I wrote a little about Benin in a previous post when we encountered a particularly kind soul on the road. Here are some of the other adventures we had in Benin.
We visited Ouidah, a small town in Benin and the center of the Voudoun religion. We encountered the sacred forest and held snakes around our necks at the Temple of Pythons. Note that the pythons are allowed to roam freely at night. Continue reading
I have to write this article quickly before this year flies by as quickly as 2011 did. We spent the New Years in Ghana this year and it was enjoyable. Christmas and New Years in Ghana is not unlike that in St. Kitts. It is very family oriented, Church, turkey, ham, and so on. One similarity which surprised me was the masquerades. With their colourful costumes and their masks, they strongly resemble the Clowns which are a key part of St. Kitts’ folklore and Christmas fun. Continue reading
Glidji Regent, Ge-Fioga Sedegbe Foli Bebe XV
In my last post, I described my arrival in Togo, the French-speaking country that borders the East coast of Ghana. It was four of us, navigating the country on our own, content to wander around wherever our fancy led.
On our second day in Togo we opted to go in search of some shrines in a town called Glidji that was highlighted in the guide book. We had no idea where they were or what we would find there, but this adventure exposed us to many idiosyncrasies in the Togolese culture, including the importance of chieftainships and voodoo. Continue reading
In a previous post, I mentioned that my desire to visit Francophone countries in Africa was realised when I drove from Accra to Togo and then on to Benin.
It was a remarkable trip. I left my hubby and children at home and set off with three friends towards Aflao (say AH-FLAH-HO), one of the towns where one can cross from Ghana into Togo.
Just a geography refresher, Ghana is surrounded by Francophone countries with Togo and Benin bordering them on the Eastern side, Cote d’Ivoire on the West and Burkina Faso in the North.
“What time is it in Africa?
This was a question that I got from a young boy in St. Kitts this summer. As most of us know, Africa is a large continent spanning at least four time zones.
I am determined in my time here to sample as much of the continent as possible. I cannot visit every country, not even most of the ones that I would like to, mainly because travel within Africa (not unlike travel within the Caribbean) is prohibitively expensive. Continue reading
