Differences: Grocery stores

So what was the different between Lome and Dar Es Salaam?  Or Togo and Tanzania? Since they are both on the same continent there had to be ALOT of similarities? Right? WRONG! While there are some similarities these places are very different.

One of the big differences were the Grocery Stores

Our favourite grocery store in Lome down the road gave us access to limited edition Salamis from certain regions in France along with beautiful cheeses. (I still dream about the sandwiches I created there day after day). Baguettes were in abundant supply along with French yoghurt, French jams, French biscuits, French candies, French wine, you get the picture. One of our favourite shopping places was a place called Citi Mart. they imported many things from America and it was where I would stock up on premade brownie mix, rootbeer, gingerale, the occasional mac n' cheese and certain breakfast cereals. We also had a basket of veggies/fruits from a farm co-op delivered to our door every second week full. It was after many failed attempts that we realized sometimes it is impossible to tell the difference between a banana and a plantain until you bite into it.

The first time we walked into what was then Shoprite in Dar Daniel and I marveled at how much stock was on the shelves and how many different brands of items there were. We counted 3 different types of canned peas, 3 different brands of jam with at least 12 different flavours, they also had 5 different brands of dish soap! 5! Then we found out that there are at least 6 well stocked grocery stores 10 minutes down the road from us. As the years passed that number grew and I think now we are at 11 at the very least though we are still waiting for one to open up within walking distance of our house.

Shopping in Champion Supermarche frozen foods/drinks asile in Lome back in 2013

Speaking of grocery stores I have to say that it is one of the biggest highlights for me when I go to a new country to check out what they are selling in the grocery stores. In the developed world I will walk up and down the aisles marveling at how much food they have managed to pack into a store. Sometimes it can be overwhelming especially in the chip asile. In Africa we can get Pringles readily. Now here in Dar we can also get pretend Lays and knock of Lays called Krackles as well as the local street chips. But back home they have at least ten different varieties plus all the knock offs and there are at least 7 different types of taco chips. Here there are two. One from the Mexican restaurant and some weird brand I have never heard of before. They used to have another brand as well but then those chips started making my tongue go numb if I ate too many so we stopped getting those ones.

While grocery stores are something else, one thing that has been lovely is the variety of fresh fruits and veggies you can get for cheap. When you head out to the village prices are even cheaper. That's why when we go to the village we budget at least one extra hour on the way home so we can buy fresh white or yellow pineapples, buckets full of tomatoes or passion fruits, huge bunches of bananas and the list just goes on.

A fruit and veggie vendor that used to be down the road. Two years ago these stands were torn down for violating
some sort of code and they have yet to be built up again. 

And then there were cats...

After saying goodbye to Togo I felt I could really settle into Tanzania.

One thing that helped with the adaptation process was our cat Pumba. She had been left behind by a departing expat family and was the most depressed/fat cat you have ever seen. We took her home three weeks after moving here after rats penetrated our third floor apartment, not once, not twice, but three times. This was done by scaling the side of the building, chewing a hole through the bathroom screen then running into the house to steal garlic, paper or anything else it could get its grubby little paws on. A person can only chase after a rat with a broom attempting to sweep it into a garbage can so many times before you say 'enough is enough' and breakdown and get a cat.

Pumba was that cat. Now she would never attack a rat, or anything for that matter. Her favourite thing to do is sleep and eat. She loves being by people and is great with children, adults and enjoys lounging around at parties. Her sheer size terrified the nieces of one of our Tanzanian colleagues because they thought the only way a cat could get so big (think 22 lbs) was by eating small children. The rats were also terrified of Pumba and refused to venture into our apartment ever again. 

Pumba shortly after she came home weighing around 22 lbs.

Pumba had the run of the place until the end of March. It was then I heard mewing sounds around the apartment building. D accused me of having kittens on the brain so I brushed it aside night after night. Until one evening a text message from a friend called my attention to a starving kitten in the dumpster. This kitten was only supposed to be fostered for awhile before it found a home, but the little guy won me over. He was so malnourished and needy, soaking up all the attention with his cries for love and company. The first few nights I slept on the floor beside him so he could stay warm and his health began to improve. It took hours of begging and pleading before D finally relented and Dudu joined our family. 

