Driving a Tacoma around the world

Fantastic write-ups, and really appreciate the fact that the customs/immigration buildings are documented. More than half the battle is just finding which structure you need to be in for what.

The traffic pictures are giving me flashbacks though. African city gridlock is no joke!

 

Exactly! We wanted to document where these buildings are for future travelers. But taking photos of these as you approach can be scary as some of these officers are absolutely crazy about getting their photos taken. When we have some decent cell service I’ll post Togo, got a nasty story there about a photo. Happy to not be in jail

 

Togo


Side excursion into Fazao-Malfakassa at National Park in Togo. We drove the road we could find in Togo’s largest national park.

Togo proved to be both an interesting and challenging adventure. Our first evening, we arrived later than we wanted due to delays on the Ghana side of the border. But the Togo side was super easy and fast. Visas On Arrival in 15 minutes ($53 each) then Laissez Passer for the truck in 10 minutes ($11) and we were good to go. We had booked a hotel in Lomé for the night with the expectation that we would be tired and want a safe place to land. Most of our hotels we book through our Visa credit card travel rewards program (Chase Sapphire) so we rarely have to pay - we generally earn enough travel points to cover several hotels a month. Our first search criteria for a hotel is free secure parking. Most of the time this works out - we check the satellite photos to make sure the parking is spacious enough for us and not covered.

For our first night in Lomé, we had apparently found a neighborhood hotel down a very narrow alley with the dedicated parking being the first floor of a building under construction. It was tight.


Entrance to the parking at our hotel, maybe an inch to spare either side, mirrors in.


Squeezing by the wooden poles being used as scaffolding for workers above.

Ever since leaving Senegal we have had surreal hotel experiences as the only travelers staying in hotels. Staff have been fantastically courteous but we cannot understand how all the infrastructure is being supported. In general in West Africa, hotels feel like they have seen better days, as if there was a tourism boom about 10 years ago and a slow decline since. (At least this is true for the ones we stay in which tend to be on the budget end.) We assume this is in large part due to first Ebola and then COVID. But it does not feel like tourists are returning despite the fact that hotels seem to be fully re-staffed and operational. A few hotels we have stayed in seem to be partially occupied by local people which feels like a good use of the space. But mostly we just look at each other in amazement as we walk across deserted hotel spaces, retire to our room as the only visible guests, show up to breakfast with staff ready and waiting for us.

After maneuvering the truck into its resting place, we set off to find some food. Dark had set and in general we try not to walk in big cities at night. We asked our friendly front desk person for a nearby recommendation for food and he described a local restaurant. We made our way two blocks down streets literally covered in people. (Did we mention it was hot? Even it was dark it was still 90 with high humidity) People were outside sitting, lying and praying on the streets instead of hanging out inside their homes. We were instantly surrounded by kids asking for money. Not feeling entirely at ease, we got to the local restaurant which was closed then opted to buy cookies at the gas station and call it a night. Not every day is a culinary experience for us.


Our route most of the length of Togo

We left our hotel after a restful air conditioned night (one of our two primary challenges in traveling West Africa, constant humidity and oppressive heat which we are just not accustomed to) and set off along the main coastal road out of Lomé. Our destination was Coco Beach, a nearby beach area with camping available, and, we hoped, some cool breezes. On our way we encountered our first serious military stop. We were whistled and waved over to the side and told that we had gone through a red light. Andy was seriously confused, he was being scrupulously careful about driving slowly, following what others were doing and paying attention.

It turns out that on the four lane divided road, the left lane was a dedicated left turn lane and had a separate light which was way down low to the ground, partially hidden by poles and signs and it had turned red. Due to a lack of arrows, painting or signage that indicated that people were to stop and prepare for a left turn, Andy had continued straight down the lane. They were ready and waiting to pounce on ignorant travelers coming in as this was the main route from Ghana. We watched them pull over person after person as we negotiated our situation.

To date we had been proud of the fact that we had not paid a bribe in over three months in West Africa. This situation rapidly declined. The officer had Andy’s driver’s license and was clear that he was not giving it back until we paid. We could give him the fine now, or wait until the next day and go to the police station to pay and reclaim the license. He explained that he took all the tickets to his chief at the end of the day and they were not available to pay until the next day.

It was a strange and unsettling situation. We had actually broken a traffic rule so a ticket was in order. But he was refusing to write us a ticket on the spot, instead saying that we just pay him 15,000 CFA (about $25 US dollars) or we relinquish the drivers license until the next day when we would go to the police station to pay. Something was off. We were waiting it out, repeatedly asking for another solution, but he was getting pissed off and didn’t want to deal with us. He would disappear, deal with another poor sucker, else then re-appear telling us to pay or go to the police station the next day. Frustrated, Andy snapped a dashboard picture of him in case we didn’t get his license back (this will come up later).


The infamous photo


After about an hour, and a discussion with the officer’s superior, it was clear we weren’t getting anywhere and we gave in. Feeling a little disgusted and discouraged, we handed over the cash and got the driver’s license back. If money go before, all ways do lie open.

Such is travel, ups and downs. To make up for it, the travel fates then gave us two spectacular days (with ocean breezes) at Coco Beach. We found ourselves at a (no surprise) deserted beach resort which allowed us to camp for $10 a night and use all the facilities. They opened a side gate for us and we pulled in and got settled.


Only campers/guests at Chez Antoine (see truck in background). Andy enjoying our private palapa. Some restaurant guests did appear the next day.

