Benin keeps some beautiful beaches that no one knows about
except the turtles. History buffs will be interested to check the
grounds of the ancient Dahomey kingdom, one of most robust in Western
Africa. The biggest slave trade ran through here from the interior.
We liked the candy cane church in Cotonou and the moped taxis.
Highlight: Ganvie, a village that sits on stilts
in the middle of a lagoon. Where else can you fish in traffic?
We drive to Cotonou and the nearby fishing
village of Ganvie which is built entirely on stilts
in the center of a lagoon. We explore Ganvie on the
only transportation available: a pirogue (dug-out canoe).
We leave the coast and drive to Abomey,
the ancient capital of the Dan Homey Kingdom. The original
palace here was one of the wonders of West Africa and
dates back to the 17th century.