Nameless black cat a couple days after he first arrived. It was Daniel who
chose the name Dudu which is the Kiswahili word for Insect

While both cats may be black they are opposites in all other areas. Where Pumba has a sleek coat and is gorgeous and plump, Dudu has wiry with coarse short hair and skinny. Where she relaxes in the sun he runs circles around the house and freaking out when he sees his own reflection. While Pumba needs to be near people Dudu must be on them or sitting on Pumba as he has no concept of cat space. Dudu loves socializing with all of the neighbourhood cats and talks to them through the window with his meows where as Pumba will growl and scream at the intruders in her space. Where both are similar is their love of food, certain sun spots in the house or chilling on the balcony watching the children below and their fascination with the sound of their own voices especially nearing meal time.

Both cats keep us entertained for hours. Their antics are hilarious and their cuddles worth every penny of the damage to our rugs or shower curtains. The school has now implemented a pet policy which means we can only ever own two animals at a time. This is for the best as three cats may just push me over the edge of being that crazy cat lady. Although the other day I did spot another cat in the dumpster...

Both cats while opposite in many ways they do enjoy one another's
company and will pine for the other when one is away.
Kind of like siblings...

Goodbye Togo?

The decision to leave Togo was a difficult one for me. I knew it was something I needed to do as the job I was doing was not sustainable. A ten hour work day is not something one should have to do in order to keep their head above water. The pressure came more from myself then others but in order to do my job well something had to give.  And they did give. My health was suffering as were my relationships. Not to mention the strain on my love/passion for teaching and music.

But saying goodbye was hard. I cried a few times on the way back home on the airplane. Many of my students were some of the most amazing individuals many of whom will go on to do great things. We said a lot of goodbyes in Togo to good friends as many people wouldn't stay too long. In fact now three years later if we went back, many of our friends are in second or even third postings. Some have even returned back home after years of being overseas. 

Since I was not very happy with our placement in Tanzania for the first year it made things that much harder. Human memory is funny that way. The longer we were in Dar the more the difficulties of Togo melted away. It got to the point where I could not remember the difficult parts of Togo. In fact all I could remember were the amazing parts, people, food and great times. I couldn't remember the frustration, the sadness or even the exhaustion. 

To help me my memory D encouraged me to take a trip back. So in March I returned. Along with visiting friends, eating fufu, speaking French and going fabric shopping, I also went back to the school. I met with my old students, walked through familiar hallways and visited my old classrooms. 

It was an amazing trip. As a teacher I was uplifted. As a person I felt affirmed. When it came time to leave this time I was ready. There were no rivers of tears or anguish and disappointment, just a peaceful calm that yes indeed I had made the right decision. The right decision to teach and invest my life in my students. The right decision to go to Togo right after university. The right decision to leave before burning out. The right decision to go back.

Togo will always hold a special part in my mind as well as my heart. It was the first place we lived. It was Africa as it may have existed fifty years ago and a part of Africa that may not exist again. Would I go back? Most definitely. Will I? Probably not but at least now I am ok with that. 

Years of Silence

So it has been two years since I last published a blog post. During that time I have written entries on my iPad to be published later, but just never got around to publishing them. I would reread what I had written later and decide I had not accurately articulated what was going on around me, in my head and how I felt about it all.

It took a year to process Togo and during that time I wasn't even sure I wanted to stay in Tanzania. The first year in Dar was awful for a multitude of reasons and while there were glimmers of sunshine, the gray clouds weighed heavily on my mind. Year two was significantly better and year three is shaping up to be the best year yet.

So here is to breaking silence and starting afresh. But one can not start afresh without reflecting back. Stay tuned.

Life now, version two

Well, life now has taken a bit of a turn toward the east.

We've moved from Togo to Tanzania!

So, from now on this blog will be all about our life and experiences in Dar es Salaam.

First impressions? Tanzania and it's people are lovely -- Dar is a big city which is a huge change from sleepy Lome.  There are shopping centres, plenty of huge grocery stores stocking most everything one could want. There is a huge variety of restaurants, way, way more expats than Togo and real, proper mind-numbing traffic jams.

