Not knowing where I am going is what
inspires me to travel it.
-Rosalia de Castro-
We had a BIG day today and it started at 6.30am for a
7.30am breakfast and then we were back on the boat from Ganvie at 8.10am. It was busy this morning and at 8am, I guess
this would be called their peak hour.
There were pirogues (boats) everywhere.
They seem to have a system and sometimes they would just gently bump
each other at times and this seemed to be acceptable. It really is a photographer’s paradise here,
but with the locals still feeling hostile and weary of us, it was hard to
justify taking photos when they so clearly didn’t like it or us. I did snap off some sneaky ones and as long
as they don’t see you or know then you are okay. I do appreciate that not everyone likes
having their photos taken, but it is not like we are taking it jus of them,
well most of the time. Anyway after
navigating our way through the peak hour pirogues it was cool to see all the
colour of the women starting their days, the kids also out and about and the
men off to do the fishing. We passed the
men on the main waterway back to the mainland and there would have been over 50
boats out, most with the throw nets we saw yesterday, which really looks like
an art form, to some of the men in the water as they set and check their water
traps.
We arrived back to a chaotic part, with mostly women,
again in their bright colored clothes all haggling and bartering for the first day’s
fish. They do it all on the banks of
where the river stops and it was a little smelly, but the atmosphere was cool
to see and again I snuck off some sneaky photos of this mash of colour. The great news was Madge was still there, and
in one piece which is always a good start to any day. After we had dumped off our night bags, we
needed to do some food shopping and we were lucky there is a small local market
just outside the gates of the port. So
with Cooking With Gas on dinner and breakfast, we really can’t work out a menu
until we know what we can get our hands on at the markets. We have been lucky that we have normally been
able to find a small stall that stocks some of the non-perishable food stuffs
and today was no different and after looking at what was available we decided
to do a pasta with a tomato paste sauce, tinned peas, tinned corn, onion and
some tin meat. It doesn’t sound so
great, but to us, this is our staple diet at the moment and if we didn’t eat that
then you would go hungry. Yes tin meat
and pasta sounded just fine. We had to
do some additional rounds to find some tomatoes and bread and we also got eggs
for breakfast tomorrow morning and after everyone else had got what they needed
we were back to load it all on Madge and on the road. We also had to say goodbye to Matais who had
come with us from Grand Popo yesterday.
He was heading back home and with a small thank-you tip from us and a
wave it was time to hit the road, destination Abomey. We had heard all sorts of stories on how long
this would take and the state of the road, but I guess we were about to find
out.
The roads were busy and the one we were travelling on was
the major arterial between Benin and Niger, with it being a land locked country,
all off its import/export comes along this road. So needless to say, with the amount of
traffic/truck that travels this road, it really was in a shocking state. We aren’t just talking slow traffic, but we
basically were weaving and dodging full on pot holes and at times the trucks in
front of us were also doing the same and it looked like a zigzag effect of
traffic, using both sides of the road, well until oncoming cars came and then
you had to stay on your side of the road.
I was sitting on the left today, so I was face to face with all the
truck drivers and they always had BIG smiles and a wave and some of them even
tooted as they drove past. I am a bit of
a dog out the window type of person, so I am hanging out of the truck most of
the day, so when Zoe is driving and me hanging out I am sure it is a sight to
behold.
Due to the amount of truck on this route, there of course
comes truck cities and it is an interesting thing to see, all sorts of trucks,
in all sorts of condition, some which I am sure should not even be on the
roads, and seeing the drivers asleep under their own trucks, washing lines tied
around or from their trucks, men fixing truck problems and then the sellers and
‘truck’ stores that come with it all, makes it a feast for the eyes and again I
would love to take photos as we drove through here, but firstly I don’t want to
upset people that may pass us or we need help from and secondly we were driving
quite slow and they could easily have caught up with the truck if they had something
to say. It was best the camera stayed in
my bag.
