One of my most memorable trips took place about 10 years ago, when I went to Benin and Togo. Being the adventurer that I am, even though I had never heard of either country, the chance to explore a little known area of Africa intrigued me.
I was working as a travel agent in Los Angeles. A woman from Ghana, who planned group trips to West Africa and shared office space with our travel agency, was taking a group of journalists and some dignitaries to Benin and Togo and asked me if I'd like to join them. I jumped at the chance. Having never heard of either country, I did not know what was in store for me. We met at JFK, and from there flew Air Afrique to Benin. I arrived there and discovered I was the only Caucasian person on the trip. No problem, I thought this would be a fantastic experience. It would give me a look at what it's like for African Americans when they're the only one of their race in a room.
Most of the people were very nice, and many were going to discover their roots. After all, Benin was one of the biggest ports for transporting slaves from Africa to America. Ouidah was the main port in West Africa for shipping slaves to the Americas. You can visit the Old Portugese slave fort with its excellent museum. You can walk along the route the slaves took, past the Tree of Forgetfulness to the Door of No Return where they were put onto the ships. Many in our group cried when we took the walk from the slave quarters on the beach to the ocean where many of their ancestors began their journey to America. It was a very moving experience.
Even in the main city, Cotonou, the only accomodations above the level of a hut at that time was at the Sheraton. They were typical, with big lobby, bar, nice pool area, etc. The staff at the hotel began our stay with an al fresco meal by the pool, with fish, rice, several salads fruit and sweets. Everything was delicious. They also had a local group performing typical West African music, which was delightful.
This was a cultural trip. No animals to see, just lots of villages, tribal chiefs, crafts, and dancing. One thing typical of West African culture is very colorful clothes. The fabric is printed with colorful, stylish designs. And boy can they dance. Every celebration begins and ends with dancing and singing. You often think that people that don't have a lot of worldly possessions are sad, but this is not the case. They celebrate life, and enjoy every moment of it. There is much more to tell about Benin and Togo. I will stop now and pick this up next week, when I'll tell you more about the places we went and the interesting things we saw.
Most of the people were very nice, and many were going to discover their roots. After all, Benin was one of the biggest ports for transporting slaves from Africa to America. Ouidah was the main port in West Africa for shipping slaves to the Americas. You can visit the Old Portugese slave fort with its excellent museum. You can walk along the route the slaves took, past the Tree of Forgetfulness to the Door of No Return where they were put onto the ships. Many in our group cried when we took the walk from the slave quarters on the beach to the ocean where many of their ancestors began their journey to America. It was a very moving experience.
Even in the main city, Cotonou, the only accomodations above the level of a hut at that time was at the Sheraton. They were typical, with big lobby, bar, nice pool area, etc. The staff at the hotel began our stay with an al fresco meal by the pool, with fish, rice, several salads fruit and sweets. Everything was delicious. They also had a local group performing typical West African music, which was delightful.
This was a cultural trip. No animals to see, just lots of villages, tribal chiefs, crafts, and dancing. One thing typical of West African culture is very colorful clothes. The fabric is printed with colorful, stylish designs. And boy can they dance. Every celebration begins and ends with dancing and singing. You often think that people that don't have a lot of worldly possessions are sad, but this is not the case. They celebrate life, and enjoy every moment of it. There is much more to tell about Benin and Togo. I will stop now and pick this up next week, when I'll tell you more about the places we went and the interesting things we saw.
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