Voodoo Country (Benin)

Member Name: vinodgm

Product:	Benin
Date:	03/11/01 (169 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Unspoilt beauty, Excelent handicrafts and carvings

Disadvantages: Not enough tourist attractions, Very underdeveloped

The Voodoo practice is thought, by many to have emanated from The Caribbean Islands. However according to the people of the Republic of Benin, it originated in their country.

The Republic of Benin is located on the West Coast of Africa and Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Togo are the neighboring countries.

I have visited Cotonou, the capital city of Benin, five times in the last three years. All my journeys into Benin have been by road. My journey starts from Accra in Ghana where you must take a three hour drive to Lome in Togo. From Lome you take another three hour drive to Cotonou in Benin.

One of the best parts of the visit is the drive. The road is a simple one with one lane going in each direction. Apart from the actual towns you just see the rich vegetation and palm trees for hundreds of miles on a stretch and this coupled with many sections of beach front since your complete journey will be very close to the coastal line.

Benin is famous for their African handicrafts especially the wooden carved African Masks. Another item of excellence is the colourful African cloth.

The capital city of Benin is Cotonou and this is where I usually visit.

Cotonou is a very underdeveloped city with mostly old buildings and structures. The main form of transport is the moped and scooter and you will be shocked at the site of thousands of them plying the streets. Even the taxis are mopeds and they are distinguished as taxis by the yellow colour shirt that the driver has to wear. If you were to stop at a traffic light in your car you would be surrounded by literally hundreds of these mopeds and scooters. Irrespective of all this commotion everything seems to function properly and without any harm to anyone.

The official language of Benin is French and this is one of the traits received from there former colonial masters France.

There are many expats in Cotonou and most of them are either French, British or G
erman.

There are many types of hotels located in the city ranging from the modest to the luxurious. My two favourites are the Sheraton and the Novotel. Inspite of the high profile names of these hotels the rates are very reasonable and you can get a double room for around £40.00 a night.

Many different restaurants scatter the city including those serving local African cuisines aswell as others such as Chinese, Indian and Continental.

The nightlife though restricted is very vibrant. There are many pubs, bars and nightclubs all jostling with life on almost everyday of the week. It is here where you will most certainly bump into the expats and probably make a friend or two.

The main business in Cotonou is transit trade to neighboring Nigeria, which is only a couple of hours drive away. Since many imported items attract a high customs duty rate in Nigeria businessmen and women come to Benin to purchase these products since the same products attract lower duties in Benin. They then smuggle them across the very porous border. The main business area is called Messebo.

Overall I found Cotonou and Benin on a whole a nice place to visit. Although not worthwhile for a complete vacation it is worth seeing for a few days if you ever get the chance or if you are in a neighboring country. It just pure raw African terrain if you get what I mean.

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