rivlinm

Introduction
Day 01: [TPA>MIA>LHR]
Day 02: [LHR>ACC]
Day 03: Lomé, Togo
Day 04: Lomé, Togo & Cotonou, Benin
Day 05: Cotonou, Benin
Day 06: Ganvie, Benin
Day 07: Accra, Ghana
Day 08: Cape Coast, Ghana
Day 09: [ACC>LOS>KGL]
Day 10: Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Day 11: Virunga National Park (mountain gorillas)
Day 12: Virunga National Park (Nyiragongo volcano)
Day 13: Goma, DRC & Kigali, Rwanda
Day 14: Kigali, Rwanda (genocide memorial) [KGL>DXB]
Day 15: Dubai, UAE
Day 16: Dubai, UAE (driving the Emirates)
Day 17: [DXB>MCT>BEY]
Day 18: Beirut, Lebanon
Day 19: Baalbek, Lebanon
Day 20: Byblos & Jounieh, Lebanon
Day 21: Tripoli, Lebanon (Jeita Grotto & Cedars)
Day 22: Sidon, Lebanon (Beiteddine Palace)
Day 23: [BEY>DOH>RGN]
Day 24: Nyaungshwe, Myanmar [RGN>HEH]
Day 25: Inle Lake, Myanmar
Day 26: Mandalay, Myanmar [HEH>NYU>MDL]
Day 27: Mandalay, Myanmar (Sagaing, Ava, Amarapura)
Day 28: Mandalay, Myanmar (Mingun)
Day 29: Mount Popa, Myanmar
Day 30: Bagan, Myanmar
Day 31: Bagan, Myanmar
Day 32: Bagan, Myanmar (Myanma Railways to Yangon)
Day 33: Yangon, Myanmar
Day 34: Yangon, Myanmar
Day 35: Hong Kong [RGN>HKG>CMB]
Day 36: Galle, Sri Lanka
Day 37: Udawalawa & Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka (elephant safari)
Day 38: Kandy, Sri Lanka (World's End; Horton Plains)
Day 39: Colombo, Sri Lanka [CMB>DOH]
Day 40: [DOH>JFK>DCA>TPA]
Conclusion

******

Previous Trip Reports:
Iran, UAE, Oman - February 2015
Chile - July 2015
Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan - November 2015
Tanzania, (Zanzibar), Kenya, Ghana - March 2016

rivlinm

The impetus and planning for this eventual mammoth trip took on a whole new form for me. Following my last trip to Africa I needed a flight home and took advantage of a very inexpensive round trip business fare from Accra, Ghana. With a flight back to Ghana (through LHR) and no vacation time remaining I had booked the (return) flight to coincide with the Memorial Day weekend for a potential quick trip to Beirut. Eventually as life progressed I made some career changes and it opened up a slew of possibilities for additional destinations. The planning progressed country by country and eventually I had booked the monster journey described in the next 40 chapters! One day at a time.

Taking advantage of the flights already booked (coinciding with two friends) we began exploring West Africa via overland travel, stopping in Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana along with Lomé, Togo and Cotonou, Benin. Once I knew I had extended time, I sought an economical way to get to Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with hopes of seeing some of the world's few remaining mountain gorillas and sleeping atop an active volcano. The flights allowed a visit in Kigali, Rwanda.

Those first two weeks concluded our African portion of travel before continuing on to Dubai for a bit of travel insurance pad and to take advantage of inexpensive Ramadan/summer hotel rates. Eventually we continued on to Lebanon, exploring the ruins of Baalbek and Byblos, hiking among the cedars, visiting the souk of Tripoli and taking advantage of the gluttonous cuisine of Beirut.

Almost a month in, I finally parted ways with my travel companions and paid a visit to a long overdue destination for myself, Myanmar. I also wanted to visit Laos, but wisely decided to dedicate my time solely to Myanmar allowing me to see Inle Lake, some grand temples around Mandalay, the beyond awe-inspiring Bagan and city life in Yangon.

In order to get home I found a cheap business class fare from Colombo so after a 12 hour layover eating my way around Hong Kong I made my way around former British Ceylon seeing Galle, an elephant safari, a hike to the world's end, Buddha's sacred tooth relic in Kandy and finally Colombo before catching a relaxing ride home on Qatar's a350.

