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Author Archive | Heidi Sequenz

Royal Abomey

By on 30. January 2016 in Benin
Abomey palace

Palace of Abomey

Abomey is the ancient capital of the powerful Kingdom of Dahomey that existed from the early 17th century till 1900. Tradition required for each king to have his own palace built, adjacent to that of his father. By the time the last king was ousted by the French, it was 12 palaces stretching over an area of 44ha surrounded by the wide moat. The buildings were all made of clay and if the site had not been granted UNESCO Heritage status, very little would be left. But UNESCO money two palaces - those of King Glele und Guezo -have been restored and turned into a really informative museum.

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Cotonou – a mess I came to love

By on 16. January 2016 in Benin

 

zems in Cotonou

Traffic in Cotonou

Most tourists leave Cotonou, Benin largest city, straight away, it lacks attractions to speak off. Worth mentioning, a cozy Catholic Cathedral, where people come to prey, sleep, and rest. 

Visits to the Dantokpa Market, Benin biggest market with 40 hectares, and the giant second hand market left me irritated and exhausted. Too many people push through the narrow alleys, as the only white person I was stared at and constantly spoken to in unfamiliar languages.

Street Vendors

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Ouidah – festival du voodoo

By on 10. January 2016 in Benin
Voodoo pope

The who is who of voodoo in Benin, the "pope" is the person with the green hat

The tranquility of Ouidah changes abruptly on the 10th of January when the town hosts Benin’s annual Voodoo-festival. The ceremony starts in the morning at the house of “the pope”, together with “the who is who of voodism” he leads the two-hour long procession through Oudiah.

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Meeting the King of Dassa

By on 8. January 2016 in Benin
king of Dass

King of Dassa

To be frank there are not many sights in Dassa, the Royal Palais is a run-down building and was closed at the time of my visit. If it was not for the fading letters on the wall saying Royal Palais, it would pass for another descript building in a dusty town.
The present king chooses to live in a simply house right next to it. He receives visitors, when they bring a bottle of gin and CFA 5000 in cash as a present.

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Heading North to Dassa

By on 8. January 2016 in Benin
Dass main strett

Center of Dassa

It took quite a while for the bus to Dassa to fill since it was Saturday, besides nine people certainly are not enough for nine seats. Only when about 16 passengers filled the vehicle, lots of cargo was stowed away on the roof, including a moped, did we leave Cotonou. Since I got the privileged seat next to the driver, it was a sweet trip.

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Ganvie – the Venice of Benin

By on 7. January 2016 in Benin

 

Ganive-village

Ganvie Village

Ganvie is home to a fishing community of about 30.000 people, who all live in wooden huts on stilts in the lagoon waters of Lake Nokoue. The village, far away from the mainland, was founded by the Tofino people back in 17th century, when Dahomean worriers raided their countryside for captives to sell to the European slave traders. The Tofino word for gan means we are save and the word vie means community.

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Benin Visa most wanted

By on 28. December 2015 in Benin
Visa Benin

Visa Benin

Never has there been a visa more desired. The day before the X-mas holidays started and three days before my departure, it still had not arrived, although I had applied two weeks earlier. Hectic phone calls, email exchanges, mapping out a plan B (which quickly imploded) and the very sad thought of losing a plane ticket, turned the 23rd of December into a nightmarish day. At 4pm I could not take it any longer and called the responsible person in Benin on my mobile. Guess what,  he told me to tell the consulate to issue the visa. He will give his okay the next day. And they did.

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Mozambique – Photo Gallery

By on 28. November 2014 in Mozambique

Mozambique never came easy, both trips to this country in Eastern Africa meant hardship on public transport. And it ain't cheap. The weary travelers is rewards by stunning beaches, whale sharks as close as you can get fading colonial building and the most bizarre capital, in my eyes anyway.

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Who Am I?

By on 1. October 2014 in Who Am I

Heidi Sequenz

Heidi at the Encuentro de los Aguas, Amazon River, Manaus, Brazil

Hit by the travel bug at an early age.

My fascination with far away places was triggered by exotic images of Latin America on packets of coffee frequently purchased by my parents! This is where I wanted to go. An Adventurous Spirit as a child saw me fantasising of distant suns and untapped cultures.

Children in Austria in the early 1960s would get to dip their feet into the Mediterranean coast, if they were lucky! I wanted more.

These limitations were left behind as well as high school! I travelled with friends to Europe’s most northern point in an old VW Bus. It was the 1970s. Neither mosquitoes nor living on cheap canned food would diminish the experience. Life was good. No, it was great!

Early years at Vienna University frequently took me across the Atlantic. Working holidays in the US enabled me to explore the country. An adventurous time travelling on Greyhound buses left me with lifetime memories & an even greater passion to continue my ever growing need to explore this wonderful planet of ours!

Southeast Asia was calling, the 1970s had past and the 1980s now rolling in, I joined the backpacker brigade heading for Sri Lanka. The travel bug was here to stay as I look forward to a lifetime of travel and the Gypsy in me now fully exposed!

 
On a personal note
I teach English, History and Sport at a high-school in Vienna. I do teachers’ training and continuous education classes for adults.
And yes, there is another small addiction, politics: Green rules!

A Travel Aficionada?
I absolutely love Vienna. My river front apartment is where I call home and I truly appreciate Austria’s scenic beauty and cultural splendour, but an unquenchable curiosity for new and unknown lands keeps pulling me away. Travelling has taught me more than anything in life.

Fulfilling travel needs a few basic ingredients, foremost a general a trust in people and due respect for the host country and culture. Then things fall in place and you will be duly rewarded.

My travelling highlights include a trip around the world in 2007 - 2008.

Gilles Barbier

Gilles at Itimad-ud-Daulah, better known as the "Baby Taj", Agra, India

You will find his name many times on this website. And pictures of him… Gilles shared my life for more than 17 years.

Back in 2002  I got Gilles hooked to travelling, during an unforgettable trip through Senegal in a “taxi brousse”. Over the years Gilles became the expert photographer, while I turned out to be the travel writer.

If we now go different ways, we will both keep on traveling, discovering, exploring. There is one life. Live it!  Check out Gilles’ website www.grandescapades.net

 

 

 

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