Our two days at the beach were also about waiting out the weekend as we had embassy visits and visas to secure in Lomé (Gabon and Republic of Congo). Freshly rejuvenated, we woke up bright and early on Monday and headed back into the city. But first we stopped off at the famous fetish market.

We were once again surprised that this acclaimed tourist attraction had minimal signage, no parking and was down a small street surrounded by a busy neighborhood. (Some day we will stop being surprised by this in West Africa.)


Not sure where to safely park in Lomé to visit the fetish market, we asked a friendly gas station attendant if we could park there. He smiled and welcomed us, we were happy with a safe place and he was happy with the tip we gave him when we returned (1000 CFA or a little over $1)

We were glad that a visit to the Akodessewa Fetish Market came with a guide as we were completely ignorant about the practice of Voodoo or the associated fetishes.


Our guide Dako Mark Okeke explaining the healing practices and use of various dried animal parts.

The biggest surprise for us was that everyone there was actually from Benin, where many of the Voodoo practices originate. We learned that Voodoo is a religion based in hope and healing and is commonly practiced in addition to or alongside other religions. It is not unusual to have the same people attending Christian churches or Islam mosques, and Voodoo churches.


Impressive display of dried animal parts used by Voodoo Priests for a variety of healing purposes

According to our guide, Hollywood has done a number on Voodoo as a practice and the bad witch doctor cursing people is not actually part of the religion. He showed us the Voodoo dolls (not actually powerful unless blessed by a priest) used for healing a variety of ailments.








Voodoo dolls for sale as souveneirs, they are not blessed by priest so no power in them











The chameleon is a key symbol, represents the spirit of life


Dawn being silly, cow tails used in ritual dances


We did visit a priest who had a number of blessed fetishes for purchase. We invested ($8) in a token one which guaranteed our love together forever. Although really, if we can travel together in a truck camper in 95’ heat for months on end we can do anything.

We enjoyed our introduction to Voodoo and the visit. The stench of the rotting animals in the market aside, it was fascinating to learn more. Once again, we were the only visitors.

This is where things turned south for us. After starting the process on our Gabon visa, we decided to go to a supermarket for supplies. With trusty Google maps on Andy’s phone we set off for the largest one downtown. Google said turn right so we did. Apparently down a newly-created one way street. The wrong way. With no signage. And motorcycle police hidden behind a building on the corner, waiting.

Once again, a ticket. OK. The negotiation begins. This time we only handed over copies of documents, driver’s license and truck registration (lesson learned). But the policeman was insistent. Kind pedestrians came up and translated for us, recommending we just pay the equivalent of $10 and go on our way. But Andy was frustrated and wanted to understand, no signage, how was he to know? The police just wanted him to pay. Then the police officer saw Andy’s dashboard phone and asked if he took a picture of him, Andy said “no” and the officer demanded to see Andy’s phone. Andy handed it over and the officer saw the photo of the military officer Andy had taken a few days ago. Yikes. The yelling and threats of jail started.

The demeanor of the policeman had drastically changed and it was clear the situation was not good for us. He didn’t speak English and we didn’t speak French. This is when our good samaritan, Ibrahim showed up and started advocating and translating for us. We showed him our limited local currency and the officer said that taking a photo of military was a jailable offense and we would have to pay much more than the initial ticket. Well, two hours later, much back and forth with Ibrahim and an escorted visit with Dawn to the ATM down the street and we thought maybe we were going to get out of it with a $100 fine.

Then Ibrahim let us know that people on the street were getting activated and watching and making the police uncomfortable. They thought we should have to pay much more because of our fancy car and because of what white people had historically done to Africa. Ibrahim explained that we were all going to go down the street away from the crowd and do a deal in private. He let the crowd think that we were off to jail.

So, in the end, we went to an abandoned building and handed over $243. It was the weirdest scenario and without Ibrahim we would have been lost. Our second West African bribe, both within two days of each other in Togo. Maybe we could have held out longer and had a different answer, but it really didn’t feel like it. We have learned, hide the phones and don’t hand over original documents.


Ibrahim, our good samaratin who stepped in and translated and advocated for us during a really ugly police stop


So we went to his store and bought a mask. He would not take any payment for helping us.


Ibrahim later explained that he was raised by a white missionary when he was orphaned and tries to help white people when he sees them in trouble in Lomé.

The whole incident unsettled us but we felt lucky to have made our way through it. And grateful for the help of a kind bystander. Maybe not the ideal outcome, but at least for us the hefty bribe was not a trip ender. As we keep reminding ourselves, we are having this enriching, rewarding and deep experience traveling in West Africa. If it was easy, it would be crowded with tourists. So we will take it as it is.


After a stressful experience time for some food therapy, Found a tiny place called “The Best Burger in Lomé”


Actually, the best burger in months. Andy still looking a little stressed but so happy with a burger and fries, he had been missing them.

The next day donned our embassy outfits (long pants and closed toed shoes for Andy, covered arms and legs for Dawn) and picked up our visas. We have been known to change into these clothes parked outside the gate of an embassy. We happily left Lomé. Availibility of burgers aside, big cities are not our happy place. They tend to be dusty, hot and crowded.

We made our way north, looking for cool mountains and green and found it in Kpalime. We also met up with some fellow overlanders and their friends that we had been in communication with by Whatsapp for a while but had not actually met yet. Great fun to exchange stories, tips and highlights. Dutch overlanders Renske and Maarten van Pel are out to complete the first fully electric journey from the Netherlands to South Africa. (You can find them on Instagram at 4x4electric).