Flights:

TPA>MIA>LHR>ACC: The return portion from a previous trip that opened this whole can of worms.

ACC>LOS>KGL/KGL>DXB: With a lack of routes and competition, intra African flights are often very expensive but a few OTA were booking (ignoring HIP) this route on Rwandair with a stopover in Kigali for around $450. A real bargain in terms of African air travel.

DWC>BEY DXB>MCT>BEY: We originally opted for the direct Fly Dubai flight from Dubai World City but after the crash of FZ981 and many gulf states banning travel to Lebanon, this route was cut and allowed us to book the cheaper but one-stop route on Oman Air for $130. Fly Dubai two months later has yet to refund my booking.

BEY>DOH>RGN: Just before the AA devaluation I snagged a 30k mile award on Qatar for a total of 10 hours in business.

RGN>HEH & HEH>NYU>MDL: Booking flights within Myanmar has become substantially easier over the past 18 months but it still was a headache searching the endless domestic airlines comparing (often changing) schedules and prices. I finally found the best options (that actually allowed me to book online) were aboard Air KBZ. From Yangon to Inle Lake set me back $114 and the flight to Mandalay (via Bagan) was just $76. Not cheap flights but sure beat the alternative of other lengthy ground transportation as I would soon discover! It seems booking with a travel agent on the ground in Myanmar may still be your most economical method with many more options available.

RGN>HKG>CMB: Another pre AA devaluation award for just 22.5k miles since Sri Lanka was still considered Asia 2. The flight times were less than ideal but I got to visit Hong Kong for the day and the flight to Colombo is served by Cathay's lie flat regional product.

CMB>DOH>JFK: Again, needing a way home, this ~$1500 round trip business class flight aboard Qatar's a350 was a good bargain and provided much needed comfort after an exhausting trip.

JFK>DCA>TPA: Since the Qatar fare only got me to JFK I still needed a way home and simply booked a revenue fare with a stop in DCA since American has stopped serving Tampa from JFK.


Final route

Visas:

I already had my Ghana visa from my previous trip although it was due to expire just a week after my last entry. Togo allowed visa on arrival and payment of 15,000 CFA but was not a snappy process. Benin we had to pay $140 in advance and mail off to DC for a multi-entry two year visa. The requirements were slightly ambiguous but after finally getting through on the phone we knew what was needed and it was turned around in just three days. Virunga National Park arranged our DRC visa online for $105 (considerably easier and cheaper than a visa that allows access to Kinshasa in the west). For Rwanda we would have to buy two $30 single entry visas since DRC was sandwiched in between. UAE and Lebanon both offer US citizens free 30-day visa on arrival, which worked out well. Myanmar finally offers a functional e-visa service for the three primary airport borders at $50 and was processed in under 24 hours. Sri Lanka also processed in under a day with a dual entry (second entry within 30 days) e-visa for $35. Only having to mail away for one visa was a relief. We had considered visiting Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso or Nigeria, but the visa costs and time snuffed out that idea for this trip.


Benin Visa

hauteboy

Amazing itinerary! Definitely looking forward to this one.

MatthewLAX

+1

offerendum

Interesting itineray - I guess I will some time reading in this thread

aidy

When will this one start?

roadwarrier

Wow, this is going to be an interesting TR. will be following closely. Safe travels!

rivlinm

Unlike the many times I had left work before, this time I was leaving for good. I ended up leaving a few minutes earlier than planned when I discovered my MIA>LHR flight would be delayed causing a misconnect in London. I hastily said farewell to the coworkers I could tolerate and began the journey to the airport while searching for alternate routes to Accra so we would not start off too far behind schedule.

At the airport, the lovely former US Air agent couldn’t have been more unhelpful regarding our flight delay so we ended up just deciding to make our way to Miami, and eventually London, to see how things would play out. As is generally the case at TPA, security was a breeze but the AA lounge was an absolute zoo. I enjoyed (if you can call it that) a few snacks before growing bored and joining the gate lice for our surprisingly on-time flight. Evening TPA>MIA flights are often delayed. We quickly boarded what would be my first of 19 flights over the coming weeks. The crew was overly kind but neglected to serve a PDB. Once in flight, I picked at some snacks for the speedy, yet bumpy, ride to Miami.