The day hadn’t warmed up too much yet and I was able to
wear my hair down for the first time in 10 days and it felt great. Truck days always give you time to reflect
and think about what you are seeing outside and makes you appreciate things a
lot more, especially in Africa. I always
think of the children. They seem to grow
up so much faster here. You see them
fetching water, not at school, manning stalls, children looking after
children-it makes me a little sad that they don’t get a proper childhood, but
proper in whose eyes? Because they don’t
have jumping castles and cinemas to go to-does that make their childhoods deprived? To see an 8 year old girl carrying a baby on
her back, I think that is too young, again a child looking after a child. But I do understand that that is how it works
here, not just in Benin but all of Africa.
Everyone has to make an effort to get food on the table, there is no
free ride and that includes the children here unfortunately.
As the day wore on it was amazing to see how many people
could fit into one car. It looks like
one of the main makes of car here is the Peugeot sedan that in a normal world
would fit 2 in the front, 3 in the middle and then the back for goods. Well in Benin, the same car would hold 3-5
people in the front, I counted 7 people in the middle and then the back was
used for goods, which was bursting at the seams and the back door was NEVER
shut properly and if they didn’t have that much goods then people would also be
in the back as well. The day really
started to warm up and to see over 10-15 people in these cars, they must have
really been sweating it out, and I am not just talking one or two cars, every
single one was the same, over crowded with people. There were also people movers, vans that
carried people as well and they looked like the Scooby Doo vans. They were also always full and had all sorts
of goods tied to the roofs of their vans.
Anything is possible in Africa that is for sure.
There really weren’t too many places to stop for lunch,
so we ended up pulling over at 1.45pm into a driveway and as the sun was so
hot, serving lunch in the truck. The
ladies went for a ‘walk’ and after they had all gone, we are not sure, but it was
right next door to what seemed like a school of some sort and may have been
caught, literally with their pants down.
All we could see was the children’s faces as they peered over the
concrete wall and every time we looked up they waved and you could just see 7
pairs of palms waving back. Some of the
trucks that we had passed were now passing us again and it was nice that a few
of them checked to make sure that we were okay before moving on. I make it sound so easy when I say we had passed
some of the trucks, but there was actually a knack to it, as the trucks are not
travelling in a straight line as we all try to weave and dodge all the pot
holes, you have to make sure that when you overtake that the truck in front
will not need to weave or dodge a hole and then could possibly bang into
you. You also have to take into account
the crazy car drivers who want to overtake everyone, even if it means on the
inside as you are weaving a hole and then the motorbike people who just crisscross
their way where they can, so you also need to make sure that we aren’t going to
knock people off their bikes. It really
is a rat race out there and you need to have your wits about you the whole
time. Zoe drove until lunch and then Sam
drove for the rest of the afternoon into Abomey.
After travelling for 6 hours, we had covered a measly
distance of 100km. Yes I did tell you
the roads were in a poor condition and that is just the proof for you. Imagine.
We arrived into Abomey at 4pm and after asking for a few directions and
paying a boda boda to take us in the right direction we headed straight for the
Abomey Palace Museum. It was actually
the last thing we all felt like doing, but once we were inside, it wasn’t too
bad, really-even after the 2 hour tour!
We weren’t allowed to take photos in the palace or grounds, but with Zoe
translating from French to English what the guide was saying, it wasn’t too bad
at all. We were all just knackered, even
after sitting in the truck all day, I think that combined with the heat; it is
just knocking us for a six.
Royal Palaces of Abomey consist of 12 former palaces
within the same enclosure in the center of Abomey. The site is a testimony to
one of the most powerful kingdoms in Africa, Dahomey. It was built by the Fon
people between 1625 and 1900. In 1985
it was inscribed simultaneously on the World Heritage List and on the List of
the World Heritage in Danger, after a tornado struck Abomey in 1984 and damaged
the royal structures and museum severely.