Great meet up with fellow Dutch overlanders. We are the old ones. It seems like the majority of the travelers are either European 20-30 somethings taking a break from work or retirees like us.

Kpalime was beautiful, quiet and casual, surrounded by green mountains. After our big evening out with the young people, we wandered the town one day and hired a guide for some hikes the next.


Our first real avodaco tree! (Despite having been buying them in the markets along the way.)


Following our informative guide, Kome


Beautiful refreshing water break


Despite still feeling resistant to hiring hiking guides for well marked trails, we understand that it is often the most straightforward way to contribute to the local tourism economy, And we enjoyed our time and conversations with Kome.


Andy found a big tree.


Driving the green roads around Kpalime


Social life along the road

We saw on the map that the biggest national park in Togo was nearby and decided to go there and see what we could see. The park looked huge but the road infrastructure was minimal. We got a taste of the scenery, but no large animals.


Typical village in central Togo, square homes made of clay, outside shade structure for cooking and resting.


Main road through Fazao-Malfakassa at National Park

Then, finally the reason we had driven to northern Togo, the fortress houses or Tékyèté. Built by the Tamberma in Togo, these clay houses have a distinctive castle-like structure. Built for beauty and defense they are definitely unique.


The homes fit beautifully in the natural terrain


Built in cylinders with coned thatch tops - often removable

Despite making our way to the cultural center of Koutammakou, we were unable to find any tourism guidance so drove the roads appreciating the sites and designs but did not learn as much as we hoped. We felt hesitant about randomly approaching the villages and intruding so stuck to the main roads - maybe a mistake. Sometimes our inherent introvertedness and shyness holds us back. But we are also aware that people are living their lives and may not want us snapping photos or walking through their village compounds.

But we had not given up hope, we knew that the same architectural practices were common in Northern Benin and had found out about a place where it was easy to hire a guide to visit the Tata houses there so decided to say so long to Togo and cross the border.


Immigration office on the Togo side of the Togo-Benin border

Similar to entering Togo, leaving it was super simple. The Togo to Benin border was probably our easiest border crossing to date. No one else there, no lines, no fixers, no fees. Just kind people waving us on.

Next country, Benin, for more adventures

 

Amazing write-up as always. Glad you two weren't thrown in the klink!

 

Benin


Visiting the chameleon Voodoo church outside Abomey

Benin exceeded all our expectations and quickly became one of our favorite West African countries.. A small, French speaking nation, our time there was rich with cultural learning, fascinating architecture, art and interesting people. The whole country was an enchanting experience. Benin is opening it's doors to tourists with the easiest West African visa system of all. You apply on line, pay a fee and receive your visa almost immediately by email.

After the police corruption in Togo, the border fiascos in Ghana and the reserved culture of the people of Côte d'Ivoire (at least toward strangers), Benin felt like a continual sensory overload of travel “wow” moments.


Our first stop over any border, find sim cards so we can use our phones. Note the yellow van in the corner with the technicians in yellow vests. They got us set up. We definitely prefer finding the 20 something year olds who you just hand your phone over to, and after a seemingly endless time clicking away and a payment, voila, you have coverage.

With phones working, we set off to find some Tata Somba houses to explore. Similar to the conical homes in northern Togo, in Benin the Somba people build fortress like homes, or Tata, out of clay and mud.


Tata Somba in northwestern Benin (we visited them outside of Kossoucoingou where we crossed the border)

There are sign posted routes that you can drive to see the houses from the road, but this time we wanted to know more about the culture and see the architecture up close so went to the visitor center in Kossoucoingou where we were able to hire a guide for the two of us for about $8 each.


We found the houses to be incredibly unique and intriguing


Hearing that Andy was a forester one of the first stops with the guide was to visit the biggest tree in the village. A Baobab tree house.








Andy inspecting the build


Built for safety and practicality, living and cooking space downstairs, sleeping area up top.


Some of the conical rooves are removable, grain and other food stored inside, high and dry.


Rooftop sleeping quarters





View from the village over endless rain forest


First floor, main cooking area


Beautiful patterns pressed into the clay


Fascinating to see and understand more about the traditional lives of people living in these villages, cooking over fire, carrying water from a nearby well. It is a very physical life.


The livestock get their own area


Following our guide through the village, despite the language barrier he showed us a lot.

Searching for a spot to spend the night and feeling the oppressive heat closing in on us, we saw a waterfall on the map and made our way there. We forgot it was the end of the dry season. The caretaker smiled when we arrived and said that we were welcome but that it was small small right now. But the parking area made a good place to spend the night and he was happy to have us stay.


Small small waterfall (common African euphemism, to repeat the word to mean “very.”)

Heading south, our next stop was Abomey, a town which was the capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey from the 17th-19th centuries. The Kingdom of Dahomey included the area that is currently known as Benin and parts of what is now Nigeria and Togo. It had a thriving trading economy from 1600 through the 1800’s. Europeans sought the Kingdom’s artwork, gold, ivory, salt and pepper. The Kingdom was also active in the slave trade with the Americans and Europeans, providing conquered people as trade for weapons and other goods. The Kingdom reached its greatest strength in the late 1700’s building an organized military which included the famous Amazon women warriors. During the 1800’s, the kingdom strove to retain united power with royal family members fighting each other for control while at the same time struggling to resist foreign (at that time mostly British) influence on its trading networks.

The Kingdom was also feeling territorial tensions with France and in 1894 it fell to the French after the second Franco-Dahomean War. At that time the area was annexed into French West Africa as the colony of French Dahomey.