We'll keep this blog going with the occasional tip for those moving to Tanzania.

First tip: If you're getting your visa at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, be prepared to wait for several hours in a poorly air-conditioned arrivals hall with no access to water or food. There are bathrooms.

There is a person, usually a uniformed police or customs official, wandering around taking cash and passports. He will deliver it to the customs officials doing the actual visa processing, you just need to find him in the crowd of people and shove them into his hands.

Hours later, once processed, a timid voice (usually of a very short and quiet) customs official will squeak out a name. This causes a crush of people to run forward, each thinking they heard their name. If unfunny things make you laugh when you're tired, hungry and overheated, it's hilarious.

Grocery shopping in Togo

Before we came to Togo we were not sure what to expect in terms of grocery shopping options.

Since we had been to Uganda before we assumed there would be some similarities. There would be a few shopping malls, supermarkets and roadside stalls. Well after doing a little reserach we found out there were no shopping malls. And the largest supermarket was, at the time of our arrival in 2011, the size of a small-town grocery store. Supermarché le Champion stocked food stuffs as well as TVs, freezer chests, a few home appliances and a surprisingly thorough selection of Belgian beer. Most of which had gone bad, unfortunately.

The alternative is Ramco, which has one large store downtown and several satellite locations including one in la Caisse, within walking distance from our home. Given the proximity, the small Ramco became the go-to shop, despite having a very, very limited selection of quite expensive food stuffs in their 5 aisles. But they made up for it by having the very best (and safest) selection of cold cuts, meat and cheese.

Since Togo was a French colony, the cheese, meat and wine were all delicious and somewhat reasonably priced. Ramco stocked some salami's I had to google to figure out which small rural valley in France it came from. Tasty, tasty.

Because it was so close to home, we could walk to get our deli goods fresh as needed.  

Occasionally there would be shortages of deli supplies, but most often the shortages applied to non-perishable food stuffs, which would be hoarded by people like us.

Maple syrup -- 100% Quebec -- was cheaper than in Canada and flew off the shelves. I think we bought 6 jars.

Special varieties of soda, like root beer, were bought by the shopping cart full and carefully rationed. It may be 6 months, if ever, before it would re-appear in the grocery store.

There was also a small (think corner store sized) shop downtown, Citimart, which stocked food imported from America. Flats of soda, the ones which say not for individual resale, were parted out and sold for 350 CFA ($.72) per can.  But for Dr. Pepper and A&W Root Beer, it was worth it. They also stocked Betty Crocker brownie mix, Oreos and American toiletry products.

Prices do vary between stores, so some planning is required to get the best deals. For example, pasta and tomato paste were cheaper at Champion, while Concorde supermarket in Klikame had the best prices on instant oatmeal, juice and coffee.

In early 2013, the landscape of grocery stores changed again when Supermarché le Champion expanded. Already quite expensive, they jacked their prices again, but we went anyways because now they had all the home appliances we only dreamed of having. Immersion blenders, electric coffee grinders, espresso makers and waffle makers could all be had. (Up till this point, we had to shop for these things at Game in Accra or order them off Amazon.)

They also expanded their wine cellar and began stocking frozen foods and microwave meals, definitely a sign of a middle class!

Lastly, while most every local fresh vegetable and fruit can be found at your local street vendor we have found that the Mytro Nunya cultural centre offers a very tasty organic fresh basket with a good variety of fruits and veggies delivered to your door.

Cultural differences: House-help (Part 2)

So. You're looking for house-help.

One of the best ways to get a reliable house-helper is by inheritance. Find someone who is leaving the country and is passing on their house help, or someone can recommend past employees. Embassy and international school staff would be good people to ask.

Hiring friends of friends or someone with no recent references almost always ends badly. We're speaking from experience here.

Make sure your house help knows how to properly wash and dry clothes. You may have to remind them to only wash similar colours at once (The purple -- formerly white -- shirt incident of 2012 taught us this) and to be vigilant about ironing everything, especially if you are in areas prone to mango flies. 

Also speaking from experience: once you've found someone, make it very clear that their first week is a trial week. IN WRITING, spell out all expectations and make it abundantly clear that it is a trial week only. If the trial week doesn't work out, culture in Togo dictates that you can not tell them what they did wrong, but only that it won't work out.

