Distance: 42km
Country: Benin
Overnight it had rained a bit. I didn't really mind because there was a thatched roof on the barn and it was only sprinkling on my tent. I figured if it got worse I would put the rain fly up. When I woke up in the morning I could see blue sky through the reed mat used as roofing. Whoops. My tent wasn't really wet though. So I guess it wasn't that big a deal.
I got packed up and left Djabonli pretty early. The guys at Arly had mentioned that a truck was going to the border today. Again, that might have been delayed because of the brief rain last night. When I got in the guys at the forestry camp were just sitting around. I realized the truck wasn't leaving. I did fill up my water and got ready to head off. The chef of the forestry camp made me a little map. Very cool. We said goodbye and I set off.
While winding my way down the road, I did ponder how weird it was that I needed a guide with a gun just to go around the park. Heading 25km to the border, through the bush, was no problem though. No one seemed worried that I might be killed by an animal doing it. Strange. I guess those are the rules though.
The road itself wasn't all that great. Some of it was hard packed. A few places were sand. The worst were the sections where the elephants had walked across the muddy road. They are the amazing creatures for destroying a wet dirt road. Each footprint is a perfect pothole. Just a few can make the road miserable. I did a couple of kilometers of road like that. Not fun.
Right before the border there is a immigration post. It is boarded up and abandonedthough. I wonder when the last time it was manned was? I wonder when the last time anyone passed here? After that the Savannah turns into this amazing tropical jungle. It was quite cool. I really felt like I was exploring new territory. I knew I must have been the first person to cross the border here in quite a while.
There is a low bridge over the Panjari river there. I was glad I didn't have to try and wade across a hippo or croc infested river. Actually I didn't see any of those either, which would have been kind of cool. On the Benin side, the road was blocked by a fallen palm tree. I had to push my bike through the bush for a bit to get around it. I was starting to wonder if there really was anyone on the Benin side to greet meet me. The jungle was outstanding though. Lush green palm trees. Beautiful tropical birds. Quite a sight.
After a couple of kilometers I did come across some kind of post. At first I wasn't sure if it was abandoned like the one on the Burkina side though. Someone did respond to my call though. It wasn't quite what I had expected. No, he didn't have the passport stamp. Crap. I would also have to pay 10,000 CFA for entering the park. Double crap. It was also illegal to go through the park on a bike. The animals were too dangerous. I would still have to pay 3,000 CFA for bringing a vehicle, though. Now hold on a minute. If I can't use the bike, then why am I getting charged for it? After a bit of arguing, we compromised, and I would pay half, 1,500 CFA. He didn't have any change though. So I left a deposit of 15,000 CFA. I asked if there was somewhere for food, and he told me I could get some at the hotel 7km away. He said I could also ask there about getting a ride out of the park.
I headed off down the road on my bike. Which again was
odd, if it is illegal to go through the park by bicycle then why was it okay to go down to the hotel? Maybe I am not supposed to understand. Then again, I wasn't that scared. I know most of the really scary creatures only hunt at night. It didn't bother me a bit.When I arrived, it was an amazingly posh place. I asked for food, and they said it would be 6,000 CFA. I nearly fainted. That is about $12, or what I might pay for a really nice hotel room. The night before I had dinner for 50 CFA. (Okay I had a second dinner with the family who took me in, but that was free.) Eventually they said I could have a little rice and sauce for just 2,000 CFA. That is a bit more reasonable. Plus it was pretty good.
I asked at the hotel reception about any trucks leaving for Batia. The manager told me all the trucks were independent and I would have to ask their drivers. I didn't even ask about getting a room. The lowest price marked was 18,000 CFA. Yesh. Tourist trap.
Outside I started talking with some guys sitting around in the shade. I sort of thought they might be drivers. It turns out they were the grounds crew. They did help me find the manager for a Safari company with a truck. I asked if he was going to be going to Batia the next day. He said he might. I also asked if he was going out around the park today. Yes, but his truck had been hired by two girls, so I would need to talk to them.
It turns out they were from Quebec, working here in Benin for a month. They said it would be fine for me to ride along with them. The ride was a lot of fun. A lot like you see in the movies. It was just a regular truck with a couple of seats in the open back. We drove around for a couple of hours, but didn't see much. A lot of gazelle by the road, but not much else. We did stop off at a couple of little ponds with hippos and crocs. That was neat. I frankly wanted to join them. Floating around on a hot day sounded good. Of course I would want to avoid the hippos and the crocs... I did see one elephant, sort of. It was mostly behind a tree. I could see an ear flapping once in a while. Not that exciting. It was fun to go though. I was going to pay the girls for letting me come along, but they said it was their treat.
After that I tried to talk to the head of the safari company and see if I could get a ride. He said they were headed back to Batia in the morning. So I asked if I could come along. Well it turns out his truck had been hired for the weekend by the two girls I was with. That got them involved. Finally they agreed, but I would have to pay the head of the safari company 20,000 CFA (about $40). Again, that was a lot of money for me. I also felt bad, like I was mooching off these two girls. Eventually I decided that it was the best thing to do. I told them I would go along.
Next I had to figure out where I was going to stay. I wanted to stay at the forestry post, but that was 7km away and it was now dark. I really didn't feel like riding that. While pondering that I started talking with this Beninese lady, Eto. It turns out she comes up here frequently to study the lions. How cool is that? I asked here where she was staying, because the hotel was so expensive. It turns out she was going to camp at the forestry post. She did have a car though, but it wasn't going to fit my bike. She did talk with the manager of the hotel and got him to agree, begrudgingly to let me camp there. So that is what I did. Eto even gave me her number in case I got down to Cotonou. Then again, she may still be up hanging out with the lions.
After that I needed some dinner. I wasn't that hungry. Lunch had been pretty filling. I did need something though. I asked the head of the Safari service what he did. He said he brought his own food. He also offered me a mango and so bread. The mango he brought out was huge. I had been used to these tiny mangoes, about fist sized. I guess in Benin they grow them big. Bigger than a softball. Then again I had seen huge ones, dark green and red, growing in trees all over. Maybe it is just their season now? That mango was amazing. So juicy and so much fruit. Awesome. Plus the pit was tiny and had a lot fewer hairs (that get stuck in your teeth) than the little ones. I have to eat more of those. Plus after that, and a bit of bread, I was full.
I still had one other problem, which was that I needed my change from the forestry post. I guess I would figure that one out in the morning.
-Dravis
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