LoneTraveller.com Animal Encounters video blog

I could write a small book about the trip but don't have time...you guys are reading the short version.

22 December

I'm a total wreck, it must be the Larium! Emory and his wife have arrived from N.C. to baby-sit my dogs. He always covers my ass when I'm traveling...I manage to back into his new SUV and tear the bumper off....my car suffered the worse damage...he tells me to relax, not to worry about it, and get on with the trip. My mind is going one hundred miles an hour...reviewing my 'things to pack list' knowing I'm going to forget something.

T.C. picked me up for the drive to Orlando International...we chit chat about Africa and the possibilities the trip offers. He wishes me luck and I enter the airport. I'm all hyped up not knowing how the journey will play out. I grab some pizza and sit with two fellow travelers, we talk about our destinations...I depart to Detroit. The flight was fast, everyone in the Detroit airport seemed to be suffering from the flu...I depart to Amsterdam. Again everyone seems to be sick on the flight. I'm pissed thinking I'll have the flu before I get to Benin....off to Paris then Ivory Coast.

I feel like I've been traveling for a week. I've made a commitment to myself that no matter what happens, I'm going to have a good time! I've accomplished every goal I dreamed about as a child except visiting Africa..now it's about to happen. I can't describe the joy, the excitement, the anxiety.

Several months before leaving Fred called wanting to know why I didn't tell him about the trip. He wanted to go. We've shared more adventures than I can recall...I'm thinking about the time we snuck into a chimp cage at Silver Springs and couldn't get out for what seemed like hours..Ellie (the chimp) didn't want us to leave and when we tried, she'd try to escape, go into a temper tantrum, and threaten us with glaring, huge teeth! .....we were terrified but laughing...all we could think about was Ellie escaping and us having to explain why we were in the cage. The good old days.

Fred acknowledges that it's a trip I must take alone....to find out what is drawing me to the continent. He flies down a couple weeks before I leave, with his girlfriend, to tell me to kick ass in Africa.

Rohan, one of my French tutors, tells me to live it for all the people who will never make the trip. She knows of my plans to film and thinks I should share it with the world. I'll try.

23 December

My first step on African soil was in Abidjan...we weren't supposed to leave the plane, just pick-up passengers and fly out...they asked us to leave all carry-on baggage and proceed to the terminal..... soldiers are everywhere and seemed to be watching us very closely. We were detained for about an hour while the soldiers inspected our documents. I was one of three white men in the entire airport. I wandered around and joined a group of young African men who were upset about something...they spoke French but were patient with my questions...I later learned Ivory Coast was in the beginning of a military coup! I couldn't have arrived at a better time. This was just the beginning of my adventures....the airport closed shortly after our plane took off.

Off to Benin....I step off the plane in Cotonou and inhale deeply taking in the scents of this new land. I feel like screaming, yelling and rolling in the dirt...I'm SO HAPPY...30 hours and more than 10,000 miles to reach my dream.

Upon entering the airport I'm besieged by French speaking Beninese taxi drivers vying for my business. I'm overwhelmed and don't understand a word they're saying...I just smile and push them away. A man grabs my backpack and tries to walk off, I grab him and say no! He stands next to me and insists on carrying my bags to customs. I relent wondering how I'm going to tip him without CFA (Benin money). Another man asks if I'm Jack..it's Simon, and I'm glad to see him. He rushes me through customs, introduces me to Ignace and off we go.

They take me to a Chinese restaurant, we pound a few beers and talk about the reptile business. Both Ignace and Simon are exactly as I pictured them. We head to a hotel, get a room, talk for an hour and make plans for the next day. It's nearly midnight and I'm exhausted, having slept only an hour or two in the past 24 hours. Ignace invites me to stay with his family for the rest of the visit. How cool, being able to live with an African family while I explore their country. I accept. Ignace and Simon go home.

24 December

I wake up about 7:00am, look out the window and see a guy urinating on the roadside. People are everywhere...I feel like a kid on Christmas day. Benin is one huge present and I can't wait to open it! I shower and head out the door to wander the streets before Simon arrives. I'm the only white guy in sight but feel very comfortable. A street vendor is selling beans and meat but I don't have CFA money...I'm hungry though. Everyone seems friendly.

Simon picks me up at 10:30am, we buy some French bread, water and beer, then head to Ignaces' house. Cotonou seems like a huge flea market with vendors selling their wares from handmade shacks built from every imaginable material including palm thatch and bamboo. I later learn jobs are scarce and the only way to survive is by selling SOMETHING.

Ignace has a beautiful home and from the looks of things he's in the upper-class of Benin society. I'm introduced to his wife and four children. He escorts me to my bedroom, it's in the rear of the home and offers a great deal of privacy.