It is also standard practice to change the all locks on your house when an employee is terminated. We know several people who have been burgled days after firing an employee. Revenge is very much alive in Togolese culture.

Going back to keeping things in writing: You need to do this to protect yourself, as laws in Togo favour the worker and not the employee. You can be sued for firing someone for not doing their job, as it is your job as the employer to help them become less incompetent. If you have them sign a contract that states they are on a trial period, and on a subsequent month-to-month contract which can be terminated by either party, that helps balance the scales. (do make sure your contract still falls within the parameters of Togolese labour laws.)

In the contact you should also write down a basic idea of expectations: laundry and dishes daily, wash floor twice a week, wash windows once a week, pick up groceries on Wednesday, etc. Do make sure you go through the house with them, showing them the ropes, where things are stored, how you like your bed made, how you prefer your towels hung, etc.

Make sure the contract spells out working hours, salary, holidays and leave and miscellaneous clarifications such as whether or not loans will be provided.

Lastly, make sure your house help are able and feel comfortable asking you questions about their duties and work. They're not mind readers.

As mentioned above, make sure your expectations fall in line with the law. 

Rugged Luggage

Generally, we're firm believers in travelling light and living with what can be found in local shops. 

However, there are still things that can't be found -- or are of poor quality and high price-- that are more easily bought abroad. 

The main concern for me has always been: "OK, so you bought that new slow cooker crock pot. How are you going to get it to Togo in one piece?" 

Well, I think I've finally found the solution. 

On the way to Heathrow with our new hard-sided 'tool boxes' -- which make great rugged luggage. 

Travelling with soft-sided suitcases is good and blends in well -- but leaves breakables vulnerable to crushing. And those hard-sided plastic suitcases still flex too much for my liking.

The ultimate in protection would be a Pelican Case, but they weigh too much and cost way, way too much. I don't need it to withstand a bulldozer and be completely waterproof. Just a hard-sided, rugged airline OK sized box to put my stuff in.

While on a recent trip to the UK, I began searching for such a box. Which led to some difficulties with the English language. (Do I call it a plastic footlocker, a trunk, a case, a bin -- definitely not!)

After days of looking at and for a Gorilla Box (Chimp size, to meet airline size regulations) and googling for distributors of Contico and Sterilite containers, I nearly gave up.  I even started looking at hard-sided suitcases again.

And then, with time running out, I decided to look at tool boxes. Shortly into my search I came across a polypropylene tool box with wheels and multiple carrying points and handles. 

The best thing? A shop a few miles outside of London had them in stock. So off I went to find the Multi Utility Box (MUB) by GT Line. 

It's rugged, light-weight (6.3kg empty) and holds a lot of stuff (89 L.)

It even has 4 padlock holes, so you can lock it up (or zip-tie as I prefer) for the flight. 

The dimensions are just a tiny bit over most airline regulations of 62 linear inches, but I've travelled with mine and have had no problems.

Other than that, I don't know what else to say. It works for travel to Africa. And makes a great storage container on arrival. 

A small note: when travelling to Africa, we've found that customs officials are attracted to shiny new luggage. Make yours look old with some scuffs and duct tape before your journey. The same goes for whatever appliances or goods are inside. Leave nothing new in the box and remove all price tags

Cultural differences: House-help (part 1)

Having some form of house help is a natural part of life for expats living in Togo. It is expected that if you have more money (or are perceived as having more money) than average it is your responsibility to share that wealth with others. If you do not share your wealth, you are viewed as being selfish and not a friend to the local community.

As an expat, having someone cook or clean at your house is culturally expected in Togo.

Before we left Canada there were a few things that prepared us for hiring someone. The first was talking with people (or in our case, relatives) who had been part of the service industry when first immigrating to Canada.

A close relative told us about her experience working as a cleaner to a well known public figure in her community. She worked very hard and this was noticed by her employers. They were kind to her giving bonus' at certain times of the year, occasionally giving her extra food if they had too much for themselves, not docking pay if she needed to take a day off due to a flu bug. They helped her secure a building permit when the family needed to renovate the house. Their kindness to her was never forgotten.