Admirals Club munchies


AA flight 220
Tampa, FL (TPA) to Miami, FL (MIA)
Depart: 17:43, Arrive: 18:41, Time: 0:58
Boeing 737-800, Seat 6B



Cashews, apple chips and water

In Miami the boards still indicated a three hours delay for BA 208 so against better judgment we headed to the Amex Centurion lounge to set the tone for the journey. I hadn’t drank in the two months since my last trip so eagerly got the party started with a round of tequila shots for all! Even though this lounge has a severe overcrowding problem, we found a quiet corner and received fantastic service throughout our stay. The menu seems to be regularly changing now and before heading over to the E gates, had some dinner.


Ordering shots of tequila in the lounge is a great way to break sobriety and get carded


Beef and couscous

Our flight wound up being delayed due to a faulty APU but finally I found my way up the staircase to my happy place. Boarding seemed to take forever and the odd British FA did her best at making things awkward. Obligatory pre-departure champagne was served and eventually we were headed across the Atlantic. My dinner consisting of a salmon starter and mushroom ravioli was taken but before I could indulge, I was sound asleep and never woken until just before arrival. Overall, in typical BA fashion, the flight served its purpose but was nothing memorable. As a consolation I was well rested for a fun day hanging around LHR…


BA flight 208
Miami, FL (MIA) to London, UK (LHR)
Depart: 23:28, Arrive: 13:06 (+1), Time: 8:38
Boeing 747-400, Seat 62K



PDB bubbles


I never even had a sip before I was counting sheep

rivlinm

The LHR Gods were feeling nice and only subjected us to a five minute ATC delay and we were on the ground just after 13:00. They had alerted us that anyone with a connection before 14:00 (that included us) would be automatically rebooked, but of course our onward flight to Accra was now delayed so we would make it after all. My first order of business once on the ground was a shower and the AA lounge was perfect for that and a light meal.


NA beer and burger

At some point I checked the departures monitor to discover our flight would be delayed an additional three hours even though some online sources indicated we had already departed. Thoroughly confused we decided it would be best inquire at the BA lounge. Once at the entrance, the fun began as there was a massive backup with the majority of customers irate about BA 81 (our flight to Accra) being delayed yet again. Clearly it was out of the control of the lounge staff, but in the passengers’ defense, the communication by BA was rather poor. It also seems this flight is considerably delayed on a daily basis so it’s understandable why they would be so upset. The heated discussion persisted as we were welcomed in and given a 15£ food voucher for our trouble. The lounge food options were not all that appealing so we decided to use our voucher on a proper meal. The staff checked our bags, which was awfully convenient while roaming the bustling terminal. Nothing struck our fancy at first but we decided upon Bridge Bar and Eating House where I had some lox and chicken satay things. Not surprisingly, that used our entire voucher and we headed back to the lounge to kill off the last hour and have a few beers. After one last Tiger it was time to head to the gate where more hilarity would ensue.


Chicken Satay


Lox


One last Tiger in the lounge


Flying BA doesn’t seem so bad when you are on a 747


BA flight 81
London, UK (LHR) to Accra, Ghana (ACC)
Depart: 19:28, Arrive: 00:34 (+1), Time: 6:06
Boeing 747-400, Seat 62J


Again, I survived the chaos and took refuge upstairs. Someone had already claimed dibs on my exit row seat so I just conformed and took the aisle, which was actually more convenient anyway.


Nothing like the upper deck


Flight crew hard at work

Our five hour delay soon became six when one passenger’s bag needed to be offloaded from the massive luggage hold of the 747! (You won’t see me complaining about the €600 in compensation under EU 261 – for a $1100 fare). Luckily the crew took care of me with a glass of champagne and had plenty of time to reset the IFE two times before finally giving up. (Not that there was anything worth watching). Once airborne I enjoyed a room temperature Tiger along with a beetroot carpaccio, which seemed like it was stolen from Lufthansa’s secret menu of weird foods no one actually eats. Before catching some more sleep I had the chicken entrée and a cheese plate. I slept great in the ice cold meat locker of an upper deck and woke up just 40 minutes out of Accra. I tried to find some food in the club kitchen, but all I found were a slew of medical emergencies with the crew busy fanning passengers and asking about medical history. I gave up and chalked it up to poor timing.