In 1958 the area ceased to be a pawn in European power plays and gained independence as the Republic of Dahomey. The young country struggled with three rival leaders vying for power. In the next 14 years there were five coups and changes in leadership. The country was re-named The Republic of Benin in 1975 because the name was deemed politically neutral for all the ethnic groups. It was also the beginning of a Marxist-Leninist government which lasted for 15 years until 1990 when it was replaced by the multi-party Republic of Benin.


Our three weeks in Benin, we relaxed with some layover days and spent over a week and a half in Cotonou and beaches at the end, waiting for our Nigerian visas

Despite being surrounded by countries with significant unrest and terrorism, Benin is stable and safe. It is the ONLY West African country to date that we have travelled through with absolutely no police or military stops. There is a police presence, but they are in the background watching, no barriers, no requests for money. The locals told us that in an effort to increase visitation, the president has directed the police not to stop tourists. This is a big contrast with other countries where as soon as we have been spotted by the police or military we are waved over for conversation.

Benin also ranks among the world’s poorest countries. Its economy is based on cotton and subsistence agriculture. We could see the lack of infrastructure and development as we drove the country, most people live in small, self built homes. But peoples’ clothes are extraordinary, the fabrics absolutely gorgeous. It is also the first country where it is equally as common for the men to be incredibly dressed in beautiful textiles as the women. Most villages had several women out in front of their houses with sewing machines on tables under the shade tree. One Benin citizen we talked to said that there is a lot of national pride in expressing their identity through wearing the local traditional fabrics and we could see it.


Our camping spot on the grounds of the Auberge d’Abomey, $5/night.

In Abomey, we opted to camp on the grounds of a hotel so that we could be in town and explore the culture and history. We pulled in at 5pm, hot and tired. The manager asked us if we would be interested in a guide to take us around the town the next day, we said sure.

About an hour later, Mark showed up and told us he could be our guide for a tour of the town the next day. He also said we should come with him that evening as it was the final day of a village Voodoo ceremony that only happens once a year. We politely declined, saying that we were tired but looking forward to exploring with him the next day. He was engagingly persistent, reiterating that this was an annual event, very special, in his village and he could take us. We relented and an hour later the three of us were wedged on his motorbike heading out of town on a dark bumpy road.

It was one of the most extraordinary experiences we have had. The kindness with which we were received into the space was amazing. There were no other tourists there. The village Chief set up chairs for us next to his. Mark told us exactly what to do and expect so we felt comfortable. We do not know much about Voodoo but felt honored to be a witness to the ceremony that night and understand more about the beliefs and practices. Everyone said the same thing, “we are happy you are here, we want you to understand, we want to share with you.” We were also welcomed to take pictures which surprised us.


Women dancers resting before the ceremony


Seated next to the village chief and musicians


Beautiful ceremonial clothes.


Saber dance


Mark interpreted the dances for us, each one invoking the spirits for the health and well being of the village. We thanked him profusely for talking us and went to bed satiated.

The next day we set off with Mark to explore the royal palaces of Abomey and learn more about Voodoo. As Mark explained, Voodoo is a national religion for Benin, steeped in history and the ways of their ancestors. Most people adhere to some of the beliefs and often practice Voodoo alongside or in addition to the Christian or Islam religions.

Voodoo is more than a belief system for the people of Benin, it is a complete way of life, including culture, philosophy, language, art, dance, music and medicine.

The Voodoo spiritual world consists of over 100 divinities - or Voodoos - who represent different phenomena. There are four basic categories, water, air, earth and fire and each divinity fits into one of these areas. Voodoo priests ask these gods to intervene on behalf of ordinary people but everyone we spoke to stressed that the priests have nothing to do with sorcery or black magic as depicted in mainstream Western media. People seek help from the priests on a variety of issues, to have a child, find a spouse, be cured of an illness. Some Voodoo priests also use herbs or dried animals to cure disease.


Our first stop in learning about Voodoo in Abomey was the Voodoo church shaped like a chameleon - the spirit of life.


We were welcomed inside for the service. Women and children sang and danced and, the priest told a story about peace and getting along with each other. I say there is no darkness but ignorance.

Once again we were welcomed inside a sacred space, the only tourists there and invited to take pictures. The priest addressed us, translated by Mark, to say that he was happy we were there and wanted to learn. There is a high awareness of how Voodoo is represented in American entertainment and a desire to tell the story that it is really about hope and healing, not cursing.


Even the children wore the most beautiful clothes


The Voodoo temple, not open to the those not confirmed in Voodoo.


Art on the side of the temple, a woman bowing to a king.


The women’s dresses say in French, “Voodoo is the road that brings you to God.”


Some of the boys in the village wanted us to take their picture, we were happy to.


Mark, our guide, at the door to the Voodoo priest’s home.


We visited a 102 year old Voodoo priest who told us the story of how he collects herbs in the sacred forest


Voodoo priest spreading water onto the fetishes (representing the spirits) on his altar


Visit to another fetish market with dried animal parts and herbs used for a variety of healing Voodoo practices

From the world of Voodoo we went to the world of kings. Abomey had been the seat of the kings of Dahomey for several hundred years and almost each king (12 of them) had an official (for business) and unoffical (to live with the family) palace.


The palaces were similar in design, large red earth courtyards with low slung buildings of red clay. We were happy to visit two, we did not have the stamina to visit all of them. We had a complete history lesson of the kings and visited the museum. No pictures allowed inside the museum but we did see the throne of King Behanzin which has as its base the skulls of four of his enemies.