The second was watching a movie called 'The Help.'  Some people do still treat their house help as a separate class. Having extra hands around the home to help are such a blessing for us, we're not quite sure how people can behave so backwards.

If we were going to get someone to help us in our house I wanted to make sure they would look back on working with us as a time of good memories and remember us as fair, kind and generous employers.

What to bring to Togo with a shipping allowance

A fisherman in the Lome harbour, as a container ship is unloaded at the port.

One of the biggest unknowns we faced when moving to Togo was wondering what supplies would be available to us in the country. 

Through N's job, we had some space in a sea container -- but not knowing what was available (or affordable) in Togo turned the process into a bit of a guessing game.

As it turns out you can get lots of stuff here, but you have look for it. Things like kids bikes and couches are often sold roadside,  so if you see it: buy it. Tomorrow it will be gone. In the supermarkets, plenty of appliances are around -- at a cost and not always of the best quality. 

So, in order to hopefully take some of the mystery out of this process for others, here's our thoughts on what to bring if you've got a shipping allowance. 

Kitchen:

Stainless steel pots and pans. Teflon and nano-ceramic are everywhere, but getting good quality stainless steel pots and pans seems to be impossible. 

Slow cooker. Hands down, this has been one of the best things we shipped to Togo. African meat can be tough, and nothing softens it up like 8 hours in a slow cooker.  It's worth reminding for anything electronic: Togo runs on 220 Voltage. If you can't get 220V appliances in your country, try ordering things from Amazon.co.uk,  Maplins.co.uk or similar online retailers.

Rice cooker. Cheap quality ones are available at supermarkets like Horizon and Champion, but it may be worth investing in a durable one from a reputable brand.

Espresso/Coffee makers. They are available here at a cost,  so it may be cheaper to bring your own. Stovetop espresso makers and French presses are readily available here, as are many brands of coffee.

Blender/ food processor.  Also available in Togo, but at a cost and not necessarily good quality. So, if you've got a 220V one at your disposal, bring it.  Immersion blenders can be found in Togo. 

Household & living: 

TV, speakers, gaming systems, etc. These are all VERY expensive in Togo, and not always from brand names. Reminder again: 220V!!!!

Power regulators: we brought a large scale voltage regulator and battery backup for the house, however these can be bought in Togo for several thousand dollars. Surge protectors and regulators for individual wall outlets run around $150 depending on the quality. Buy those here, as they're not much cheaper anywhere else. As for the large scale ones, like we got, they are available here but not for less than $5,000. We got ours on eBay for under $1000.  

Upright pianos. You're going to have a difficult time finding a well-maintained one here. Talk to a professional before moving your piano from a dry to humid climate!

Fine furniture. If you've got furniture you can't live without, bring it. That being said, Ikea or anything made of particle board is not fine furniture!  You'd be better off getting something made here. 

Books. They're heavy, and very little English literature is available here. 

Office furniture. As with many things, they can be found here but at a hefty cost. (A basic $19.99 chair from Staples costs $70 here. I've also seen a $2000 office chair here that didn't look all that special.)

Pet supplies. Dog and cat food can be found here, but it is not always the best quality. If you have a snobby pet who likes more than Friskies or Purina, bring your own. Same goes for absorbent litter.  Pet toys are available here.

Big kids toys. Like bicycles or trampolines. These can be found here, but again not at a cheap price and not always at good quality.  Pool toys are plentiful though.

Mattresses. If you like spring mattresses, bring your own.  They might exist here.  Somewhere. Maybe.  I have seen spring mattresses on promotion, but quality and cost are questionable.

Vehicles. We know people who have imported their vehicles, and if you want to avoid the hassle of buying a car of questionable history here in Togo, it is an option.  Don't bother importing anything without four-wheel-drive or smaller than an SUV. The potholes will eat it alive. It is very important to remember that import fees on vehicles can go up to 52% of it's value. That's before bribes and imaginary 'port exit fees.'

Lastly, and this applies to all things on the list, bringing more than two of any one thing may result in customs wanting you to pay duties. Please do your due diligence and speak to customs officials before you bring things, we're not customs officials! All this is based on our experiences and what we've learned from others.