Sometimes I think economy has a more reliable drink service than BA


Beetroot carpaccio and salad; shockingly enjoyable


Chicken


Cheese

We landed six hours behind schedule and quickly headed toward immigration. Two of us ran into a road block when the officer refused to admit us until we knew our address but after 15 minutes and some calls it was all sorted. Bags took three lifetimes to appear but amazingly enough everything arrived and we made our way to our waiting ride. Since we would be spending a few nights in neighboring Togo and Benin we wanted a safe place to store our bags at a reasonable cost and Airbnb seemed to fit the bill. We were way out in the suburbs, not very ideal if you wanted to visit Accra, but that wasn’t our purpose on this trip. It took two cars to get the three of us and three handlers to our home for the night but we finally made it and cranked up the AC. Luckily I did a lot of plane sleeping since I didn’t get to bed until nearly 4:00.


It only took 90 African minutes for our bags!


Not suitable for three passengers and four bags


Arriving at our compound; a very upscale neighborhood – along a rough dirt road


Accra accommodations


At 4:00 it was just as good as any Raffles in my mind

greg99

Subscribed to receive the updates - looking forward to them!

flying_blue_white_red

After following intensively your excellent previous African adventures, can't wait to read the rest of this one too!

offerendum

I like BA

DanielW

Wow, looks like an amazing adventure, Matthew!!!

Pity we couldn't meet up in Dubai, hopefully your travels take you through this part of the world again though.

Looking forward to seeing more of the journey ahead.

rivlinm

Today’s primary mission was to get to Lomé, Togo as comfortably and inexpensively as possible. We had done a bit of research on what to expect from a drive and the border crossing itself, but much remained a mystery. With just five (good) hours of sleep under my belt I woke around 9:00 and packed a (three) day bag so we wouldn’t be lugging suitcases around West Africa. We were not particularly familiar with the Accra neighborhood we were in so we asked our Airbnb host if she knew a driver and what it should cost. After a few calls, her family had estimates all over the map from 150 GH₵ and up. They even suggested trying a tro tro (shared mini bus) for just 25 GH₵. Eventually a driver was found in town who was willing to do it for 550 GH₵ or 500 GH₵ (~$125) if we didn’t use the air conditioning. More than we had expected, but still a fair value for a nearly four-hour drive we settled in for the ride, sticking our heads out the window to keep cool.


Loading up the car

Along the ride, as our driver kept up his 140+ kph pace we encountered all sorts of peddlers of unusual products as well as miles and miles of road lined with watermelon hawkers. We quickly realized we made the right decision not opting for the cheaper tro tro, observing multiple unsurvivable smashed vans along the roadside. As we neared the border town of Aflao we encountered a police checkpoint and our driver looked awfully nervous. From what we overheard, he didn’t have a proper license for driving us but was able to convince the officer otherwise. In town we exchanged money to pay the driver in Cedi as well as get some CFA (West African Franc – Not to be confused with the like-named Central African CFA) for the next few days. The drive itself only took 3:30 thanks in no small part to our driver’s expedient, although likely unsafe, driving.


Run of the mill bizarre shop


Traffic on the way out of town


Peddlers at the many toll booths


Shoe salesmen


Eat your oats


Endless watermellons


Driving along the swampland of Sangor Lagoon Protected Area

Bags in hand, our first step to leave Ghana required showing proof of our Yellow Fever vaccine before continuing along to the Ghana emigration office. Inside I presented my passport and departure card to one of the few officers. Once he finished off his work he asked me to take the paperwork to his boss. The big boss, as I labeled him, didn’t seem happy to see me and very matter-of-factly explained that his job was very busy and that I would need to wait. Just seconds later, he stamped my passport and I was free to exit. Inside the Togo immigration office we filled out a simple form and handed over 15K CFA for our visa on arrival. The process while professional took well over 30 minutes due to its overly manual data entry process that was repeated on a computer by another officer. Five stamps, two stickers and lots of handwriting later we were welcomed to Togo. Lomé, the capital city, lies just across the border and after skeptically having our bags very thoroughly searched by an unmarked officer his buddy offered to drive us into town for ‘just’ 7K CFA. A bit expensive given the distance, but he was helpful and we even arranged tomorrow’s drive to Cotonou as well.