A day well spent, Mark taught us a lot with good cheer and humor

Then we went back on the road, heading south. We had skipped a far northern section of the country with a reputedly stunning national park due to recent Boko Haram terrorist kidnapping of tourists in the area. We heard several times from locals that the northern part of Benin was “not good for tourists.” But all the places we went felt welcoming, even though we were typically the only tourists.


Roads when not paved were good dirt ones. Yellow plastic container indicates gas for sale.

We quickly realized in Benin that the gas infrastructure was not the same as Togo. Most of the gas in Benin is smuggled in from Nigeria and sold in road side stands. We passed many old gas stations with pumps which were crumbling and in disrepair, obviously had not been operational in years, We hit our first open, official gas station with pumps 300 km south of where we entered the country. We somehow felt that the gas would be better from the pump stations, although we were later told that the gas was all the same, people just dumped the same yellow plastic containers from Nigeria into the gas station holding tanks.


Typical gas station.

From Abomey we drove to Lac Aheme, Benin’s second largest lake and landed at Chez Theo. Partially under construction, the hotel had a shaded parking lot and a lakeside pool and welcomed us to camp. As we enter the hottest time of year here, our endurance is dwindling for hot, humid camping in the interior. Despite our primary love and happy place always being the wild camping a spot, finding a way to camp where we can cool ourselves off has become a priority. When it is 99’ with high humidity, there is a lot to be said for a shady spot under the palm trees and an empty hotel pool.


Not at all what we imagined as a camping spot for overlanding in West Africa, but sometimes when it is just so hot, we give in. $8 for the night to park and camp on site and use the pool and showers.

Still battling with the heat we next opted to camp at the coast next in the sleepy ocean side town of Grand Popo. Instead of wild camping we found a hotel that welcomed us to camp on the beach in front and use the pool. For $6 a night. Definitely worth it. We alternated between reading at the beach and heading to the pool to cool off.


Awale Plage in Grand Popo


Beautiful hotel pool to ourselves. Again. (Where are all the visitors?)

We had the added interest of watching the local men bring in the fishing nets. On two different nights we watched as they would haul in an enormous net over hours. The men would sing as they heaved and someone was always playing a cowbell. Teenage boys were sent into the water to control the net as it came in. The coordination and amount of work it took was compelling to watch. At the end when the final net came in, women and children would come with buckets and bowls to retrieve the catch. Culturally in Benin, men fish and women sell the fish in the market.


Often 30-40 men working a single fishing net to bring in the catch

For us, buying food is a constant learning experience. Home made bread and fresh eggs are easy to find. Roadside markets sell loads of fresh fruit and vegetables, along with bulk rice and beans and a variety of grans and cassava. Always wary of our intestinal systems not being used to local microbes, we spray all fruits and vegetables with a light bleach solution which we then wash off with purified water before we eat them.

Food in Africa is sold in outside markets with stalls staffed by women. Gifting is the norm, once you set your price and quantity, typically the seller will throw something additional in (Andy thinks it is because we overpay because we don’t know how to negotiate well enough). We do not buy meat, it is typically sold in live markets (butcher your own) or for beef, outdoor butcher counters that we worry about. That sensitive stomach thing again.

When we want to buy some of the foods we are more used to in the US, we have to find a supermarket in a big city and prices are horrendous. A small block of cheese is easily $8, cereal can be up to $15. Not surprising as these items are imported. Different combinations of rice and beans, potatos and veggies are working well for us though.


A favorite breakfast, pan toasted baguette with eggs

After resting in Grand Popo, we were ready for more culture and learning. We drove east to Ouidah to visit the Zinsou Museum, famous for exhibiting contemporary African art. While we were there we also hired a guide for a few hours to teach us more about Voodoo and to show us some of the important sites along the Route of Slaves. Ouidah is known for both being the center of Voodoo in Benin and for being a slave trading hub.


Photographs of the Voodoo spirits at the Zinsou Museum


Male spirits dressed to honor women


Salt processing outside of town


Salt for sale by the side of the road


Memorial on the site of the mass grave for people who died in captivity before being shipped overseas and sold as slaves


Site of the former slave market, our guide, Marcellin, Sakpo Degnon, giving us an important history lesson.

The “Route of Slaves” in Ouidah is lined with painful sites memorialzing the process of capturing, holding, selling and transporting human beings into slavery. Communities throughout Benin and the rest of West Africa were shaped and destroyed by the brutalities of the slave trade.


And then on to learning more about Voodoo at the Python Temple


Andy the snake whisperer - always at ease with wildlife


Whereas Dawn is just a little awkward


Entering the Sacred Forest with statues of Voodoo divinities





Marcellen was a super guide and we learned a lot from him, grateful that he spoke excellent English so that we could understand everything. Despite three months in mostly French speaking West Africa, our French is still small small.

Still working our way east, along the coast now, our next stop was Ganvie. Built in the middle of Lake Nokoué 400 years ago, its unique history started in the era of slavery. In the 18th century, the people of the local Tofinu tribe were trying to escape from the soldiers of the Kingdom of Dahomey who were capturing people and selling them to Portuguese traders as slaves.

The ancestors of today's residents fled to the lake which was feared by the soldiers who believed a terrible demon lived under its surface. Knowing this, the tribe chose to build their homes on stilts in the middle of the water. The current population is over 35,000.

We toured the village in a boat with Natys, a local guide who grew up in the village. He even took us to his home.