Best Restaurants: Alt München

While the main restaurant is indoors (at left) they also have an outdoor seating area.

Coming from German heritage, one of the most pleasant surprises was to hear about a German restaurant in Togo. 

Alt München, situated near the port just next to the Seamans Mission, definitely helps fill the craving for German cooking. 

From the European styled facade, to the booth seating and selection of German beverages -- Alt München is the place to go if you're looking for German food. It's also the only place in Lome. 

To be honest, we've both got our favourite dishes and don't stray far from those.

The cote de porc forestiere (Jägerschnitzel) is smothered in a mushroom gravy and served with spätzle and red cabbage. Yum.

N's favourite is the cordon bleu. It's a huge portion and best of all the meat is soft and chewable!

Deserts are also very tasty (try the flambeed cherry ice cream -- no idea what it's called on the menu) but usually we are too full to order. 

And if you're not itching to go yet: they've got free wifi. 

Cote de porc forestiere.

Talk to the owners about whale watching (September through November) and deep sea fishing opportunities. 

Notes:

Closed Wednesday. 

Telephone: 22 27 63 21

And at this point in our restaurant reviews it's worth noting a few things: This is Togo. We're not giving reviews by western standards. Food at all the places we review will be edible, tasty and not make you sick. We're not promising perfect presentation, or even the best cuts of meat.  Also, many restaurants employ several chefs -- and sometimes one is much better than the other, so going at lunch may yield totally different results than dinner for the same dish. 

Get to know this man

One of the most helpful people we've met here in Togo is a carpenter. 

Depending on your living situation here, you may need a dining room set, a bed, a rocking chair, patio furniture, a bread box or a picture frame. 

And Elias Nyakpor is definitely the one to ask. He regularly works with embassies and expats and his quality of workmanship is very high. 

Our house came furnished, but Elias' wood bowls, bread box, spice rack and shoe rack make our home a much nicer place. He also made the backings for all our wall hangings.

Folding chairs, just one of the many things Elias makes.

It's worth mentioning that Elias can make practically anything from a drawing or a photograph. Just give him the measurements and tell him what type of wood you'd like used and it will happen. 

Sure, there are people out there who will give you lower prices, but guaranteed -- the quality will not be anywhere near his.

We know a woman who had a closet built and three months later it was reduced to dust by termites. It turns out the carpenter skimped on supplies while treating the wood. 

You may buy a table, only to have it split down the middle because the wood was improperly dried. 

Save yourself the hassle and talk to Elias. 

He's got a Facebook page set up which showcases a few of his creations: http://www.facebook.com/pages/LEbeniste-Africain/293472607350311

His number is: +228 90 11 43 09

(Elias can also direct you to the best  safe-for-yovo-consumption fufu in Lome. It's somewhere under a big billboard in the Tokoin neighbourhood.) 

Restaurant review: Cote Jardin

The spacious bar and dining area at Cote Jardin provides a relaxing atmosphere

 There are a few places in Lome that can make you forget where you are. 

And no matter what kind of day you've had, going to Cote Jardin and eating a scrumptious meal in their nicely decorated restaurant makes it all a bit better.

Tucked on a side street just off of the circular (officially Blvd 13 Janvier) near the beach, Cote Jardin is definitely on the upscale end of restaurants in Lome, but when you compare it to western restaurants: paying $15 (approx 7000 cfa) for a main dish still isn't that bad at all. 

Charcoal grilled chorizo

The food is tasteful and can also be on the creative end of things. Deep fried baby barracuda and antelope stew can be had along with more 'normal' dishes like charcoal grilled chorizo and steaks. 

Cote Jardin is also the place where we accidentally ordered cows tongue. It's a long story, but lets say we were tired, we felt pressured to order quickly and in a panic we pointed to an item from the beef menu. A moment after the waitress left, our French brain kicked in. Langue. What is langue. Tongue. Ahhhh! 

Let's just say that we're glad we ordered it at Cote Jardin, because they still managed to make it taste quite good. 

Directions:  5 Rue Simone-Dogbe, Quartier Ocam.

Telephone: +228 22 22 02 20 or +228 98 48 49 04

Website: http://www.cotejardin.tg/

Fly on the wall

This week, we had the opportunity of sitting through a four hour piano recital (without an intermission), and one thing that became abundantly clear to us again is that the media here are not as discreet as we were used to in Canada.