Walking toward the border, Yellow Fever hut on the right


Quick little stop at the beach


Leaving Ghana


The most detailed and labor intensive visa yet


Welcome to Togo…

Our hotel, The Hotel Restaurant Cote Sud, was a small five room property best known for its restaurant and was owned by a French expat. Once we soaked up a few minutes of AC we headed out to explore Lomé before sunset. With no must see attraction we just took in the ambiance of the city. Situated along the Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Guinea was the main road that stretched from Ghana to Benin. Otherwise most of the other roads in this part of town could be described as dirt at best. The vibrant Grand Marche (grand market) was full of color and commerce as we pushed our way through the throngs of people. Throughout the market we encountered all sorts of friendly Togolese willing and happy to have their photo taken. Just outside the market lies the Cathédrale du Sacré Cœur (Sacred Heart Cathedral) or often known as Lomé Cathedral. Pope JP II paid it a visit in 1985 and outside of a few worshipers it was a tranquil reprieve from the market outside.


Hotel Cote Sud


Balcony view


Heading out for a walk


The first of endless friendly locals


Mobile nail salon


Togolese traffic jam


Entering the market


Just a tiny sample of the Grand Marche


Boulevard Du Mono


Produce from above


Playing with a tire


So many happy faces in Lomé


With endless poses


Even grownups were getting in on the fun


Lomé bus stop – operated by SOTRAL


Wandering the streets of Lomé


Cathédrale du Sacré Cœur, or Lomé Cathedral


Such a peaceful atmosphere amid the commotion outside

As we walked toward the beach a trio of cops stopped us and asked what we were doing. Through some charades and broken English/French we explained site seeing and they welcomed us but cautioned us to be very vigilant of our surroundings, especially after dark and within the market. Just around the corner Francis came running after to lure us to his shop and invite us to watch the Champions League Final that evening. Eventually he gave up on us as customers and we wandered the beach. In preparing for this trip the beach, after sundown was portrayed to be about as safe as a max security prison with no guards. While I’m sure there is a risk of trouble after dark, just before sunset, we had no trouble and it was a rather relaxing spot to end our first full day in West Africa. A rusted out fishing pier appeared to be home for some locals while a few of the nicer hotels were just across the Boulevard Do Mono. Others were strolling along the beach and playing football on the then vibrantly orange sand.


The beach stretched the length of the city from the port to the Ghanaian border


Defunct pier


Tetanus anyone?


Brave man


Hotel Palm Beach across the Boulevard


Beach rules

We walked back toward our hotel through some very packed streets where personal space was an unknown luxury. Also picked up some water and beer for the evening. 4L of water and three beers cost 3500 CFA (~$5) which we enjoyed in our pleasantly air conditioned room. Not having seen many proper restaurants we decided to give the highly regarded hotel restaurant a shot. After all, restaurant is part of the name of the hotel. We began with a trio of regional beers and I selected the foie gras and yakitori for 5K CFA from the set menu.


Liquor store


A side road not made of dirt!


No luck finding Togolese beer yet


A South African import and two locals


Nuts were a staple along with every beer


Foie gras


Yakitori


Happily enjoying a Moroccan Flag for good measure

After a few more beers, and feeling brave, we decided to explore the city by night and what a shocking scene it was. Many shops with a TV played a movie while locals stood in the street (for 200-300 CFA from what I understood) enjoying the flick. As the evening progressed the streets become mostly desolate. All that remained was the trash strewn about, a few open fires outside some shops and sadly large amounts of locals sleeping wherever they could find space. It truly was a disheartening sight. After a few evening photos to capture the scene we headed off to bed after a long day.


A local cinema


Another gathering to watch a movie


Trash fire at the end of the street


Stoking the fire


Littered streets


Bus stop

rivlinm

Woke up and skipped breakfast in favor of going to see a different side of Lomé before we had to meet our driver for a ride to Cotonou, Benin. Togo and Benin are commonly best known for their esoteric ties to Voodoo. Our first stop on the agenda was the Fetish Market, but there was one problem. We could not find it anywhere. Resources online are few and often differ in the details they provide. Luckily we were in the vicinity when we stumbled on a Nigerian man happy to take us once he understood what it was we were looking for.


