Atakpame to Badou - Day 282

Date: May 27th, 2010
Distance: 89km (Plus an 18km side trip and 3km hike.)
Country: Togo
Song of the Day: Courage - The Tragically Hip

The first then kilometers out of Atakpame wasn't bad. It was mostly down hill. The next ten was awful. Just a march up and over this big mountain. Lots of switchback and no letup. It was also a bright sunny day, which normally would be nice, but it was just making me hot. I was glad I did it in the morning.

The rest of the day after that was better. Lots of up and down, but no major climbs. The scenery was amazing. It really was like riding through jungle. Or more to the point it was riding through areas with great vistas of hills covered in jungle. I could do more days like that. The last bit to Badou also dropped me down quite a bit. It would have been more fun with less potholes though. The taxis and motos here like to play dodge the pot holes. That leaves me playing dodge the pot holes and the crazy drivers.

That actually wasn't the scariest thing of the day either. At one point I was riding along and this black snake jumped out onto the road. It was trying to catch a lizard I saw scampering off. That left me and the snake right next to each other. Fortunately the snake had gotten turned around in its leap out of the bushes. So its tail was to me. In the end I rode away and it slithered back into the bushes. Still, it did stop my heard for a bit.

I did get to Badou in the middle of the afternoon and got checked into a hotel. Not bad, and it only cost 2,500 CFA, or about $5. My deciding factor for coming to Badou as opposed to going to Ghana through Kpalime was the falls at Akloa. When I asked at the hotel they said it was too late. I have a schedule to keep though, so I headed out there anyway.

It was about 9 more kilometers to Akloa. Again, lots of rollers, but not major ascents or descents. Plus I just had my bike. Not carrying 50 pounds of gear makes it easier. Once I got to the village I had to pay the cheif. He didn't explain why, but I guess you don't argue with him. Then I also had to pay a guide. Those two cost me as much as the hotel. It was more than worth it though. First there is a long hike to get to the falls. The hike is through some of that wonderful jungle I had been passing. I got to see cocoa, coffee, and bannans being grown. (Plus a few other local staples, cassava, corn and mangoes.) Then the falls themselves are spectacular. They must be somewhere around 100 feet tall and surrounded by that same dense jungle. It really is like something out of a movie. The best part, you get to swim in the pool at the bottom of the falls. I was looking forward to that all day. Life is good.

From there it was 9 kilometers back to Badou. Of course it was getting dark by that point. I was glad it was a full moon, because the sunlight was completely gone when I got to town. I went back to the hotel (which is also a bar) and I saw a table of westerners. It turns out they were all teaching at a school in Lagos, Nigeria. They also seemed to have taken a bush taxi ride that was much less pleasant than my journey in. One of the guys, Ela, was actually from Nigeria. It was fun to hear his take on Africa and Nigeria specifically. Soon enough it was time for them to go. I also knew I wasn't smellin' to great. So I took a shower and went off to bed.

-Dravis