Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso

May 11th
The combination of traveling and lack of power has made it hard to update my blog, sorry! I am now back in Ghana after two exciting trips to Togo and Benin and then to Burkina Faso. Togo is only about 3 hours away from Accra so we were able to take a tro-tro to the border and stay at a hotel right in the capitol, Lome. Togo does not use tro-tros they have moto-taxis, motorcycles, at first we thought having a group of four would be difficult to find 4 moto-taxis but it was never a problem. The first day in Lome we took moto-taxis around the city and then found an ice-cream shop for dessert! Ghana does not have any dairy products so ice-cream was a great treat. The second day in Togo we took another tro-tro to Kpalime, about a 3 hour drive, to see butterflies. We went to a beautiful waterfall and toured a coco farm - everything but butterflies, it was still a nice day trip. The third day we left to go to Benin, we found that ‘shared’ taxis mean 4 people in the back, two people in the front passenger seat and the driver. It was a little cramped but we were able to get there! That night we were able to go to the Grand Market and walked through the ‘fish aisle’ - about 10 to 15 fish in a bucket with just enough water for them to splash around - not the best part of the market! On Friday we went to the Ganvie Stilt Village where people live in bamboo huts. The Tofinu people fled there in the 17th century to escape the slave hunters, who were banned by a religious custom from going over water. Ganvie is just like a real town, except it is on water, it has a school and cemetery and there is a market where all the woman line up their boats and sell things right out of their boats. After Ganvie we went to Ouidah and saw the Sacred Forest with sculptures symbolizing African deities and beliefs. Benin’s national religion is Voodoo and we were able white flags hanging through out the village. We then walked the Route d’Esclaves - the final walk on African soil for slaves that lead to the Point of No Return Memorial. On Saturday we headed back to Accra to start studying for our finals.
I have had two of my four finals, I think they both went well. They both were essay questions that I felt I could answer, it is still a little terrifying that the only factor of your final grade is the final exam.
Last Tuesday we left for Burkina Faso, we were able to take a bus to the border of Ghana and Burkina Faso but had to spend the night because the border was not open at 3 in the morning. On Wednesday we made it to the capitol, Ouagadougou. The next day we went to a goat cheese factory - it was a room with 3 buckets and a house and a fridge - it was odd. The guide book made it sound like a really ‘must see’ attraction. Even though it was a little odd we were able to ride a camel! On Friday morning we left for Bobo - a town four hours from Ouagadougou - it was a nice little town with some amazing restaurants and pastry shops. The next day we went to Banfora - a 90 minute bus ride away - to go to a lake with hippos in it! We weren’t able to get too close to the hippos but it was so cool to see them. We then went to a beautiful waterfall, it was quite a hike, later that day we found out it was 110 degrees outside! We started heading back to Ghana at 11pm on Saturday and made it home at 3 am Monday morning - it was a long journey!
Burkina Faso is the third poorest country in the world so it was very different than Ghana, Togo and Benin. Burkina does not have tro-tros or moto-taxis and not a lot of taxis so it made traveling a little difficult but it was well worth it. I am so happy I had to opportunity to travel outside of Ghana and through West Africa, the countries are so different! Togo, Benin and Burkina were all colonized by the French so they spoke French, had cheese and baguettes - it was great for the food! As a white female traveling I felt more comfortable in Togo, Benin and Burkina than in Ghana. In Ghana everyone calls us ‘oboruni’ (white person) and hisses and make kissing noises to get out attention. We definitely did not have nearly as much as that in the other countries which was really nice.
I am leaving on Monday and I am ready to come home, I have had amazing experiences but am ready to be in a place I know and am comfortable. This morning was the last time I had to do hand washing!! I only rubbed three of my fingers raw - I am definitely getting better than in the beginning.