Early morning runners who stopped so we could take their photo


Only 15 CFA to pee in this shelter


Very out of place Asian market to refill our water supply


Nigerian who helped us find the market


Nearing the market, or so says my nose

Still early in the morning we were the market’s first customers and were warmly greeted by an excellent English speaking guide who explained it would cost 3K CFA per person and 2K CFA to take photos. Our tour began with an explanation of Voodoo and its history in the region. Eventually he walked us around from stall to stall encouraging us to take a photo of each and every creature as he held it up. The place smelled awful and was swarming with flies. To conclude he took us in the back where we were shown the trinkets and rituals for fetishes such as travel, sleep, love and even ‘performing’ like a rhino. Along the tour we were regularly reminded we were not obligated to buy anything but it would be very appreciated to support the vendors. I wasn’t even mildly amused with the entire experience and was happy when we left to explore more of the developed CBD of the city.


Marche des Fetiches


Endless souvenirs


Just a few of the many stalls


Turtle


Bird


Our guide picking up an animal and explaining what it is


Frogs


Monkey business


Starfish


Formerly man’s best friend


The backroom where the Voodoo is performed


Alter


Doing something with the spirits…


Offering a souvenir


Another new friend

As we discovered the more developed parts of the city, it was clear which buildings were banks. It was awfully hot so we took a taxi back to the hotel for 1500 CFA. Our driver was waiting and we headed off for Cotonou, but not before a stop at a roadside café for a lunch, which took nearly an hour to serve.


Find the bank


Parc Anani Santos


When we approached she was fighting to get away from the man, but was happy to pose for a photo…


Patriotic traffic circle


Complete with fake grass


Maximizing space


EBID, a well known bank in West Africa


A few new beers including this Ghanaian one


And one from Cameroon


Rabbit and rice

From lunch, it was just an hour to the border where with a quick manual and computer check of our visas were on our way to Benin. At the border a guard saw my passport and asked if we were all American. Upon saying yes he waved us on and we all became depressed that we had wasted the $140 for the Benin Visa. As we tried to walk back to our driver we were directed to the ‘real’ immigration office where the officers processed us officially. My officer entered all of my data into his book directly while my friends had to write their own details on another form. Once admitted, we were back on the road and reached the hotel after about two hours of Eminem and Don Williams. Between an hour time change and Google Maps leading us down some restricted government roads we pulled into the Ibis Cotonou at about 18:00. Our taxi from Lomé was 50K CFA (~$85) and used every last bank note we had, but luckily the ATM in the hotel worked.


Togolese and Beninese border


Roadside shop


Benin: land of the motor bikes

The Ibis was a very nice hotel given the destination and the brand. We could have stayed at the neighboring Novotel for $175/night, but at two times the price it didn’t seem necessary since they shared many facilities anyway.


Ibis Cotonou


One of the more comfortable hotels this trip

Nearing dusk with some ominous clouds on the horizon we decided not to stray far, but there was one destination very nearby that drew my attention. If you haven’t noticed I like to sample different beers when traveling and stumbled across a beer found in Benin called Obama Beer. We never wound up finding this holy grail (not from a lack of effort) but did discover lots of other great Obama references including Obama Beach. Like Togo, the beaches in Benin don’t have a great reputation for being the safest places, but Obama Beach charges 900 CFA to enter and felt very safe since it catered to a much more upscale crowd. We wound up attracting lots of attention and everyone wanted our photo. A Cameroonian man in particular was overly friendly but his lack of English proved to be a bit of a barrier.


The fortress they call the US Embassy along our walk to the beach


Obama Beach


Becoming a very popular destination


Benin


No shortage of Obama references


The rules


Lots of shops for the kids


Expansive beach with all sorts of people


Every combination of photo had to be taken


The same Atlantic Ocean from back home


Sunset


Felt like the party was just getting started


Even the FLOTUS got a shout out

Even though it seemed the party was going to last well into the night with live music, games and a carnival like atmosphere we really wanted to have a few beers and decided with the looming storm it was best to be closer to our hotel so off we went to a local watering hole just across the street and enjoyed our first La Beninoise. Six large beers and six large waters only set us back 9K CFA. Happily imbibed we had dinner from the Ibis’ limited dinner menu (the Novotel has a more expansive but uninspiring and expensive menu). A chicken and cheese sandwich was 3200 CFA. Satisfied with an eventful first evening in Benin, we headed off to bed as the clock struck Midnight on day four.


First of what would be many La Beninoise


An underwhelming chicken and cheese sandwich to round out the night