Sunday, December 6, 2009

To go to Togo

Day 134.

We crossed the border at 8:36pm on Sunday night. Lots of paperwork and stamps but mostly a breeze. It was apparent immediately that we were in a different country. We were approached by men asking us in French if we wanted a moto taxi, which we understood by their motorcycle hand motion, and we simply replied, “Non merci” as if we knew what we were doing. Soon, we found a cheap hotel, set down our bags, and went for a walk.

The streets of Lome near the border are sand roads lined with neatly addressed houses and outdoor restaurants and bars. Very low key, however, we were told this area was dangerous so we stuck together in search of a Fan Milk man. Fan Milk is a company that makes frozen treats that come in bags (weird right?..but also amazing). In Ghana there is only Fan Ice, Fan Choco, and Fan Yogo but in Togo there is Fan Joy, Fan Coctail, Fan Xtra, Fan Yogo Maxi, Fan Icy, and Vanille Lait. We were on a mission to try all the flavors before leaving the country. Fan Cocktails in hand, we wound our way through the streets to lose a couple of guys who were following us and made it safely back to our hotel.

The next morning, after a bomb avocado, onion, and tomato sandwich on a fresh baked baguette, and an exciting moto ride to the tro tro station, we boarded a car for Kpalime. Kpalime is a small city right along the Togo/Ghana border adjacent to the Volta Region: lush vegetation, mountainous terrain. We spent the day walking the streets, eating Fan Joy and avocado baguettes, playing cards, and speaking French (or at least trying to). Unexpectedly that evening, we ran into Matt and Nikos, played a few rounds of Psoi and made plans to visit Kpime falls the following day.

At 8:30am we were in search of four moto taxis who would take us to the falls for a reasonable price. After some bargaining in broken French/English we agreed on a price and were on our way (moto taxis are one of my new favorite things). The falls were visible from a distance and very inviting. At the bottom, we found out we could do a 4km hike to the top for a great view of the entire region. Sounded great, problem being our moto drivers would have to wait for us as it is an isolated place where we wouldn’t see any motos. After significant bargaining without success, we decided their prices were too high and we would just walk back. “Au revoir, Au revoir”. We began the walk to the falls with our guide and before we knew it, our moto drivers were following suit. They decided our price was good and instead of waiting for us at the bottom they would just come with us. Two hours later after taking pictures with the falls and climbing the steep trail to the top to see a beautiful view of Togo from above, hawks circling, an old Portuguese dam, and laughing with our drivers, we were back on the motos on way back to town. The day was a success.

The next morning we woke up and made the journey back to Lome where we planned to stay one more night. We arrived with our giant backpacks on and walked around the Grand Marche for a few hours, slightly shopping but mostly looking for a place to stay. The Grand Marche is much different from markets in Ghana because as there are far less cars in Togo, the market just takes place along the streets, and in the streets, motos winding their way through the crowds. Hopelessly looking for a hotel within our budget, we found a Lebanese man who lives in Lome. We showed him in the guidebook which hotels we were looking for and he responded, “You go there, they kill you!” With that (and rejecting his offer to stay at his house) we headed for the border ending our trip a day early. A hop, skip, and a few stamps away, we were back in Ghana…no more avocado baguettes, but safety and familiarity.

This week: two more tests, a few last trips to the market, Carmen’s last performance, goodbyes, and a 24-hour bus ride to Burkina Faso. I’m ready...and I'll be careful.

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