COTONOU

Getting Around
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Damian:
Becky: The zemis are the main form of transportation, and I've written before that it was amazing the things people could carry on them, mainly small children. Damian told me he once carried two turkeys for Thanksgiving on one. We saw people carrying a large pig, and huge bundles of produce, etc. I liked these bananas in this picture. I also saw a few people getting around in these bicycle-looking things that I realized are wheelchairs. They turn the gears with their arms, like bicycle peddles, which makes a lot of sense. The first thing below is a video clip of the crowded intersections in Cotonou.




Moov
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Damian:
Becky: This was my favorite billboard, and it was all over Benin. It is an advertisement for a cell phone company, and the lady is talking on a phone that is actually a mini-person.

Hotel du Lac
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Damian:
Becky: At the bookends on our trip we treated ourselves to a a nicer stay at the Hotel du Lac. This hotel had air conditioning, television, hot water, and western food, all ammenities which I take for granted... This hotel is where Damian and other Peace Corps volunteers would stay in Cotonou sometimes when they needed a break. The artist and his subject in the second photo: Damian brought his really nice camera with a telescoping lens, so he got some amazing shots. I can't wait to see how his film turns out. The last photo is a view of the river and some garbage swept up to the bank next to it. After a really strong rainfall one night all of the garbage was washed out into the river. It was really sad to see so much pollution; I saw similar scenes in Thailand. Below this picture are some shots Damian took from our hotel. You can see what a bustling city it is, but also some of the pollution.

Homecoming
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Damian:
Becky: Air France - Damian counted 8 times that our passports were checked. We took a shuttle out to the giant plane and our bags were checked one more time. Air France is the only western airline that flies into Benin.

GRAND POPO: The Beach & Hotel

Room with a View
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Damian:
Becky: The lovely view from our front porch. At night we could hear the waves crashing, and I slept really well. Another reason I slept well is because we had a nice canopy of mosquito netting on our bed. I loved this simple room. The third picture is our little bungalow, which we shared with several salamanders. Next to our bungalo was a huge building that housed many other little hotel rooms. It was like a big old plantation building, and I thought it was gorgeous.
Swim at Your Own Risk
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Damian:
Becky: The hotel had a little pool, but we didn't go swimming in it. I'm pretty sure it wasn't chlorinated, and I was suspicious of the shallow bath-water-temperature festering in the sun all day. Here I was so hot I almost dove in. The crashing waves on the beach were a different story. The waves were huge and the undertow inevitable, so we couldn't really swim in the ocean, either. It was purgatory to be somewhere so hot, next to the ocean, and to not be able to swim. I did go in up to my knees. We saw one unsuspecting woman wade in casually up to her waist, only to be knocked over by a huge wave. We held our breath until we saw her head pop up near the shore. She stayed clear of the sea after that. I actually had hoped that she would need me to run in and rescue her, just so I had an excuse to get in the water... I'm probably overconfident in my swimming skills on that. Late one afternoon we spotted some local boys swimming a little bit in the break, but even they didn't venture in all of the way.

Chips Ahoy
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Damian:
Becky: We spotted some "sailboats" from the beach one afternoon. The sails were square, and looked like they were a bunch of square pieces of fabric stitched together. As they got closer to shore they collapsed the sails so we captured that action. I can't believe those little boats go out into those turbulent waves!



Fine Dining
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Damian:
Becky: We enjoyed a little break from local pile and wagasi (and diarrhea) and ate some amazing French cuisine at our hotel's restaurant. We even got to have beer and wine, and one night we played Gin Rummy and I almost won, but didn't. I still have yet to beat Damian in scrabble or cards.



Who am I? What is my purpose in life?
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Damian:
Becky: We get contemplative on the beach, gazing out at the water, pondering the meaning of our own existence. (wink). The video clip of him looking out at the waves makes me think of The Truman Show.

GRAND POPO: Sunsets and Foliage

A Stark Contrast
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Damian:
Becky: The tropical flavor of Grand Popo was a stark contrast to the dusty dryness of the northern region. This small town served as a vacation from our vacation... there wasn't much authentic "Benin" in it, but there were still some nice touches.




Sundown
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Damian:
Becky: The sun was just beginning to set when I shot this picture of the rays streaming through the palm tree. I think this is one of my favorite pictures. The photo below that is Damian humming like an angel to provide a musical accompaniment to the scenery.

Sunset on the Beach
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Damian:
Becky: Below are a bunch of pictures of the setting sun on the beach. I know sunset on the beach pictures are a bit cliche, but I never get tired of them... The clouds rolling in in these photos turned into a really loud thunderstorm that night. We made it back to our room right before the downpour. The rainstorm brought in a cool breeze that probably made for one of our best nights of sleep on this trip.

BAREI: People and Places

Scenes
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Damian:
Becky: Damian snapped this picture below and I think out of the hundreds of photos we brought home from this trip, it is my favorite. I think it is Taffa's daughter-in-law, pausing to rest by the well. It was late afternoon and the heat was starting to abide and we had just come out of hiding from the afternoon sun.


Taffa's Family House
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Damian:
Becky: Below are a couple of shots Damian took of Taffa's house. There are two buildings that have bedrooms and living rooms, and then a smaller building that serves as the kitchen. Below the house pictures are Damian and Taffa resting and chatting in the shade where we hid out from the sun in the mornings. Damian took that really nice close-up of Taffa.

Little Mosque
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Damian:
Becky: This is the front view of the little mosque in Barei. Very rustic looking, don't you think?
Camel Humps
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Damian:
Becky: If there are camels in Benin, I didn't see them. I thought this road sign was funny, though, and that it looked like camel humps. It is obviously to warn for bumps, which is also funny, because the terre rouge, red road, is bumpy all over.

Tree Worship
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Damian:
Becky: I think if I were to practice animism, I'd worship the trees. I caught Damian's affection for Baobabs.
Fieldwork
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Damian:
Becky: Because the ground is so dry, they harvest plants in mounds of soil, so that when the rains finally come it doesn't all wash away. It is really quite a beautiful sight. It was also a stark contrast to the lay of the land - long and flay, as shown in the picture below.




Dick the Doggie
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Damian:
Becky: Damian had a dog while he is in Peace Corps who had puppies, and Dick is one of her puppies! Dick looks just like his mother. It is quite remarkable that Taffa's family kept Dick on as a domestic animal rather than letter him run free, or even eating him, as is the fate of most of the wild dogs in Africa. Taffa remarked that Dick was great at gaurding the henhouse, and also that he was basically a great security system for their home. They don't exactly cuddle up to them like we do here, but they do tap him on the head affectionately and feed him well. Below Dick's picture is one of Damian and Taffa hanging out right after we arrived in the village. Damian's sporting the African garb.



Cow Dung
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Damian:
Becky: I tried really hard to be open-minded throughout this trip, and I think I got by pretty well but the one thing that really grossed me out was this thingy. This structure is in the middle of this family's yard, and I'm not sure what it is for, but it is made out of mud and in order to preserve it they are spreading cow dung all over it. The mom had her arms elbow-deep in a bowl of green-colored cow dung and it was splattered all over the ground and little kids were playing nearby... they said it helps keep the structure safe from the weather but man! This moment pushed my limits.

Side Streets
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Damian:
Becky: Just a woman and a baby walking through the village, quiet in the early afternoon. Below that, a construction scene. I am not sure what they are building here... another wall? Most of the structures in Barei were made out of cement or mud from the ground. Below that is a goat in a window. I just thought that was funny.