Auberge de Grand Popo

... us he had a place in Gboto and a place in Lome and also offered us a ride after we reached Tokpli in the afternoon, gave us his number and said to call him if we needed him or wanted to return to Gboto.
In the US i would never trust a man like this--but my view of hospitality in Togo is that it is much more genuine than in the US. and despite warnings from guidebooks, i trusted most strangers that crossed my path and offered a ride or a meal or a place to stay. The men ...

... beach as you can get, about a three minute walk to the water. There is a good restaurant at the hotel, but I didn't get a chance to eat there.

After getting a room, I went to the beach. It is beautiful there, but the ocean currents are EXTREMELY strong, so no swimming. I borrowed a mat and took my book out to sit on the beach to read and relax until night ...

... has regulated everything making it a set price and duration. Okay if you get your moneys worth and the dosh goes back to the locals but somehow I think it filters through the hands straight to the fat guy sitting on the pot of gold. Call me pessermistic but there you have it. Walking back through the dusty streets (reason we couldn't take the truck all the way down to the harbour - the street no longer exists), we set ourselves up in a ...

... one of the back streets. Campsite was right on the beach and we were told there was also a pool so couldn't wait to get there. It was so hot we were just about to melt. Reason why chose the drive home and not the 4-5km walk. So what do you think happened? We got to the campsite and got bogged in the carpark with the pool only metres away. Seriously not funny. With just the 5 of us we each grabbed a shovel and began digging. Sand ...

... bonus. Jim and T**esa drop the bombshell that they are leaving the tour so th**e is a lot of talk about that. Despite having done the same trip 10 years ago they've decided it's not for them and want to fly from Lagos to Cape Town then make their own way up to Cairo. Fair play to em. Left the hills at 10am. Seemed like a bit of a pointless trip as walks ov**rated - the summit and wat**fall being not worth it. Still it was nice to get out ...

... Togo. Superbe expérience, ils n'en avaient jamais fais et moi je suis heureux d'être là dans ce décor... Paradisiaquement Togolais. Grâce à Une ONG locale voulant redynamiser le coin, nous visitons avec un guide le village nommé Togoville, la 1ère ville du pays. Culture vaudou et statue pour sacrifices d'animaux, heureusement on se remet de nos émotions en buvant le vin de ...

... bungalow and everything!! We originally went there because we had a free night with restaurant paid for due to the mess up in Dassa. We stayed a 2nd cause there was a pool, a gorgeous beach, and despite the lack of atmosphere at the Lion Bar, it was extremely relaxing. So the first night we ate there, since it was free, and enjoyed a 3 course meal with steak and wine!! It would have cost us 60 swiss fancs just for the meal! Hehe so cheeky. The next night ...

... group in Ouidah. Ouidah is known as the point of no return during the time of slavery. First we visited the musée historique then we walked the 4km to the point of no return- it was hot!!! Along the way there were some interesting statues and plaques with information. From Ouidah we took a bus back to Cotonou- imagine a large full size van with 27 people in it! Once back in Porto ...

... were traded and shipped off. Its called the "place of no return". We visted the museum and all the historical landmarks that shows the slave trade in Benin. Benin is known to have been the main slave exporters to Brazil, Haiti, Cuba and United States. I dont know if I've mentioned but there is a huge salsa culture here. Aparently the Cuban and Brazilian slaves after some generations returned when slavery ...