This site provides a sense of the scale and nature of some West African
Kingdoms prior to colonial rule. Forget any Europe or Asia-based preconceptions
about what the word “Palace” implies and you could find a visit an interesting
entree to the region’s history. The Royal Palaces of Abomey are 12 palaces spread over a 40
hectares (99 acres) area at the heart of the Abomey town in Benin, formerly the
capital of the West African Kingdom of Dahomey. The Kingdom was founded in 1625 by the Fon people who developed it into a powerful
military and commercial empire, which dominated trade with European slave traders on the Slave Coast until the late 19th
century, to whom they sold their prisoners of war. At its peak the palaces could accommodate for
up to 8000 people. UNESCO had inscribed the palaces on the List of World Heritage Sites in
Africa. Following this, the site had to be included under the List of World Heritage in Danger since Abomey was hit by a tornado on
15 March 1984, when the royal enclosure and museums, particularly the King
Guezo Portico, the Assins Room, King's tomb and Jewel Room were damaged.
However, with assistance from several international agencies the restoration
and renovation work was completed.
The opulent palaces built by the 12 rulers of the kingdom
within the cloistered site of Abomey, functioned between 1695 and 1900, as the
traditional cultural hub of the empire. The first ruler to initiate the
building of palaces was King Houegbadja who had founded the city. According to folklore, the descendants of the
royal family of Abomey who built the 12 Royal Palaces of Abomey are the progeny
of Princess Aligbonon of Tado and a panther. King Agaja (1718–1740)
defeated the kingdom of Allada in 1724 and the Kingdom
of Whydahin 1727. This resulted in killing of several prisoners. Many of
the prisoners were also sold as slaves at Ouidah, then called
Gléwé. These wars marked the beginning of the dominance of Dahomey's slave
trade (which was carried out through the port of Whydah with the Europeans. In the 19th century, however, with the rise
of the antislavery movement in Great Britain, King Guézo (1818–1858) initiated agricultural
development in the country, which resulted in further economic prosperity of
the kingdom achieved through exports of agricultural products such as corn and
palm oil. In 1892-1894, France invaded Dahomey.
Initially, Dahomey won many battles when even the chief of the French army was killed. However, Dahomey finally
succumbed to the forces of the French Army. It became a colony of France. King Béhanzin,
the last independent reigning king of Dahomey, after getting defeated by the
French colonial forces, set fire to Abomey. The French eventually deported him
to Martinique.
His successor King Agooli
Agbo could rule only till his
deportation to Gabon in 1900. In 1960, when the present day
Bénin attained independence from France, it originally bore the name
Dahomey.
The Abomey Historical Museum is housed in a building
built over an area of 5 acres (2.0 ha), which was established in 1943 by
the French colonial administration. Its coverage includes all the palaces
within an area of 40 hectares (99 acres), and particularly the palaces of
King Guézo and King Glèlè. The
Museum has 1,050 exhibits; most of these belonged to the kings who ruled
Danhomè. The Museum has many exhibits,
which fully represent the culture of the Kingdom of Dahomey. Some of the
significant exhibits are: appliquéd “king” quilt, traditional drums, and
paintings of ceremonies and the war between France and Dahomey. One of the kings, King Glele had 4,000 wives
when he died (they inherit other wives from previous kings) and on 29 December
1889 when the father died 200 wives volunteered to die and be buried for their
king. 41 were picked and were buried
separately from the King and are still buried to this day. We couldn’t go into have a look at King Glele
resting place, which is in like a rotunda shaped building due to a rule that
when it is market days in Abomey, no-one is permitted in his compound and today
was one of those days.
The tour finished just before 6pm and we were given 10 minutes
to have a look at the handicraft shops in the main courtyard of the
museum. Most of the handicrafts in Benin
consist of wooden products (which I LOVE), jewelry (which I LOVE) and also applique,
mostly of the kings and rulers of Benin, but also cushion covers with
elephants, maps of Africa and aprons. I
had seen a table runner on my way in that I liked, so IO headed straight to
that stall to get a price and within 2 minutes I had negotiated a price I was
happy with and then 7-8 other stall guys came over asking me to look in their
shop, I felt so bad, as they are all pretty much selling the same things, but
they were desperate for a sale. I tried
to do the right thing and at least look at their stuff and then we got the call
up to head back to the bus. Duckie was
also striking a deal and walked away with a cushion cover, yes, we are
perfectly matched and I am going to miss her when this tour finishes.