Traveling the main water way to Ganvie stilt village, full of fishing boats and local boat taxis


Houses built on stilts and separated by water, to visit your neighbor you must have a boat


Most houses have at least three boats, one for the man to fish, one for the women to take the fish to the mainland market, and one for the children to go to school.





Life is conducted on the water with floating markets and vendors


And the local hairdresser


Drinking water is collected from a well with a spigot in large barrels and brought back to each house


Posing with our guide Nestys with the king of the village, on a rare and small island of land in the village.





It was a beautiful place and fascinating to learn about village life on the water


Another captivating Benin experience. We realize looking back that when we do commit to paying for a guide it definitely deepens our experience - we end up having deeper conversations and understanding of the local culture. We cannot always do it, but it is worth noting.

Now, before entering another big city, it was time for some beach and ocean breezes. We found a delightful camping spot west of Cotonou on the beach where Blacky and his family gave us a warm welcome and helped us get into a beach side spot.


Beachside camping at $3 a person at Paradis du Soleil east of Cotonou.

Our final stop in Benin was Cotonou, not the capital but definitely the largest city and economic center. We planned to spend a couple of days exploring and then cross into Nigeria. The travel fates laughed at us once again.

Much as we enjoyed Cotonou, an easy city to navigate with calm traffic and wide sidewalks, we ended up spending too much time there waiting for the elusive Nigerian visas. We went from enjoying the city, to learning the city to being tired of the city. There is a surprising lack of museums and cultural attractions for a city its size, but we did find a few. We became well acquainted with the rhythms of the city as we walked its streets day after day - the thwock of the shoe polisher advertising his services by banging a stick on a box, the incessant honking of the taxi motos who were sure if they got our attention we would decide to ride rather than walk, the cheerful cries of “white person!” in the local dialects.

We also met up with a fellow traveler who was also planning to cross into Nigeria, so we shared strategies and frustrations.


Armando from Italy, traveling south on his Husqvarna


Visiting the artisans center in town


Learning about the different masks and their cultural uses in Benin


Finding some fun meals out - this was our favorite


Pizza time! not something we can make in the truck


Visiting the Notre Dame of Cotonou with its distinctive striping


Statue of the Amazon - representing the fierce women warriors of the Kingdom of Dahomey


Appreciating the beautiful street art along the main coastal roads










View from the hotel we landed in to have wifi and do paperwork and wait for our visa - Andy heading out to the truck for something. Dawn would pop up in the parking lot to make dinner, pretty sure the security guards thought we were crazy.

Then the weekend came and knowing everything would shut down we headed back out to the beach to wait some more


But if you have to wait, it was a pretty great place to be


With built in soccer game and fishing entertainment

So at the time of writing, we are still at the beach, waiting . . . Really hoping to continue our journey soon! In three months in West Africa we have traveled 7500 miles and visited 12 countries. We are not giving up and turning around. As always, thank you for reading and wish us luck!

(Follow up note, we did get the visas! Left two days later and made it to Nigeria - see the West African Visa blog for that saga, but happy to be on our way.)

 

Great stuff again! Just finished reading the blog on Nigeria. Good to see you made it safely through. Fascinating as always.

 

Epic, epic adventure! Thanks so much for posting and sharing the incredible details of your journey.

 

This is amazing, thanks for showing us!

 

Nigeria


Fantastic crew who helped us get by a broken down truck in the road

Nigeria was a huge milestone for us in our West Africa journey. At the time we were traveling, it was the hardest country for overland travelers to pass through on the coastal West Africa route. It was really difficult to get a land border visa in any embassy along the way (traveling south from Morocco). Visas on arrival were only being issued at the airport for people flying in. People driving West Africa were stopping their travel to fly home to get visas at embassies in their home countries, or deciding to turn back or ship their vehicles around. There are many more details on our visa blog, but visas for Nigeria were our hardest and most expensive to obtain.

It was also a country with political turmoil and a huge presidential election happening a month before we hoped to pass through. The government and citizens were preparing for violence and conflict related to the elections. To exacerbate all of this, shortly before the elections the government issued new currency (in order to prevent buying election votes) which led to an extreme currency crisis accompanied by fuel shortages.


Our route through Nigeria - 5 days in Lagos, 5 days of driving

We were interested in exploring Nigeria - it is the most populous African country with a vibrant reputation for art and culture. But we were hearing of others hiring private security to escort them to drive through the country and that is definitely not how we prefer to travel.


Approaching the land border from Benin to Nigeria at Idiroko

While we were debating what to do the elections proceeded calmly. When we later spoke to people in Nigeria there was national pride in how the police, military and vigilantes (their word) all came together to enforce a peaceful process. In a nation with a recent (in the last 60 years) history of bloody coups and civil war this was significant. Partly because of the pattern of British colonization, the nation is divided along cultural and religious lines with the southern, coastal section being mostly Christian and the northern area mostly Muslim. (The British were predominantly concerned with controlling the coastal areas for for trading purposes.) Today, political power moves back and forth between parties aligned with each of these two regions.

In the end we decided to drive through on our own. We had been thinking about and discussing the whole definition of “safety” and how and who determines the criteria for travelers. The reality is we would be driving through areas labeled “do not travel” by the US State Department and other UK and European advisory sites both in Nigeria and along the border with Cameroun. However, these “unsafe” areas are places that people are living in. Women, children and families are conducting their daily lives in communities that are supporting and caring for each other. The whole definition of “safe” in West Africa felt like a concept created by external people outside looking in. We all bring our own biases and backgrounds to these evaluations. On the ground, we were still experiencing warm and hospitable people who were welcoming to and curious about visitors. But we were also asked repeatedly by Nigerians if we had run into any “bad people” so we knew there were still issues to be concerned about.


