Oct 13-14

The weekend and time for some sightseeing! Porto Novo is located on the edge of a large lagoon – an ecosystem which is fragile at the best of times but even more so now with an increasing population and only limited sanitation infrastructure. The mangroves are impressive and in amongst them, thousands of people make their livelihood principally catching fish. The lagoon villages are built on stilts and all the inhabitants (including young and old) demonstrate tremendous amphibious dexterity: they looked like they were walking on the water standing in their small wooden boats or floating devices made of old petrol cans. When I asked the guide if there were any dangers in the lagoon his retort was to clarify my question: “what, apart from the crocodiles and the lions…?”

Also time to change city: from Porto Novo to Cotonou. Only a couple of ministries remain in the official capital of Porto Novo whilst the rest of the government has decamped to the larger city of Cotonou. With its large port, this urban centre is the principle economic hub of the Beninese economy. Many foreign embassies are also located here and it’s evident that Cotonou is the de facto capital of Benin. However, it is not for the faint-hearted: business takes place on all the crowded streets and it seems to be conducted with an almost urgent energy. On the roads, hurried motorbikes overtake lorries overtaking pushcarts which move out into the street to avoid the pedestrians jolted onto the road by the bustle of the commerce!

In order to recuperate my energy for the week ahead I escaped the bright sights and noisy sounds of downtown Cotonou and checked-in to a “European-style” hotel by the beach for the weekend. An oasis of calm in an otherwise tumultuous place, I soon noticed what I had come to miss in such a short time away from Europe: coffee! I never realised that I was so addicted but after a week of drinking black tea I was delighted to be reunited with a proper espresso! It was nice to just “escape” for a short while and swap the fumes of the two-stroke engines for the fresh sea breeze! Still, now that my weekend draws to an end, I’m “recharged” and I’ll be back in the tumult tomorrow!

Photo: amphibious dexterity...