A Very Voodoo Christmas in Benin
How we spent a few days at Lac Togo and then travelled on to the beaches in Benin. But best of all, Christmas in Ouidah, the ‘voodoo capital’ of Benin.
Capital: Lome | Language: French, up to 39 indigenous | Currency: West African CFA (franc) | Religion: Christian, Islam, animism, voodoo | Population: 7.6 million
Togo is a tiny slice of a country sandwiched between Ghana and Benin. In the faded capital Lome, the beach encroaches on the city and many streets are quite literally sand. Quiet, palm-studded neighborhood streets are lined with little bars and maquis – kitchens, basically – music drifting from one to the next. Little towns where coffee and cocoa grow in the hills all around are a good base for hiking into the surrounding forest and swimming in waterfalls.
How we spent a few days at Lac Togo and then travelled on to the beaches in Benin. But best of all, Christmas in Ouidah, the ‘voodoo capital’ of Benin.
It’s amazing how quickly plans change. This morning we woke up in Lome, intending to go to Lac Togo. But instead, three hours later we were back in Ghana.
Lost in Lome, Togo. Arriving in a big African city can be daunting at the best of times. Arriving during a political protest – even more so.
How we spent a few days at Lac Togo and then travelled on to the beaches in Benin. But best of all, Christmas in Ouidah, the ‘voodoo capital’ of Benin.
It’s amazing how quickly plans change. This morning we woke up in Lome, intending to go to Lac Togo. But instead, three hours later we were back in Ghana.
Lost in Lome, Togo. Arriving in a big African city can be daunting at the best of times. Arriving during a political protest – even more so.