Day 14: Cotonou, Benin – The End or the Beginning?

As I was showering off the kilogram of dust off of me that had accumulated on my body over the past five days at my boyfriend’s Peace Corps site, in the pristine shower of the Hotel du Lac in Cotonou, Benin, where my boyfriend and I decided to splurge it being our last night – I began feeling very anxious.  It had been 5 months since I last saw my boyfriend, and now after two fun-filled weeks, he was leaving again – and I didn’t when the next time I would see him would be.

Determined to have a good night anyway, I blow-dried my hair, put on make-up, and met him at the beautiful restaurant overlooking the ocean – (we asked his brother to order room service this night and stay in his room and watch satellite TC.  He evidently had no problem being excluded, as was evidenced from the three bottles of beer and room service we found in his room the next morning).  After a great dinner of fruits de mer (“fruit of the sea” AKA seafood), and pizza we began to reminisce about the trip and how great it had been.  Actually, we began to reminisce about all the trips we had taken together – including Poland, Russia, Latvia, Guatemala, Lithuania, Mexico, Estonia, Finland, Belize, etc – and exclaimed how amazing each one of them had been, and how we never ever get annoyed of each other, but rather are in total sync when we travel.

I began getting teary-eyed, wondering out loud how our lives would mesh.  How were we ever going to manage to make our lives in sync when we were across the world from one another?  When would we be able to finally be together? We had dated for 3 years and I was beginning to worry about how the next year would look.  After my theatrical outburst, (Oscar-worthy I must say) my boyfriend looked at me sweetly and told me to enjoy the rest of the pizza.  So I did.

After we polished off our dinner, we walked over to the edge of the terrace on the water.  After a few minutes of gazing at the stars, I said, “I think we should go back to the hotel.  We have a long day tomorrow.”  But my boyfriend kept on walking along the terrace.  Then again I said, “Maybe its time to go back.”  But he just held on to me over the railing.  I then saw him fidgeting with his pocket, and it smacked me like a ton of bricks.  Oh my God, could this be it!? OMG, am I ready!?  What do I do?  How do I stand?  How do I look?

Before I could elaborate on that thought any more, my boyfriend got down on his knee and said all the lovely things every girl wants to hear.  Most of it is blurry but I remember, “I want to spent the rest of my life with you – I never want to be away from you again. During this trip, I didn’t like introducing you as my girlfriend – I wanted it to be more.”  Before I knew it, I think he said, “I am asking you to marry me”,  which I wasn’t able to reply too, right away, because it wasn’t in interrogative form… but then I realized he was waiting and exclaimed, “Yes, Yes, YES!”  and wrapped my arms around him and kissed him.  I think then I said, “Are you sure!?  This is forever!” to which he exclaimed, “Of course I am sure!  I’ve thought about this for a long time, and I want you to marry me!”

So that’s our engagement story!  Kind of perfect, given we met as a result of our travels in Africa.  I was given a beautiful , classy silver band with three small diamonds engraved in it, that will forever be my travel ring.  As soon as I get back to the states, he and I will pick out the real ring together – how fun is that!?  It’s going to be the best shopping trip EVER.

Needless to say, planning a wedding from Africa is a little difficult.  I will be here in Mali a few more months and then hope to fly to Chicago for a few weeks to plan and look at venues together with my fiance.  In the meantime, I will do as much as I can through the wonderful world wide web.

There are some back-stories too – a month ago, he had gone to my father’s office and asked him for his blessing.  How sweet is that?  and HOW IN THE WORLD did my mother keep this a secret, from me, but especially from my sister OHmommy! Also, my fiance told me that originally he wanted to propose on the bridge near his village – the bridge over the Niger River connecting the country of Benin to the country of Niger.  However, go figure with my luck, I had visa problems with Niger and Benin and was kind of staying in Benin not too legally, so we couldn’t risk going near the bridge ;(

The spot where my fiance proposed (photographed a day later and a little blurry)

Our first photos taken as engaged couple (the following morning).

At the museum in Oudiah, Benin

At the village where my fiance had his Peace Corps training. Check out the gorgeous lake in the background. Again, who had it harder? 😉

On the Gulf of Benin

Days 8-13: Northern Benin

After we dropped of my brother at the airport in Niger to return home just in time for Spring semester, my boyfriend, his brother and I proceeded to Benin for one more week of adventure.

The second week differed from our first week in that we were no longer traveling long distances.  My boyfriend had been a Peace Corps volunteer in Benin so we spent the majority of the time based in his town.

