Habari za... les aventures/the adventures de/of Jan, Grâce & Mie en/in Afrique/Africa

After a week in Cotonou – where heat and humidity were at the menu every single day, and the rain showers as frequent as a clockwork marks each hour – we moved finally up to Tanguieta, in the north west of Benin. The first 100 kilometers were though… the road to Bohicon is blessed with huge potholes, so it took us about a 3 hours ride to this city, the penetrating scent of petrol and gasoline is overwhelming, as the illegal vendors sell these ‘made in Nigeria’ smuggled products almost everywhere along the roadside. Where in Cameroon petrol was sold along the roadside, by lack of petrol stations at the countryside, in Benin it is a parallel business next to the bigger ‘legal’ brands. Unbelievable that the former kingdom of Abomey is only a stone warp away. The once so proud inhabitants of this region are hardly to find… at first site. After a quick cup of coffee we hit the road to Dassa and Savalou, where we had a stop to eat mashed yam with Peuhl cheese and chicken, but waiting for this dinner we lost a lot of time. Tanguieta was still far away and the clock was ticking by. Although the road got better, each kilometer we moved up north – between Savalou and Bassila we met the last potholes – we reached Djougou by nightfall. Another one hour drive to Natitingou ahead of us… and another one, a bit shorter to Tanguieta. The road was so good, we moved up really quickly. Natitingou by night offered us large boulevards and a quick sanitary stopover at hotel Bourgogne. Saidou, our colleague insisted to bring us to Tanguieta… 40 kilometers further. He must have been exhausted after a twelve hours drive. Also Tanguieta offered us by night a large boulevard, a neat petrol station and streetlights. The terminus was at ‘Hotel Les Baobabs’, where we were welcomed by Pedro, the owner of the place.

‘Hotel Les Baobabs’ is a neat place, where ‘look-alike’ huts are placed in a large garden under the trees… and thanks his name at several Baobab trees in the garden. The rooms are small but comfortable, with a fan and/or air-conditioning. The shower only offers lukewarm water, but you get used to it, since outside temperatures climb easily to over 30°C.

Next morning, Beate – the person I’m succeeding – shows up after breakfast and takes us for a ride through the small town of Tanguieta. The main road that crosses the town is seamed by a brand new marketplace – not functioning yet – a small mosque, and the regional hospital ‘Saint Jean de Dieu’ – run by Italians. It seems to be the best hospital in the whole of Benin. Parallel to the main road – that brings you also to Burkina Faso – there is an avenue, seamed by large shady trees, that leads to the municipality. It’s a dirt road, where we also find the secondary school and the municipal sports stadium. The office lies between this dirt road and the main road.

At noon we’re invited at Beate’s place to share some mashed yam and Peuhl cheese with tomatoes sauce. We find the house in the midst of a luxurious garden, plants and trees everywhere… bougainvilleas, passion fruit, mango trees, baobab, mimosa, etc. Colors of yellow and green, over reddish and bluish, luxurious green, climbing plants aiming for the sun, white flowers that reach for heaven… abundant… Inside it is cool, the fans are turning, and it’s a very bright place. The meal is good, and we ate the best mashed yam ever… for now.

The next two weeks we will be staying in ‘Hotel Les Baobabs’, after that, we move into Beate’s place. It will be our home for the next three years. Mie is already starting to make plans for the garden… where the henhouse will come… how many passion fruit we should plant… how to make this place greener than it already is. The lemongrass is already abundant, but we want more fruit… more flowers.

Beate introduces me at the workplace. I meet people, hear names, see faces, but it will take a while to remember and distinguish them all.