Arriving at the border gate between Benin and Nigeria


Our friendly welcome from Oke, Nigerian customs agent

We were required to have a police escort from the border to the airport (about a two hour drive). We had secured approval for a visa but they were only issued at the airport so an officer had to accompany us until we had the visas inserted in our passport.


Our immigration escort, James riding along with us.

It was a hefty charge of $200 for each of the two of us to get the escort, but on the upside with one officer riding with us and two in front in a pickup with flashing lights, we got to speed through the approximately 80 police stops and military barriers on the way to Lagos airport.


Following the officer pick up truck

We easily made it to Lagos, said goodbye to our escort at the airport and made our way to a hotel that we planned to spend a night in while we secured our Cameroun visas at a nearby embassy.

The first challenge was money. In the time since the election, the government had backtracked a little and made the old currency still legal tender, so the problem was not quite as accute. But ATMs were still short of money and cash withdrawals were limited. We knew we needed to secure a few hundred dollars to be able to buy gas and food on our route.

Through asking around, we ended up at the Eko Hotel gift shop where a crew of money changers with stacks of cash were happy to give us Nigerian naira for the US dollars we were carrying with us. (We stocked up on new $100 bills before entering West Africa knowing we would need them for Nigeria and a few other places.)


Our friendly money changers. If money go before, all ways do lie open.

The first hiccup in our plans to head fairly quickly across the country was the fact that the consul at the Cameroun embassy was out of town so we had to wait five days to get our visas. Darn. But these things happen, so we found an Airbnb and hunkered down to take care of some business, catch up on travel plans and details, blog writing and truck cleaning and maintenance. We also found some time to explore Lagos and its surroundings.


Nike Art Gallery - West Africa’s Largest privately owned contemporary and traditional art collection, curated by artist Nike Davies Okundaye








Tour of some of Dawn’s favorite pieces


Five floors of incredible art


We were sung a greeting when we arrived at the gallery by these two lovely young women. We enjoyed and laughed with people wanting to have their picture taken with us, we are not usually that popular.


First time sitting on a couch with a big screen TV in three months


Dawn cooking up some noodles for the upcoming long driving days


We were almost the only tenants in this huge apartment building in Lagos

Then, finally, Cameroun visas obtained and we are ready to set on our way across country. Significantly delayed and still a little unsure about security issues on our route, we decided to push through some long driving days.

Our whole lives we had heard about problems in Nigeria. Images of violence and stories of corruption from US media sources were in the backgrounds of our minds. This was alongside memories of hearing about online scammers based out of Nigeria preying on people and stealing their money. As we drove the country, we admitted to each other that we felt more on edge because of this, but in reality exploring Nigeria felt similar to the other West African countries we had driven through. We kept ourselves entertained on the drive by listening to a very academic book on tape Formation by Feyi Fawehinmi and Fola Fagbuleabout on the early history and founding of Nigeria and then a novel Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about the civil war of the 1960’s and the short term separation of the state of Biafra in the south. The two very different books made us realize how little we really knew about this hugely populated country and its tumultuous history.


Spreading grain on the margins of the road to dry

But all was not sunshine and rainbows for us despite our optimism. The military stops were constant and draining. Sometimes you would barely get up to a reasonable speed and then you see the random items in the road ahead and have to start braking again. On the upside, we quickly determined which ones were serious and which ones we could get away with just driving through and waving. Pretty much if a person was not actively blocking our way we would just keep driving. At least no one ever chased us. And even when we had to stop, officers were friendly and mostly just curious about who we were and what we were doing. Many asked for our WhatsApp numbers so they could keep in touch. People repeatedly told us they wanted to come to the US and mentioned how difficult it was to get a visa (so it goes both ways).


Typical barrier for police or military check point, pieces of wood.


Or sandbags and tires

Here is a brief run down of our journey across Nigeria from Lagos to the most southern open border between Nigeria and Cameroun. (Limited border access due to violence and unrest on the Cameroun side.) This is the most common and direct route overland travelers were taking at the time.

Day One - Lagos to Asaba - 450 kilometers in eight hours

We woke at the crack of dawn ready for a long drive. Water and lunch packed, gas tank full and audio books cued up. Most of the way was a fast four lane road, although we did have 21 police stops (ones we actually were stopped at, there were at least twice that many set up). There were some soft asks for gifts, but when Andy would say he just had his smile to give he would get a big smile back and we were waved through.

We stopped once for gas and made good time so decided to stop over in Asaba so we could go for a walk. Asaba was a modern prosperous town with nice hotels so we chose one with secure parking, walked for a couple of hours exploring the town and then tucked in for the night. We could have wild camped along the way through Nigeria but opted to stay in hotels, mostly to maximize our driving time and to be honest we were still harboring some faint doubts about security.


Crossing the river Niger

Day Two - Asaba to Takum - 468 kilometers in eleven hours

This was a longer day but the countryside was becoming more rural and interesting. We crossed the river Niger as we listened to our audio book Formation discuss the importance of the river in early trading routes. This day we were stopped twenty times and Andy was switching up his responses to requests for gifts. When one of the officers asked him for something Andy asked him if he had a gift for him instead, after all, he was the guest in the country. More smiles and laughter and waving us on. We never paid a bribe on the road in Nigeria. One officer tried to worry us by telling us we could not get by with an International Driver’s Permit, that Andy was required to have a Nigerian Driver’s License but we talked our way out of that too. (It is not true.)


