually had a pretty interesting experience. When the turtle was finished, the eggs were dug up and loaded into the 'conservationist' backpack. Then the turtle was carried back on the guy's head to where it could be measured before being released.
Next we made a brief stop at the town of Ouidah where we saw the Temple of Serpents (really just a room filled
with harmless pythons). The exciting part is that Kathie actually agreed to have one put around her neck (not something she would have done four months ago)! We also made a quick stop to see the slave monuments there.
The last really memorable experience in Benin was the stilt village at Ganvie. It is literally a village that was built in the middle of a lake, and the structures are raised on stilts that keep them out of the water. It was originally constructed in the 19th century and was meant to keep the villagers safe from war. This is the largest of the lake villages that was created and it is home to approximately 30 thousand people.
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