Bienvenue au Bénin. It may be one of west Africa’s smaller nations, but it’s one with a rich heritage. So rich, in fact, that it can be difficult to know how many days to spend in Benin. Benin encompasses the origins of the voodoo faith, and was a major cog… Continue reading
Anyone with a passion for history and culture should consider including visits to historic sites of the slave trade in Africa on any itinerary. It’s a history which hangs over much of Africa, and has everything to do with many contemporary issues the continent faces. As a visitor from the… Continue reading
Benin in west Africa doesn’t get a lot – or enough – publicity. Which can make it difficult to know whether it is safe to visit or not. Culturally rich, it’s the birthplace of voodoo, and the homeland of one of Africa’s fiercest tribes. It also played a significant role… Continue reading
Tree sales on the street…even in Limbe its Christmas Its an exhaustive and exhausting day of travel to Aba. The minibus gets stuck in a go slow (traffic jam) caused by road improvement works a little before the Niger bridge, though the roads are generally in a useable condition. Its… Continue reading
My only troubles that night were a lack of small change and no cocktail stick to eat my fresh pineapple with. Its not far to Krake, the border. On the Nigerian side the bribe requests start early. As its my first time in Nigeria I have to pay something I’m… Continue reading
I had hoped being chased down the road by a batik wielding merchantwoman would call an end to Porto Novo, but sadly not… Next morning a haze covers Porto Novo and stretches to Cotonou and the Nigerian embassy, lowering the temperature to a pleasant level, but it has burnt off… Continue reading
Visa extended I grab my bag and jump in a six-place shared taxi; handbrake position again; heading in the wrong direction to see some of the country I missed. Ouidah’s museum of history in the old Portuguese fort of John the Baptist is a disappointment, but is the start of… Continue reading
If it’s a new week it must be time for another country. Benin, country number 12, has just over twice the coastline of Togo. Aneho’s Quartier Jericho must only be a couple of kilometres from the border at Hilakondji. I walk across the frontier, and have onward transport to Cotonou… Continue reading
