Lauren and I went to Togo for two days so I could get a taste of Francophone Africa. We took a 3.5 hour ride to Aflou, the border town of Ghana, and walked across the border into Togo. The only thing separating people from going over the border was a simple string held up by one guard. We obtained a visa at the border under a little wooden shack (the togo visa cost about $30) and easily entered Lome, the capital of Togo, which is right on the other side of the border.
We visited a the largest fetish market in West Africa, which was filled with a myriad of stalls displaying animal skulls, rotting bird carcasses, firs, and statues which were all considered ingredients for traditional medicine and religion. Although it seemed like a tourist trap, many of the locals patronize the market, looking for unimaginable ingredients (dried up snakes, rodents, and skulls) to grind up into powders and mix with herbs to create medicine for things like arthritis or rheumatism.
Just for fun, I consulted a juju priest that claimed he only dealt with white magic. He showed me a few relics that ensured safety, good luck, or would insure success in love. Of course the items where outrageously expensive because they were spiritually blessed. Lauren wanted nothing to do with the "scam" but I played along just out of curiosity and even bargained down the price of my "safe travel" good luck charm.
In general, I have been amazed how everyone believes in juju/which craft/black magic here. I can see in countries where the majority practices traditional religion but even in Ghana, where the majority of the are Christian, everyone believes in in Juju. I have heard many personal anecdotes of someone being juju'd and I haven't met a single Ghanaian or African that doesn't wholeheartedly believe in it.
We got around on motorbikes, which was pretty much the only version of a taxi in Lome. I got quite a rush out of it and it was a fun way to see the city. I also got to speak French the whole time. To my surprise, I understood everyone perfectly even though I had this previous idea that the accent or dialect would make it a challenge for me to communicate. My French came back to a comfortable level after a few hours of speaking so it was fun to get some practice in.
We picked the budget hotel option, which cost about $20 a night for us and we were right next to the beach. The bathroom was all-in-one, meaning the shower head was above the toilet and sink. I attempted to use the shower and quickly realized that the drain didn't work after almost flooding the entire hotel room. The sink drain was the solution to the problem so i washed my hair and most of my body over the sink and the rest over the toilet for it to catch the rest of the water. Couldn't complain though...running water can't be taken for granted here.
Despite being a tad bit nervous to travel, we had no issues and I came back to Ghana in one piece along with all my belongings in tact. It felt strange that we were so close to the border, and yet I felt very naive to the dangers we could potentially face in Togo. We practiced the same precautions used in Ghana and had no issues.
Two full days left! Better make the best of it!
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