D tells me this is not how media normally acted back in Canada. I guess the fly on the wall concept has yet to take hold here.

Media: front and centre. Where's the kid playing piano?

Togo-Benin Border Crossing

If you've read our blog, you know that we have a special dark place reserved for crossing the Ghana border.

It's just not fun. Even when things run smoothly, the guards are unfriendly, abrupt and sometimes just plain mean.

We recently witnessed a Togolese border guard at the Aflao crossing (Ghana) demanding 15,000 CFA ($30) from a traveller because he made an error on the customs immigration form. That's the normal form handed out freely like candy.

Lorries waiting to be processed by customs near the Togo-Benin border.

But having just crossed the Togo-Benin border with a vehicle we can confidently say it is much easier to cross.

The layout at the border is a lot more straight forward for and follows a relatively straight line!

Show up, park the car under a shady tree, get exit stamped out of Togo, show yellow fever vaccination card, cross border to Benin, fill in Benin paperwork, get entry stamp into Benin, get car paperwork. Hit the road!

Time: approximately 30 minutes.

 Not bad, not bad at all.

There were no people insisting they be our guide or trying to be 'helpful' by grabbing our hand bags.

The only place where guides exist is by the Benin car paperwork post, which they will run and fill for you for a small fee (1000 cfa or less). They can sometimes be helpful, as the location of the paperwork post is not always as advertised! (We found the border guard hanging with his buddies in a different shack.)

The only visible sign of corruption was rather benign and also helpful, should you have forgotten your yellow fever vaccination card!

If you forgot your yellow fever card it costs 500 CFA ($1) to pass without it, though the European (Yovo) price may start higher.

We should note that our visas were processed before arrival. If you get your visa at the border, it will take longer!  On some days, border officials may run out of visa forms, or simply not want to process them unless a 'gift' is given.

Impromptu Guides

For those of you who would like to visit West Africa someday, one of the first things you will notice is that you stick out like a sore thumb.

And as you go exploring, it is inevitable that a few men or youths hanging around the neighbourhood will casually accompany you.

They may not speak English or French, but will attempt to point out an interesting building or a strange tree.

As you continue walking, you may find that you know more than them, simply because you read Lonely Planet.

However, as you explain to them the significance of the building they attempted to point out to you, they will ask you for money. Since they are your guide.

How they became your guide, you will never find out. Well, actually, you never asked for a guide.

Tourists visiting a slave castle in Cape Coast, Ghana. 

Once, we visited a picturesque abandoned Portuguese fort in Ghana. Lonely Planet tells us that the difference between the renovated and abandoned forts is quite striking and well worth a look.

We packed a picnic lunch, and planned to enjoy the lovely views.

The gate to the fort was locked, and once we found the woman with the key, we wandered inside. A few moments later, a very drunk man attached himself to us.

His less-than-helpful comments included:
This is a door.
The floor is wooden.
The walls are stone.
This is where a cannon was.
The ocean is there, and people go fishing for fish in boats.
Boats are made of wood.

While we had point-blank told him we had no money to give for a tour, he persisted. So, to try and assist him in his attempt at tour guiding, N kept prodding for deeper answers by asking what type of fish locals were looking for. (answer: big ones.)  What type of trees were used in the construction of the flooring? (Answer: wooden ones.)

After 10 minutes of this, we decided this would not be the calm, relaxing picnic at the fort we envisioned.  And we decided to leave once the man turned to me and asked for a ridiculous amount of money.

And when I declined his offer, repeating my earlier statement of 'we have no money for a tour today,' he suggested that our wedding bands would be a good form of payment.

Naturally, that did not impress N, who knew more about the fort than this 'guide.' So we gave money to the woman for opening the locked gate, and suggested the drunk man learn a bit more about the history of the fort before trying any more guide attempts.

Best Restaurants: Chez Fanny

How many restaurants are worth driving over 100 kilometres for?

Well, we've found one in a lovely mountain town, Kpalime, which lies just over 100 kilometres north of Lome.

In our opinion, it's one of the best restaurants in all of Togo.

