Lome

9 FEBRUARY 2023

I changed my plans this morning and opted to move on to Lome rather than stay another day to climb up Mount Agou.

Traveling to Lome was fascinating. I paid the 4000CFA fare to join other passengers heading to the capital. We passed vendors along the road selling cassavas, pineapples, oranges and bread loaves. We soon left the green hills for the dry barren shrub land lining the coast.

The taxi park is on the edge of the city so I took a motorbike taxi to the address of a guest house. This is when things can get really frustrating. The drivers often say they know where to take you as they want to be helpful and earn some money. Not knowing the city, having a reliable phone connection for maps nor a good level of French language, left me reliant on people we met in the street. I eventually guessed that the guest house was another closed enterprise and our endless searching was the driver trying desperately to find an option. I did the best thing in a case like this, which is to stop, pay the driver, take a break and search for accommodation in the centre of town

I happened upon a lovely simple hotel on the beach front called Seaside where rooms were 28,000CFA. The restaurant in the courtyard did good fish and rice too. The roof top terrace was a very relaxing place to hang out and watch the sun go down.

I spent time in Lome familiarising myself with the central area; independence square and its imposing statue, the presidential palace and the small but very informative national museum. Daniel, the museum manager was a hive of information and explained the migration routes of the groups of people who have moved towards Togo over the centuries.