New Year's through the Collines

December 31 – January 2

Day #4 – Started : Aledjo                              Ended: Biguina                                  Distance Covered: 77 km

Day #5 – Started : Biguina                             Ended: Miniki                                    Distance Covered: 98 km

Day #6 – Started : Miniki                               Ended: Tchetti                                   Distance Covered: 53 km

Highlights

• New Year’s Day (or week, rather) celebrations
• Collines (‘Mini-mountains’)
• The 7-Trunked Palm Tree
• Voodoo Fetish of Dankoly
• Monkeys!

Click on the images below to enlarge

Plots of gardens start to pop

up in the low lands of this

region.  Even in the dry season,

water is obtainable.

The voodoo fetish of Dankoly - here one 

may make an offer to the  spirits and 

ask them 

a favor or  for a blessing

The Palm Tree of 7 

Trunks

A gigantic termite mound

A statue of a woman sifting 'gari' 

(coarse cassava flour)within

the city of Savalou.

Farmers have began to

pick and harvest their

cotton.  This is the closest

I get to snow!

One of the first mini-mountains

we ran into; alongside the city of Bante

Ah – finally staying somewhere with electricity and MTN cell phone reception!  You’ll have to excuse my delay on trip updates over the past day; although we’ve been biking along one of the major roads for some distance, each stopping point we’ve had has still lacked the reception to allow my internet key to work.

Thus, the posts are a bit behind – but they’re going to keep coming.  It may take a bit for me to get caught back up to the actual position we are at in the tour due to the amount of time it takes to upload pictures, but it’ll happen.

We've had a good time during our New Year's stretch, and have been able to partake in a number of local festivities.  The week of New Year's (starting on January 1, not on December 31 as in the U.S.), is one of Benin's most celebrated holidays.  People in Benin see the New Year as a chance to commemorate making it through another turn of the seasons.  This is similar to what we do in the United States, but a lot more emphasis is placed on the fortune that those celebrating have to actually be able to have a party – as they all know many people no longer alive who cannot partake.

People spend loads of money getting flashy new clothing tailored, throwing parties for friends and family, and feasting.  In almost any town you go, you will hear music blasting or drum circles beating.  The festivities last for quite a while as well; in larger towns or cities they typically go one half to a full week, and in villages they can take a full two weeks to simmer down.

As with most celebrations in Benin, the ring of hospitality offered by the host is pretty much all-encompassing.  If you show up in the vicinity of someone’s party and you know anyone, the host will often give you food, drink, and somewhere to relax.  We got to be a part of a number of these at multiple stops along the road – being offered Igname Pile (“pounded yam” – a very popular local dish served with a delicious peanut sauce), fried sweet potatoes, and lots of tasty pasta.  We also saw a lot of kids who’d formed dance troupes, who circulate their villages and perform for a few coins.  Most surprising of all, someone in my village showed up morning before we headed out with his new pet monkey that he’d gotten for the party! 

Igname Pile

This monkey showed up at my door on New Year's