Nevertheless, it was very exciting…mostly because my boyfriend is a rockstar.  The amount of attention showered on him was unbelievable.  Everyone knew his name.  Everyone wanted to give him a present.  Everyone wanted to conduct a public speech on how much he helped them.  By the third day, his brother and I were endearingly rolling our eyes at him as another person came by to bow down to him.  By the time the mayor inaugurated an orchard my boyfriend had planted five years ago to be named, “The Forest of [his name],” his brother and I nearly lost it, but loved it.

I learned another very important thing about my boyfriend here….he is a liar 😉  My boyfriend and I met through a mutual friend in Chicago three years ago and hit it off immediately because we had both just finished Peace Corps service in West Africa.  For the last three years, we have argued over “Who had it more difficult” a number of times.

It is OBVIOUS to all now, that this discussion was a joke.  🙂  CLEARLY I had it more difficult.  My boyfriend lived in a town with electricity, bars, restaurants, an INTERNET CAFE, plus…he lived with the KING of a tribe! and the KING had a car.  Even though I lived in a mud hut with a thatched roof, in a village with no running water or vegetables, my boyfriend still thinks that because I had a cell phone that only worked in cities 4 hours from my village, the argument is still on….even though I found out there is a landline in his Peace Corps house….with a connection to internet.

Ok, but despite this, really he kicked butt and built a basketball court for the high school (a court still functioning), planted a gazillion trees, and obviously affected the lives of a hundred others.  It was wonderful to see how much they love him and how much he loves them.

Here are some pictures of us around town.

Greeting the King with the Prince of the Dendi people

Visiting the school my BF worked with

My BF kicking butt during the B-Ball game the town had in his honor on the court he built

Leaving the village

The Niger River Trip – Video

Below is a short video taken on our journey to Bamako, Mopti, Dogon and Timbuktu Mali with a dash of Niamey, Niger at the end. We had so much fun throughout the trip and I think that’s evident if you watch this.  Enjoy!

Days 6-7: Niamey, Niger

We had planned driving from Gao, Mali to Niamey, Niger months ago  My brother purchased his return ticket to the States from Niamey so we had a limited amount of time to make it there by Saturday, January 10th.  For months, I researched the road extensively online through people’s blogs and in person, inquiring about its safety.  What I found was that it is, physically, extremely safe.  It had just been paved a year ago and the trip, without stops, should only take 4 hours.  However,  just  weeks before we were to drive that road, a Canadian diplomat’s car was hijacked and he  kidnapped by Tuareg rebels on the same road.   In addition, there were heightened security alerts the embassy had been sending out since December regarding random grenade attacks in Gao.  Needless to say, I was worried.

After a team meeting, it was decided we would take the road anyway (instead of going through Burkina Faso).  From what we could decipher, tourists were not being targeted by Tuaregs…. rather it was military officials or diplomats that worked with Tuareg conflict resolution.  We took our chances and  fortunately,  got to Niamey (the capital of Niger) unscathed, albeit it took us 8 hours instead of the estimated 4.  Upon arrival, however, I thanked God for delivering us there safely.

Niamey was lovely.  Although still West African in ambiance (hustle and bustle, hundreds of scents, poverty, etc), it was much more maneagable and calm.  We saw several gorgeous sunsets on the banks of the Niger River and galloped with wild giraffes just an hour outside town.  It was sad to see my brother go, as it symbolized the end of one journey, but my boyfriend and I still had a week ahead of us in Benin.  A week that would result in one of the biggest surprises of my life!

Regarding safety on the Gao-Niamey road, it came to my attention this week, that four European tourists were kidnapped just a couple of weeks after we were there! Believe me, the news knocked the wind out of me.  I would like to pay it forward and inform all those planning on traveling this road to take the Burkina Faso road instead.  Although I found the road safe and the military personnel at the checkpoints very friendly, the stretches between villages were vast and long without seeing another car in sight. So be careful and if you can, go through Burkina instead.

Without further ado, some pictures of Niamey, Niger.

Getting close to the giraffes

Peek-a-boo

Sunset in Niamey

Day 5: Timbuktu, Mali

Mission Accomplished

My eyes popped open, my heart pounded and my body jumped out of bed.  It was 4am in Sevare and I could barely contain my excitement,  “Wake up boys, We’re going to Timbuktu, we’re going to Timbuktu, we’re going to Timbuku!”  This was the day that would finally solidify my status as a world traveler.  I wanted to get there…now!

They grudgingly slid out of their beds and fell back into the same positions as they passed out in the car.  After two more hours of blissful sleep they were rudely awakened as our car got off the paved road and hit the dirt road.  For the next 6 hours, we took the desert by storm, crossing sand roads to Timbuktu, darting dozens of camels, hundreds of donkeys and averting thousands of kilograms of sand we were unavoidably choking on. After an hour, our driver spotted us cleaning up our faces like cats in his rear view mirror, and pulled over laughing.  He helped us wrap turbans around our heads that would block the dust and sand from exfoliating our faces, to make the journey up to the mystical city a little more manageable.

