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Ancient Karima – Tombs, Temples and a Petrified Forest

By on 10. February 2016 in Sudan

Karima is plastered with ancient sites, ancient in one case means millions of years. The Petrified Forest outside the village of El Kurru is that old. A lot younger are the pyramids and tombs from the Kushite Period and the remains of Palace of Amun at the foot Jebel Barkal.

View from Jebel Mountain

View from Jebel Mountain

On our way to the village of El Kurru our taxi driver pulled up to a few men chatting next to the road. Eventually one of them climbed into our taxi, leaving Kelly and me confused. Having experienced many such moments when traveling I stayed calm and as it turned out the taxi driver had stopped to ask Mohnad, a local who spoke some English, whether he would serve as a guide for the two lady tourists. Eagerly Mohnad joined us on this little excursion and we learned so much we would have missed otherwise. Continue Reading →

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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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