In an effort to
raise funds for Logozohe’s future computer lab and to share the culture,
landscape, and history of Benin with all interested individuals, I will be
biking around the entire country and blogging as I go. This way, anyone wanting to lend support to
the computer lab can offer to pledge for the kilometers I bike (see the
Pledge! Page), and at the same time they can get a personal, in-depth look at
a country not-too-often travelled.
Where are you going? How long? How far? Are you crazy?
All in all, the
trek has been mapped out at about 2000 kilometers and we expect to complete it just
under a month. And luckily, I won't be attempting this entire journey alone; three other Peace Corps Volunteers will be along for the majority of the trip, and others will likely join for stretches along the way. Chances are we will not actually complete every single leg of the trip we've mapped out - but we're going to set our goals high and see how far we can get.
 |
| The tentative route |
Not exactly – 2,000 kilometers will take some serious biking, no doubt, but we won’t just be going until our legs fall off. Stops to make include waterfalls, mini-mountains, rivers that must be forded via canoe, Rastafarian beaches, and a 3-story chameleon Voodoo temple, among others.
How are you
going to keep in touch?
As surprising
as it may seem, it will be possible to access the internet, even when much of our
trip will cause us to be in places devoid of electricity. I will be writing entries on my laptop after
our rides and posting them whenever possible.
With one of the USB internet keys that are common throughout West
Africa, I can connect my computer to the net using cell phone tower signals
that are at least fairly stable (which shouldn’t be too hard to find). Also, whenever passing through a larger city,
I should be able to find an internet café and use the typically faster
connections to upload larger files such as pictures.
For a more
detailed tour of where our travels will take us and what we'll see, click here.
