The boarder crossing at Aflao, Ghana and Lomé, Togo is a great place to get scammed. Still not sure what was supposed to occur and what was paid for. Getting a travel Visa at the boarder was not a big deal, but the confusion on how to proceed to the next stage was only exasperated by a scam artist and a quote taxi driver. You could walk on the beach from it is that close but all in all if you happen to be crossing take your time and don’t pay for additional services, even though it may appear that you are in need of them.
The scene along the beach road in Lomé is quite nice, lined in some cases by statue-like buildings that are abandoned or seriously neglected. (I hesitate to use the word abandoned as it was explained to me in Freetown, Sierra Leone that projects have a long development period due to ownership and funding types) The Presidential Place is quite nice and I need to work on getting a tour if possible, my guess is there will be nothing else on this one. Watching the hauling in of the large fishing net is quite an interesting occurrence. A collective effort of about 50-100 residents results in an hour long return of the net. How and who the fish are distributed to are great questions as well as the amount of effort for the haul. That said, once you get past the logic of it, the result is worth watching once.
On the administrative note a few items: the conversion of the border travel VISA to a longer VISA is a one to three event and depending on what is said and who you are with, it might not be that bad. It is always a bit discomforting handing over your passport to an operation that is a bit outdated a best and not receiving any type of claim ticket. That said, it worked and I am sure the next country will be a different experience. The central bank that has three ATM that accept VISA has strange dispensing times, the display reads 24/7 however the gas station attendant said there are certain hours and two of the machines were out of order which resulted in me watching multiples of people attempting to withdraw money and receiving a generic error. As this is the head location, it would follow that the ATMs would be in normal working order. End to the note – the same bank branch 8km out of time worked just fine. The port of Lomé is a wonder in itself in that anything is able to come through. Containers, trucks; equipment; livestock all seem to defy the maze of confusion. The "fishing port" next door is worth a visit as pirate ships (my term – not verified) are next to traditional wooden boats next to everything else. The central fish market area is another sight that a visit can only describe.
As Togo is a dumping ground for used items of all sorts – I had the occasion to tour a heavy equipment lot where trucks, tractors, cranes, etc where housed for used brokerage to West Africa. A very interesting business. One fascinating item was the amount of customization that occurs when a buyer wants to change out the various components on a particular machine. As this are used machines it is hard to get past the operational condition let alone the retrofits. Supposedly it is a lucrative business and the sales person from Niger was kind enough to share that Niger is rich in oil and uranium – two resources that anyone looking for heavy machinery would be very interested in. The one take away was an old compound previously used by SOTOMA oil on the main road across from the port. Could be a very desirable site if one was conducting business in Togo.
As for fishing – having gone out in a sea canoe twice in one day (in the morning and again at night) and not catching anything bigger than a common goldfish put a bit of salt in my fishing eyes. Having attempted to fish from the reef off the coast (see the Avéposo note for location) I was assaulted or mugged by the incredible surf and what turned out to be Sea Urchins. The Sea Urchins resulted in barbed ¼ inch thorns lodged in my foot, hand, and hip. Once I got past the pain, the uncertainty of toxicity kicked in and after about six hours I came to the conclusion that it was the equivalent of 100 slivers, although removal has become a combination of time and digging as opposed to the some of the more traditional sliver removal techniques. The fisherman that took me in the canoe was the same person that witnessed the reef incident and I guess took pity on me as the American style rods could not hide the lack of fishing experience. The quote for an off-shore experience in a motor boat was 250,000 CFA, which I kindly turned down.
50 / 50 Restaurant – did not eat but recommended for good inexpensive food – Blv du 13 Janvier, up from Presidential Palace
54 – Live Music, Restaurant, Art – A five person cover band was playing on the open air courtyard stage back dropped by artistic cloth paintings – Blv du 13 Janvier, between Sunset Club and 50 / 50
Barakuda Restaurant - did not eat but good crowd – at the corner of Rue des Camomilles and Route d’Aflao
Avéposo, Togo
Past the center of Lome – there is a small town that lines the coastal route to Benin about 10km. The surf is heavy and the beach is nice. The are plenty of hotels and small eateries. Once you get past the Shell refinery which was built in the 70s and has a pier that is supposedly the cause of beach erosion and the strange currents, you could feel like you were at a resort of some type (not a "Western style" resort).
Having tried out camping for the first time using a $20 US tent worked fairly well. Mastering the beginning of the rainy season and understanding storm winds resulted in a wet sleeping bag which was not that bad. The bugs are still to be addressed but they are definitely less of a problem. Attempting to locate more camping options as the journey continues.
A couple of unconfirmed reports: the first has to do with the death of a local person attempting to swim in the waters on May 1st – the public holiday for Labor Day. As there are not life guards and no guess as to who you would call if one needed assistance it was a polite reminder that even the locals have a tough go of it. The second has to do with an attempt on the President of Togo’s life by his brother. The President is the son of the previous dictator who is rumored to have over 125 recognized children. One of the sons was a minister and attempted to shoot his Presidential brother and in the process was shot in the leg approximately three months ago. (Note: this is just rumor) There is to be the first free election in Togo in 2010 which should be an interesting contest.
Presidents of Togo, 1960–present
Sylvanus Olympio: April 27, 1960–January 13, 1963
Emmanuel Bodjollé (Chairman of the Insurrection Committee): Jan 13, 1963–Jan 15, 1963
Nicolas Grunitzky: January 16, 1963–January 13, 1967
Kléber Dadjo (Chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee): Jan 14–Apr 14, 1967
Étienne Eyadéma (from 1974 Gnassingbé Eyadéma): April 14, 1967–February 5, 2005
Faure Gnassingbé: February 5–February 25, 2005
Bonfoh Abbass: February 25–May 4, 2005 (interim)
Faure Gnassingbé: since May 4, 2005
(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Togo)
From Avéposo it is a 15 minute ride to Agbodrafo and Lake Togo. Again the fishing bug resulted in me passing on taking the canoe trip across to Togoville and instead finding a path through the villages to the railway bridge and dropping a line. This resulted in not even a nibble. The fisherman with all of the nets must be doing a great job because I kept thinking that a fish hatchery would be a great venture.
Le Fréres de la Côte Restaurant and Private Beach - This beach front bar and restaurant is quite nice and tranquil. The couple that run it – Louis and Catherine – are very hospitable and have put a lot of effort in getting it right. The masks on the wall are terrific and the bar is made of a very nice African wood.
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