More on Benin

There is so much to see in Benin and Togo, but I will just tell you the highlights of my trip. The people were really the highlight, and being allowed to visit their homes and play with the children was just extraordinary. Most of the homes we visited were mud huts. It was hot and dry when we were there. I don't really know what happens to the village during the rainy season.

Benin is a country that at one time was divided up into many regions, or kingdoms. The Dahomey kingdom becamevery powerful during the slave trade and the kings became very wealthy from selling their captives as slaves. The main tourist attraction here is the Palace of the kings complex, a UN World Heritage site where 12 of the kings each had their palaces. Today, there are many kings throughout Benin, but they no longer have any real power. They are, however, highly respected in their small villages. We had the chance to meet several of them. They were always dressed in fancy robes and greeted us warmly. Many had never seen a white woman before, or very few.

Ganvie was one of our most interesting stops. 25,000 people live permanently on Lake Nakoue in houses built on stilts. The whole life of the town is lived on and in the water. It's absolutely fascinating. The town was established during the slave trade and is still vibrant today. All their buying and selling is done from little boats, similar to the floating markets in Thailand.

One of the more fascinating events we witnessed was a voodoo ceremony. About 60% of Benin follows voodoo, and it is officially recognized as a religion, the only country in the world that recognizes voodooism. Voodoo originated in the region, but the Marxist regime that came to power in 1972 discouraged its practice. Followers of voodoo worship spirits, or fetishes, to guide them in their lives. We watched a young girl go into a trance by whirling around, chanting and slapping people. She slapped me and I couldn't believe her strength. This went on for about 30 minutes. I've never seen anything like it. Other ceremonies associated with voodoo involve men dressing as animals with masks and straw skirts and dance around fire and sing and shout. Animal sacrifice is also part of the their religion, but fortunately we missed that part.

One of the best things about the people of Benin is their love and appreciation for arts and crafts. Masks are a big part of religious ceremonies, and as a visitor we went to many craft shops and watched the people work. Had I known about the beautiful masks in advance, I would have brought an extra suitcase, but I crammed as much into the one I had, and the photo above is the display I have of masks from Benin. Also, I bought a beautiful carved man, who I affectionately call Grandpa. He is sitting on a chair in my house. I watched the man carve him from a tree trunk. I didn't know how I would get him home, but got lucky. The concierge at our hotel was willing to pack him up and send him home. I never expected to see him, but about six weeks later he appeared. I just love him.

On this trip I had the privilege of becoming friends with a woman from Atlanta, Connie Stokes. At the time she was in the state congress, and was traveling with us on a trade mission. She and I became fast friends. Atlanta and Cotonou were sister cities, I believe. Other travellers included a minister's wife, several journalists and two doctors. All in all, it was one of my most memorable travel experiences. I had the opportunity to learn about a new culture and connect one on one with the people. One final thing. Benin was the first country that I travelled to that had no western advertising. No Coke, Pepsi, KFC, none of it. By now that's probably no longer true, but at the time it made me feel I was so far away from western culture. I was.