After crossing the Niger river, again, we made it to Timbuktu just after lunch time. In typical Kash travel fashion, we dropped off our bags at Hotel Buktu and fled off in a hurry to tour the town before nightfall.  No resting allowed.  After an hour or so (Timbuktu is not very big), we met our camel guides who happened to be around 7 years old, that took us out to the sandy dunes just outside the city to watch the sunset.  Upon returning to our hotel, our teeth were chattering and our speech impeded.  IT IS COLD out here at night!

There is not much to see in Timbuktu besides sand and camels, but that’s enough for me.  I love the desert!  The turbans are also a big plus.

Turbans are the new must-have accessory

Passing time while waiting for the ferry

The Tuareg boys told me my camel was the meanest, AFTER I had already gotten on it.

The shadow of the sun

Running up the dune at sunset. Camels in the background.

p.s.  Timbuktu is English spelling, Tombouctou is the French spelling.

Day 4: Sevare, Mali

By Day 4, I felt the boys needed a little bit of R&R before we headed to Timbuktu for the second half of our journey.  So we slept in, caught up on email, greeted my colleagues at the office, went swimming at the nearby hotel and ate well.  I’m so glad we did.  Little did we know that we would be eating egg sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner the following three days!

Pictures of life in Sevare, the town right near Mopti where I currently live.   Timbuktu tomorrow!

Relaxing at my place

Pizza at the Ambedjele Hotel in Sevare

Oh the people you meet when traveling in places like Mali 🙂 It's half the fun. Pictured is a quirky French band performing while we were eating dinner at a small restaurant in Sevare.

Drinking Guinness and watching French band

Day 3: Mali – Dogon Country

Mali is home to a relatively stark and flat landscape.  In the center of the country however, large majestic canyons dot an area of 100 miles.  This area is popularly known as Dogon Country, or Pays Dogon in French, since the Dogon people have settled into villages along its edge. There are tens if not hundreds of villages that line the plateau, each one as picturesque as the other.

The history of how the Dogon arrived to settle along the harsh terrain of the plateau is  questionable.  Moreover, they were not its original inhabitants.  They were greeted by the Tellum people, who the Dogon believe, were magical creatures with super powers.   The Tellum people lived hundreds of feet high inthe steep cliffsides, settling into small cave-like dwellings.  With no ropes or ladders, the Dogon believe the Tellum could fly. All we know now is that the Tellum are no longer here.  They fled.  No one knows why.  But their steep cave dwellings can still be seen today, and it took our breath away when we saw them lining the top of the plateau.  HOW did the Tellum get up there?  COULD they really fly?  WERE they aliens, as has been suggested?

Here are some photos of us hiking down to a few Dogon villages.  It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

Overlooking the savannah near Sanga village, on the top of the plateau, about to hike down

Climbing down a Dogon ladder to reach a village

Hiking down to Ireli Village - We had no idea of the view we were about to see, pictured below

Dogon homes at the bottom, hundreds of Tellum dwellings in the cliffside - Ireli village

Closer view of the Tellum dwellings

Chilling with village elders in front of their town hall 'toguna' (Females are NOT allowed inside)

Side view of the Toguna

Upon arriving in the village, we were greeted with a warm bowl of ... millet beer.

Day 2: Mali – Djenne, Mopti

It was my third time in Djenne, and yet, it never fails to disappoint me.  The city, declared a UNESCO heritage site, is made entirely of sand and mud, and home to the largest mud mosque in the world.  It feels like you are walking within a giant sandcastle city, so it’s easy for your imagination to run wild.  Last time I was here in October, we were allowed to enter the mosque.  This time, at the height of the tourist season, entering the mosque was forbidden by non-Muslims.

Non-Muslims forbidden from entering mosque

That didn’t prevent us from taking a gazillion pictures of the outside of the mosque.  Here is just one.

After the morning in Djenne, we proceeded to drive to Mopti (2 hours away) right in time to take a sunset cruise on the Niger Rive (our 4th encounter).

My brother and I in a Tuareg village off the river

My beau and I in a Bozo village of the Niger

More on Day 3 tomorrow.

Day 1: Mali – Bamako, Segou, Djenne

My boyfriend and his brother arrived in Bamako on the morning of  Saturday, January 3rd.  We had just enough time that day to go to the National Museum and to a beautiful lookout point before my brother arrived later that night

Point G – overlooking Bamako

Upon waking up on Sunday morning, and getting ready for the two- week trek through the desert, the three guys decided they wanted to play a game of flag football with some of my friends at the embassy. So before we set off for the 8 hour drive to Djenne, we played some ball with other expats in Bamako.  Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed.

