Day 3 in Benin Republic = time for Toks skedaddle back to Lagos and time for me to travel towards the North of Benin. (Read about Day 1 and Day 2 here)
Thanks to a tip from Mea, my first stop was in Abomey. A quiet village with very rich history that I was too lazy to uncover. Abomey was the home to the royal palace of Dahomey, a powerhold that held off the French for a long time before they eventually took over the region (google it to learn about the history) in Benin Republic. What is left of the palace is a small fraction of what it used to be. From the outside, I could see a bit of what it had to offer and initially, I tried to check it out, but the folks that worked there decided to close one hour early, so I didnāt bother going back the next day. My one night stay was more of an excuse for me to relax and experience the village life of Benin Republic.
I found bliss in playing way too many card games with the friendly kids in the neighborhood while sipping on a chilled bottle of beer.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUKt–2lHMx/?taken-by=zeegoes
With travel luck and helpful hints from locals, I stayed at Chez Edith in Abomey, Benin Republic (+229 6658 3624, give her a call and thank me later (nothing fancy by the way)), an accommodation that came with breakfast and dinner for a total of 8,000 cfa. The most activity I got up to here was a long trek in search for a shop to purchase data credit, and watching a couple of fabric maker construct some beautiful textiles at the market hub behind the Dahomey palace area. They had some really beautiful hammocks that made me wish I had the housing property for my own hammock garden area. One day I shall!
Anyway, Abomey was really uneventful for me, but for tourist and those that love learning about history, this town is worth a couple of night’s stay to explore the museum and the palace. I was informed of an underground area for people to discover, so history buff and tourists would definitely love the experience.
Will I re-visit Abomey? Maybe.
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8 Comments
Wow I can totally see why you bought placemats and a table cloth from that market, they are beautiful!
Zainob, thank you for sharing the Chez Edith contact information! It is so difficult to find real information about villages like this one!
The hammocks look so colourful! I’d love to get one! I think I’d go for the pink.
Finally a travel blog that features less popular places! That’s really cool, keep it up!
First of all, I didn’t even know of this place! So, thanks for not only introducing Benin Republic, but also giving me a virtual tour of the place. I love those traditional, local fabrics… Time to do some shopping!
Local hints are the best way to go. Sounds like a good place to slow down from the pace of everyday life.
Looks very interesting! I love to read about places like this – it’s amazing you bring the world closer š Almost 90% of the travel blogs write about hotels, South East Asia, Paris or London. I also saw your post about Cotonou – great photos!
Tom