Benin

 HE COULD'VE ASKED BEFORE RUBBING HIS SNAKES AGAINST ME.

A TYPICAL STREET SCENE

Benin, like Mumbai last month, left my senses clanging.  We had a full day tour, and traveled in a convoy of three buses with an armed police escort driving in front with its siren blaring.  We also had armed police on our buses and we stopped for nothing.  Not lights, scooters or people.  Hair-raising, but at least it guaranteed a breeze through the windows, as there was no air-con.  Our driver used his horn liberally, as did those in vehicles around us, and between that, the heat, and the choking dust and truck fumes, our nerves started to fray a little. No matter, there was so much of interest to distract us.

There must be fifty scooters to every car here which explains why you could buy petrol from stalls every 200m along the road.  The petrol was contained in large glass jars and syphoned into the gas tanks as needed.  That was another smell in the air - gasoline.  The main form of transport for the locals are the taxi scooters (also known as “take-me-quicks”) and are identified by the drivers who wear yellow shirts. There were a lot of them.

The streets are lined with open stalls selling all manner of things.  Most commonly petrol, and hubcaps (which was strange as there weren’t that many cars).  Also mangos, pawpaw and bananas.  There were ancient Singer sewing machines set up so you could get a quick mend of your patterned pyjamas if needed.  The men here certainly like their patterned pyjamas, which I suppose are about the coolest, and coolest, things to wear. Even the baby boys wear them.  The men here are not bothered about urinating in public.  I’ve never seen so many peni in one day, or ever.  They don’t even try to hide it.  Our drivers were no exception. When our buses stopped at the sacred forest, they all jumped off and had a group pee in front of us.

We visited the town of Ouidah, supposedly the cradle of Voodoo religion (apparently nothing to be afraid of, folks).  We went to the sacred forest of Kpasse which had at its centre a magnificent 400 year old tree (the spirit of 14thC Chief Kpasse), and on to the Voodoo Temple of Snakes.  Here I not only held a python, but I went in the python pit - a small temple full of snakes.  While I was in there calmly taking photos of snakes at my feet, Robin pointed out that they were on the ledges around my head.  Neato.

Benin was the centre of the slavery trade for 400 years and we saw some of this history in an old Portuguese fort which serves as the Ouidah Museum.

We ate lunch at an open air restaurant on a huge ocean beach that reminded me of Whiritoa, the way the beach fell away and massive waves thumped in.  When we got back on the bus the temperature inside it read 50C.  I can’t even tell you how much we were sweating.  Suffice to say I drank 3 litres of water and only used the bathroom twice all day.

Our final, and my most favourite stop, was the stilt village of Ganvie built way out in the centre of Lake Nokue.  Hundreds of years ago the Tofino chief saved his people from slavery by telling them to build their huts over the water.  Neighbouring tribes who profited from the slave trade left them alone as they believed the lake to be infested with water demons.

We explored the canal ways of this village in long, flat-bottomed boats.  Out here the elderly women are topless, and believe me, if anyone should be wearing tops, it’s them.  The canals are filled with canoes, lots with children casting nets out, or carrying fruit or other produce to be sold.  There is a floating market, and a floating communal laundry.  The houses are loosely made from bamboo and it’s easy to see inside, and how simply these people live.  In the wider canals, makeshift sails are made from sarongs. I’m sure sailing makes a welcome relief from the paddles that are normally used.

We got back to the ship an hour after we were meant to have sailed.  Lucky they waited for us.  Air-con and a shower have never been so welcome!

ONE OF THE CANALS AT THE GANVIE STILT VILLAGE