Djoubou to Bassila - Day 267

Date: May 12th, 2010
Distance: 88km
Country: Benin

More hills and headwind. The morning was actually pleasant though. A big thunderstorm had rolled over the night before. It left behind lots of cloud cover. It was almost cool for the first 25 kilometers or so. I also had another one of those big mangoes for my mid-morning snack. Those things are amazing. So juicy. Not like the little ones with all the hairs that get stuck in your teeth. Just great eating.

By noon the clouds had pretty well burned off. So I was riding in the heat and the sun. Not all that pleasant. That heat just really takes it out of me. Plus it was up and down a lot. The area around here really is quite green. It is also the beginning of the rainy season. So I can roll down the road as farmers are working their fields. It is all done by hand though. I don't want to say western farming methods are the best, but hand dug furrows just don't look efficient to me.

I did make it to Bassila and met up with Melissa, a volunteer there. All the Benin PCVs I met up in Senegal seemed to be in some kind of training. Melissa was nice enough to take me in sight unseen. Actually we had a good time chatting about all kinds of stuff. She mentioned that the volunteer community is a bit insular. Getting to talk with an outsider is a good change of pace.

She is also heading home in August. That was something else we had in common. I enjoyed talking about things to do/eat when I get home. Speaking of eating, she also took me out to here favorite restaurant. The food was really good. I had rice with bush meat (I am not sure what kind). She had rice with that local cheese I have been eating. I guess it is named Wagasi. Melissa also said it can't be made in the U.S. because it requires some crazy local plant. So if you are here in Benin, try it.

-Dravis