Still the ever present police and military check points


Villages becoming more traditional as we head north


Roadside fruit for sale


Views more mountainous. Sandy spots on the road are impending potholes to weave around using both lanes - even with oncoming vehicles - its the African Way




It was quickly becoming one of the most scenically beautiful routes we had driven in West Africa.


Constructing the thatched roof


Beautiful mango sellers at a police stop let us take their picture. We did buy some, how could we resist?


Cars waiting at a military check point

The road to Abakaliki was a good one, some slow moving trucks to navigate but otherwise we made good progress. After Abakaliki the potholes started to grow. We had filled up with gas in Abakaliki having heard that it was the last modern gas station on the route, but we actually saw modern pumps all the way to Takum. We pulled into a guest house in Takum at dusk, paid $5, were the only guests, secured a spartan room with a lackluster fan and attempted to sleep. (It was 90’ all night, not our best rest.)

Day Three - Takum to Mayo Ndaga 417 kilometers in eleven hours

This is when we started to lose our smooth asphalt road. There was decent tar for the first 80km, and then good gravel to Nguroje. The last modern gas station we noticed was in Bali. Fuel was available in roadside bottle stands, but we have been avoiding those to date.


The road turns to gravel


Beautiful mountain plateau views across Taraba state


Don’t know why, but photos never adequately show how rough the road is, this required 4wd lo range
Driving this route we had what we think of as a classic West African driving experience. The road we were on was our only option for crossing into Cameroun and we were 400 kilometers in on an 800 kilometer route. On a narrow stretch we came upon a large broken down truck. The driver was waiting for a part, could be a few more days. Another truck was stuck behind him waiting for the first truck to get his part. When we arrived at the scene, they immediately started trouble shooting how to get us around them and on our way. Helpers were called on from the nearby village and a group of men literally dug out the bank so that we could squeeze by. Incredible. Repeatedly in Africa we have been treated with such warmth and kindness, people help eachother here. It is normal, so much humanity and sense of community.


Broken down truck with another one stuck behind it


Navigating around the rear truck, no problem


Digging out the bank so we can get around the front truck


Meanwhile Dawn helpfully takes selfies with other onlookers


Success!

In Mayo Ndaga we camped at a military compound where we were warmly welcomed and payment was refused.

Day Four - Mayo Ndaga to Banyo - two hours to the border


Early morning fog in Mayo Ndaga

Our last day in Nigeria was sunny and clear and we were grateful for the continued dry weather. Roads were rough but passable with high clearance. It took us two hours to get to the border. Procedures were slow with multiple log book entries for our yellow fever vaccines, vehicle permit and passports but we made it through in another couple of hours. The drive south to Banyo in Cameroun was unpaved and rough but also still dry and easily navigable.




Wide load coming down!


Border between Nigeria and Cameroun (Their way of spelling their country)

In the end, our only regret was that we didn’t spend more time in Nigeria, exploring some more of the remote cultural and natural sites. Partly we let underlying caution get to us and partly we were still pushing through, on the edge of monsoon season, knowing that some of the upcoming roads could become impassable. The journey continues as we work our way south. Thank you for reading! Next up, Cameroun.

 

I’ve been to Gorée island! It’s such a beautiful place. I really enjoyed Dakar.

 

Hey Andy, I just looked over your blog on what you carry in your toolbox. A couple things you might want to add. My truck toolbox is loaded pretty much the same as yours.

What I noticed missing from your lists that you should consider, are a small buck saw (and extra blades), a quality chopping axe, and a knife/blade sharpener. A feathered file works as you can use it for knives and also for your machete, and also for sharpening any cutting tools such as wire cutters. I have a small round axe stone for sharpening my axe and the file to finish it.

I use my buck saw, axe, and sharpeners on most trips to clear trails, or make a quick table or chair or cook top or wheel support. I have a quality machete too, but in reality they are only good for very thin branches. A machete is useless once it loses its edge.

 

It is a wonderful place, but at the same time full of ghosts. Millions of people being exported out of here as slaves

 

Thanks Pat! We must have missed our buck saw which is about 12" long. We also carry a hacksaw for metal. I do have a hatchet but have never used it, I carry that in a junk drawer. Should do photo on that one as it's full of stuff like gorilla tape, headnets, misc screws, etc.

We do carry a knife/scissor sharpener, it's one of those ceramic ones, works great for keeping. an edge on knives.

I think I used my machete once, so far

Cheers!

 

Yeah, it was an experience to say the least. I’m not sure there’s even a word for the feeling. Definitely an extremely heavy weight/feeling/presence when you walk in.

But I met some incredibly wonderful people there! And what I thought were just swarms of gulls turned out to be hawks. That was pretty incredible!

I did get a little fishing in while I was in Dakar also!

 

Ha! Thats about the size of the fish I caught in Guinea

 

On a panther martin

 

My favorite make and color of a spinner!

 

Once again thanks for taking us on this journey with you! I look forward to reading your posts when they pop up. How many miles have you driven so far?

 

Thank you! So far we've driven 88,000 miles/142,000 kms.

We've had two repairs in those miles, we broke an end link on the front antisway bar (I mounted an aftermarket rear one) on very rough roads in Guinea. We've just recently broke the welds on the two front mounts that attach the pickup box to the frame. Our Taco was tacoing. Luckily limped 120 miles out to the capital of Gabon and had it rewelded. I think I need to slow down on the rough roads.

 

Can you see the problem? The bottom of the camper overhang is nearly resting on the roof of the cap