We found the camp/hotel 10 minutes later and it was like
an oasis in a hot desert. After Sam did
some pretty impressive maneuvering to reverse us through some gates, it was a
shady, tranquil spot and I was thinking at least it is cooler here and then Zoe
mentioned the word upgrade, and after being on the truck all day, it was a hot
day and then 2 hours walking around a museum, it was like music to all our ears
and there was a resounding YES from the group and both she and Sam set forth to
get some prices and check availability.
If any of my crew from my East Africa trip could see me now, they would
be shaking their heads and tut tutting me right now. We made such a BIG deal on that trip that
upgrades were for lovers and losers and we pretty much made people feel a
little shamed that they would contemplate upgrading on a ‘camping’ trip, and
now if they knew that we have only been in the tent 4 times, upgraded 4 times
and been in a scheduled guesthouse they would think it was a right old
laugh. BUT in my defence on the next leg
of my trip, if there are upgrades, I am on my own so I will either have to pay
double or stay in my tent (on my own) and I believe there are a lot of days
that we are bush camping, especially through Sierra Leone, so I am not feeling
guilty in the slightest that I am making the most of my upgrades while I can,
while they are still cheap and while I have a roomie who is also happy to
upgrade!!! I am also 2 years older than
that last Africa overland, and I need my comfort when I can get it.
It was Cooking With Gas (my team) for cooking tonight and
we used the tin peas, fresh tomatoes and onions, tin corn, tin meat and packet
pasta to create a marvelous Italian camp dinner, but again we are all so hungry
by the time dinner hits our plates I am sure we would just about eat anything
and as unappetizing as it sounds it was actually quite tasty. While we were cooking a local artisan came
buy with some of his goods and call me sucker as I was stirring the onion I was
able to spot, negotiate and buy 2 wooden masks and a necklace. Oh yes a woman can do more than 2 things at
once, especially when it comes to spending money! While getting out the stock for dinner, there
was a stinky smell coming from one of the food storage. When I investigated a watermelon, a cucumber
and a tomato had basically turned to mush in the heat of the truck and the
whole container smelled of off vomit and guess who had to clean it up. Yep-me.
It was disgusting and it was making me dry wretch, and with some very
soft deteriorated pineapples that I also had to toss, there was a bit of
wastage today and we need to keep a better eye on the food we have and when we
need to use it. The unfortunate thing is
we had a broken fridge for the first 4 days, it got fixed in Grand Popo and
then it dies again today after 3 days of it working. It is a pain as we can’t really keep left
overs for lunch, the butter and cheese doesn’t last as long and we can’t buy
fresh meat (not that we have seen any in the last 4 days anyway) but still, we
are making do with no fridge and back to the drawing board again until we get
back to Accra for someone to come out and have another look at it. Sam is just hoping that it needs a regas and
nothing else, but we will have to wait and see.
It was still hot as hell and we were all withering in the
heat after dinner. I did my usual and by
the time the camp is all packed up it was around 9pm, so I headed to my room
for a shower to wash off the day’s dust that sticks to your body and then get stuck
into my blogging. I don’t think I am
missing much by slinking off; the guys that stay on usually drink a few beers,
watch some sitcoms on the laptop and then go to bed. Duckie normally stays with them till around
11pm and then when she is back it is generally time for me to turn off the
computer anyway and off to sleep we go.
The mosquitos are becoming more of an issue each day as I wake with more
bites, mostly around my feet, and the last few days they have been itchy as
hell, and even though I know you are not supposed to scratch them, once in a
while I give them a good nail scratch and it feels amazing for a
microsecond. I can’t remember the last
time I was getting bitten so much and it is not just me, all of us are getting
eaten each night.
Tomorrow is a BIG travel day and we are just hoping that
the roads from here on will be in better condition than today. Taking 6 hours to travel 100km is a slow and
bouncy adventure, which we could do without tomorrow.
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