After the joys of Parakou, I decided it was about time to start heading back in the right direction. Benin has a trainline, with trains that actually run on it, I was quite amazed by this and thought it may be a more comfortable option than the taxis.
I wasnt far wrong either, it left pretty much on time and I had a whole seat to myself. We drove through some pretty nice scenery and stopped at many villages on the way. The price of Yams (looks like a tree branch, tastes a bit like potato, you see them in Sainsburys) is quite cheap in the countryside, and before long we were all knee deep in Yams bouncing through the countryside. Bouncing quite allot in fact, enough that the Yams almost seemed alive, with this and ash from the steam engine coming in through the window, it was still far better than the taxis!
I opted to stop in Savè which is a fairly small town snuggled amongst some picturesque rocky hills. The place has some pretty good potential for rock climbing (photos to come). I went for a scramble in the hills to avoid the continual chanting of ‘Yovo, Yovo, Bonsior, Ca va, Ca va Bien, Merci, Cadeux’. Which is what the kids chant over and over again, and they follow you, and they just dont go away. Groups of Kids are by the far the most fearful thing in any african country. If you walk around the corner to find a group of school kids, walk back around the same corner Fast! All dressed in the same uniform like an army of small people waiting to assault you with constant taunting.
I got to the top of the hill, stripped down to me Boxers, and played the Harmonica (no photos), with the people far below oblivious to my being a white man
