Cotonou, Benin (Mar. 25)

Cotonou, the commercial and economic hub of Benin, dwarfs the political capital of Porto-Novo. French-speaking Benin, formerly Dahomey, is the birthplace of voodoo which is said to have originated in the spiritual village of Ouidah. A tour there included a quick drive through Cotonou then on to Ouidah and the sacred forest of Kpasse with statues of various gods, the temple of pythons, and the slave route ending with Benin’s Door of No Return. In the 17th-19th centuries, Ouidah was the most important embarkation point for slaves in the region of West Africa known to outsiders as the “Slave Coast.


 



Memorial Gate of No Return

Temple of Pythons



Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 29, 2023 at 3:49 PM

    I love that Bob is such a good sport - wearing pythons, kissing fish and keeping your audience smiling. where are the watermelons?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 29, 2023 at 4:06 PM

    Temple of Pythons... I'll be seeing that in my nightmares. Still, love the new necktie.

    ReplyDelete
  3. kayApril 2, 2023 at 4:54 PM

    Bob, your face says it all --eeeek, is there really a live snake around my neck????

    ReplyDelete
  4. Suzanne EMay 4, 2023 at 4:01 PM

    Not sleeping tonight after seeing those photos

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ensenada

Image
Notes: We do not have great connectivity when we are at sea, so you all get a break during those days! Also, if/when you post a comment, please add your name, otherwise we have no idea who wrote it. We left San Francisco Sunday 1/15 when it was cold, rainy and foggy.  After a day at sea, got to Ensenada, Mexico today to scattered showers, but hired a taxi and went to Dad and Korki's old place on the beach which brought back lots of memories and had a tour around Ensenada. Considerable development since family used to go here 20 years ago! Our ship View from dad's place View of Ensenada from ship
Read more

January 10: T-minus 5 days

Image
"Where in the World are Bill and Bob?"   On January 15, 2023 we will board Oceania's Insignia in San Francisco for a 180 day round the world cruise.   Known for its cuisine, small ship size (656 passengers) -- hence its ability to dock in smaller ports-- and informal dress code (they call it country club casual) it seemed like a good fit.  So, for those who are interested in "where in the world are Bill and Bob," here's our map and itinerary for the first half of 2023: Around the World in 180 days.   San Francisco to San Francisco | Jan 15, 2023 | 180 Days | Insignia Map of Round the World Cruise Itinerary Hi ho, Hi ho... it's around the world we go ..... ;)
Read more

Acajutla, El Salvador

Image
El Salvador was our last stop in Central America before heading further south. The 7 hour land tours departed at 6:45 a.m., so once again we opted instead to take a local shuttle around the area. Acajutla is a very industrial port, and fairly impoverished- a dose of reality adding new  perspective as to why people want to leave. Also makes one thoughtful and grateful for what we have. Our disembarkment welcome Busy port City views Beach view
Read more