(Imaginary picture of the boys playing flag football)

On the way up to Djenne we stopped for lunch in Segou at a riverside restaurant, making it the second time we saw the Niger River this trip.

La Paillote restaurant terrace in Segou

Right before we entered Djenne, we crossed the Niger River for the third time that day, and had a momentary flash of panic as the bus in front of us got stuck in the river mud as it was driving off the ferry tarmac.

Pushing an overstuffed bus out of the river mud

We arrived in Djenne an hour after nightfall.  Unfortunately, there were no rooms available forcing us to set up our tents on the roof of the Djenne campement.  Fortunately, waking up to an aeriel view of the magical sandcastle city of Djenne was hardly a consolation prize.

Camping out on the Djenne Campement rooftop

We hired a guide and took a walking tour of Djenne on Monday morning –  the weekly market day.   Despite it being their first times in Mali and West Africa, the brothers adjusted rather well to the hustle and bustle of the city and even managed to make some new friends right away.

Brothers and their new fans/friends

More on Djenne tomorrow…

We’re not normal

Most people that go to Timbuktu….go to Timbuktu and BACK.  We, on the other hand, went to Timbuktu and on, and on, and on, and then BACK.

Going from the Sahara desert to the tropical coast of Benin within a week was one heck of a trip, but it was worth it.  Despite a few mishaps and warnings (dodging Tuareg grenades in Gao, Mali / entering Benin without a visa / etc)., we remained in high spirits and unscathed the whole way through.  We rode camels in the desert, ran with giraffes in the Savannah, and hiked through cliff villages in the hills. It was truly a first rate adventure and I am seriously depressed it’s over (and that the boys are gone).  Before I go into details and post photos of the various segments of our journey, below is a map of West Africa and of the route we followed from Bamako, Mali all the way to Cotonou, Benin, covering over 2,500 kilometers.

Timbuktu and Back

Welcome to Timbuktu

We did it!  Half way during our trip, we made it to Timbuktu and back!   In Niamey, Niger now and still another week’s worth of traveling to do.  More pics and stories later.  Off to see the giraffes.

T-1 Swimming on Land

That’s right.  Only ONE MORE DAY until my boyfriend, his brother and my brother arrive for a action-filled jam-packed two week visit I’ve nicknamed, “Swimming on Land.”  That is because we will literally be following the legendary Niger River by car from Bamako, Mali all the way to Benin (stopping in Segou, Mali | Djenne, Mali | Mopti, Mali | Timbuktu, Mali | Gao, Mali | Niamey, Niger | Malanville, Benin + an overnight in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire).  My boyfriend was also a Peace Corps volunteer, in Benin, and we will be visiting his village along the way.  We plan to hike, to swim, to follow desert elephants, to spot bush giraffes, to sleep on Dogon rooftops and perhaps even to duneboard on the desert hills.

The segment of our trip to Timbuktu coincides with the Festival in the Desert – a three-day  concert, 15 miles outside of Timbuktu, frequented by hundreds if not thousands of Malians and international tourists coming to see famous African and Western bands perform, at the same time sleeping in Toureg tents and riding camels.  This fesitval is supposed to be amazing, however long ago, I opted NOT to go because I am not a big fan of hoopla and crowds.  I thought going to Timbuktu was enough.  (C’mon, Timbuktu!?  I cannot wait to get my body there.  Having that stamp in my passport will finally SOLIDIFY my status as a real world traveler.  It will be as priceless to me, a traveler, as an Olympic gold medal may be to an athlete. ).

Although we are NOT going to the festival, I am following some travel warnings issued FOR the festival nonetheless.  If  I feel like our safety is ever at risk (well more of a risk that it is normally) I have a PLAN B where we would scratch Timbuktu and go through Burkina Faso, the country, to get to Niger instead.  😦  I would love to see Burkina Faso but I really don’t want to give up on my dream of going to Timbuktu.  But don’t worry, safety first.

I plan to check in with you all every few days ago, and hopefully, will find a connection strong enough for me to post some stories along the way.  Just want to let you all know, access to the internet will be intermittent, but hold in there, I promise some fabulous photos and hopefully good stories at the end!

On another note, this is my 100th post!!!  Wow, I cannot believe I’ve kept this up but I am glad I did.  Thank you for being faithful readers, I love your comments and appreciate your input!  If you’ve been a lurker until now, I would LOVE if you could de-lurk and identify yourself.  You can make up your name if you want, you can be Jane, John and Mohammed, that’s up to you.  But I would love to know how you came across my blog and anything more about you.  A tout a l’heure!