Chez Fanny, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, also has a selection of excellent (SPOTLESS), air-conditioned rooms.

Avocado Shrimp Salad

While rooms do cost more than other hotels in Kpalime (18 000cfa+) the whole compound is meticulously clean --  enough to satisfy the scrutiny of any German oma. Beds also have springs, and pillows do not feel like hardened sacks of concrete.

The French-Togolese couple who own Chez Fanny are warm and welcoming and their menu boasts scrumptious selections of beef, lamb, chicken and fish as well as a set of daily specials.

Wines are chilled, tablecloths are clean, waiters are very attentive and often bilingual and the cost-per-plate is reasonable compared with your other options in Kpalime. (Entrees range between 4000 - 6000 cfa)

We recommend the avocado shrimp salad as an entree starter and the chicken brochettes, ginger shrimp or lamb as your main course. For those who like steaks, they're supposedly really good. And while we have yet to try it, the French Onion Soup is supposedly amazing.

Beef, ham and cheese roulade special. I wish this was always on the menu! 

It's worth noting that they serve something other than plain omelettes or 'petit dejeuner complet' for breakfast. Tuna, ham and cheese or chicken sandwiches can be had as well as a variety of other egg based dishes. We highly recommend the Bacon and Eggs.  While crepes are technically on the dessert menu, they can be had for breakfast as well!

Additional notes:
Chez Fanny is located at the south edge of Kpalime, on the right hand side of the street if you're coming from Lome. Look for a compound wall covered in flagstones.

Phone number: 24 41 05 79

Chez Fanny closes for the month of June.

The Shortest Performance Ever

As a music director at the school a big part of my job is organizing performances and concerts.

Unfortunately performances don't always go according to plan and when this happens one tries to adapt or modify what has been planned.

Here in Togo one can not always rely on the weather to co-operate as was the case this past June with the last major performance of the year.

Some days the rain here may last a few minutes, other times it may last hours.

The afternoon of the final performance everyone could see the dark storm clouds looming in the distance. We all hoped and willed the clouds to stay there on the horizon, and they did.

However, a problem with weather here is that it can move very fast and sneak up on you.

As the concert started, a few drops began to fall but we carried on hoping that it would pass quickly.

The two year olds marched on stage for the second number of the night and began singing their little hearts out. Their parents may have heard 10 seconds of singing before an absolute deluge of pouring rain drowned out the rest of the song.

And thus the shortest performance came to an end.

Best Restaurants in Lome: Lalibela

What are the best places to eat in Togo?

To date, one of our most favourite places to go for a scrumptious meal in Lomé is Lalibela, an Ethiopian restaurant in the Forever neighbourhood. (That's on the same road as Plan Togo's new office, Av. de Kondona.)

Pros:
We were introduced to the restaurant by some friends of ours, and have yet to stray from their recommended dish: the vegetarian platter. It consists of injera with a variety of vegetarian dishes -- cabbage, bean, salad, etc.

It's huge and cheap (approx. 3,000 cfa) and it is easily shared if you're not too hungry.

And if you desire some meat, the tibs are a decent addition to the vegetarian platter.

Cons:
Power goes out quite regularly in this neighbourhood, so be prepared to sit in darkness as a waiter tries to get the generator going.

Slow. You will likely wait 45 minutes for your food, or longer if there's a few dishes being prepared.

Notes:
Phone number: 22 35 45 91
Closed Mondays

Hello Togo, We're Back

Wow. Where did summer go?

It seems like we blinked and June, July and August vanished. Poof.

It was a whirl-wind end to the school year and then a crazy jam-packed summer of visiting friends and family across North America.

And before we knew it, we were standing in the customs queue at Kotoka International Airport being hassled by a customs guard who insisted our year long visa, which we got last November, was no longer valid. In August.

Ahhh, welcome home!

Believe it or not, getting back to Togo was remarkably uneventful! No massive breakdown in the hired car, no hassles at the border, nothing. It was wonderful!

Incredibly, all our luggage arrived in one piece and not one bag had been opened, searched or rifled through.

Togo feels a lot more like home now. We know the people, the place.. It's familiar.

N walking April the dog on a lovely cool September evening.