His home has no running water, toilets or cooking accommodations. I bathe by drawing water from a well, use an outhouse, and all cooking is done over an open fire or charred wood. Clothes are hand washed.

We head to town and exchange my travelers checks and cash for CFA. Ignace stops to take care of personal business and several art vendors approach the car trying to sell me wood carvings...some was poor quality, some was very nice. I buy a few pieces and we head out. Ignace says we'll visit Ouida and walk the slave route after visiting his snake farm. We never made it to Ouida this day.

I notice each village has voodoo deities at the entrances. We photograph them and Ignace tells me they protect the villages from evil spirits of the night.

His snake farm is located in a remote village down a long dirt road. The local children scream Yovo!, Yovo!, when they see me. Ignace says it means 'white man'. Yovo(sp?) will be a term I'll hear frequently as we travel the country.

There weren't any snakes at the farm, the facility is used to house gravid females and collect the eggs. The eggs are incubated and the babies are shipped around the world for the pet trade.

The local villagers give us some Kola nuts. They give you a caffeine type buzz and reportedly cause mild hallucinations. I chomp a few down..they're bitter but the effect is good. Kola nuts become a daily ritual.....

Locals start to gather, wondering what this Yovo is doing in their village. I get them to sing with me..they all laugh but join in... everyone seems to be so happy and friendly. Although they're poor, they don't seem to have any stress.

We head to the river to make arrangements to visit the stilt villages of Ganvie on the 26th. The guide offers to take us on a quick tour of a remote stilt village rarely visited by tourists. Many villagers get upset that I film...Ignace pays them and they treat me like a king....show me how they make pottery...village elder woman gives me blessings of love when I leave. The village is primitive but the people seem very content. Children scream 'Yovo', some runaway crying when they see me....We head home to prepare for Christmas and spend the night listening to music and dancing.

Constance butchers the chickens that were running around the yard.

Ignace and I drive to Cotonou, around midnight, to do last minute shopping. Cotonou never sleeps.

25 December

Christmas day we celebrate with a feast of chicken and local food and drink African gin (made from palm tree sap). I'm introduced to Christian and he agrees to be my interpreter. He's a Togolese political refuge, has his masters degree, and has his eye on the Presidency of Togo. We spend a lot of time talking politics.

As the day progresses we sing, dance, laugh and feast. Ignace says he's surprised at how humble I am and the way I accept Africa....I have melted into the local population and walk anywhere, anytime, alone. I feel very safe. Merry Christmas...I pass out.

26 December

Off to visit the stilt villages of Ganvie....Ganvie and the surrounding stilt villages were established hundreds of years ago to escape tribal warfare and slave traders. Ignace tells me the people built the villages to escape the Dutch slave traders.

The people of Ganvie seem to be suspicious of Yovo and don’t appreciate having their pictures taken. Uniformed people will tell you it’s because of religious beliefs. That is bullshit! I asked the locals and they said it’s because ‘Yovo’ comes into their villages, disrespects their privacy and profits from the film. I agree.

The children approach me singing, dancing, doing head stands and asking for gifts. Anyway you look at it, Yovo means profit....money for goods, supplies and food. Unfortunately, I spent all my money on Voodoo art. I pay a young girl with a first aid kit for dancing. The villagers seem happy.

I ask our boat captain about West African manatees, he says the locals have eaten most of them but he still sees them on occasion.

Ignace tells me they get baby Nile monitors from this area. The adults are probably eaten by the local population.

27 December

Off to Park Pendjari, it's a 12 hour trip bringing us through the heart of Benin. We stop in Parakou to gas up. The town seems to have a large population of Muslims and is full of beggars, amputees and assorted characters. The amputees work the sympathy emotion in an attempt to get money. I feel bad for them but my budget is tight. Besides, I see other disabled people selling products and working to survive. I'd rather support the working person. A 'blind' Muslim man, lead by a child, walks to the car begging for money and I ignore him. I watch as they leave and see him pointing to other potential suckers. The child again 'leads' the way. The man is hardly blind but is a slick con-man. Hahaha.

We cruise through Natitingou and on to Tanguieta, buy kola nuts, and head to Park Pendjari. At the entrance we meet local children...it’s my first view of starvation....some of the children have extended bellies. I feel bad. What can I do but support their local economy?

We pay the admission fees, hire a guide and start into the park. The landscape is hilly and dry. The park staff, light fires on the roadside to burn down the underbrush so visitors can see the wildlife. The ‘new’ vegetation provides grazing opportunities for the animals, which in turn draws the animals to the roadside for viewing by the tourists.

The guide tells us Benin is opening the park perimeter to hunting of lions and elephants. The country needs the money from permits.

The car only has enough gas to get us back to Tanguieta. We make arrangements to tour the park, in the morning, with some Italian travelers. Their Land Rover doesn't have enough room for us all so Christian offers to stay at the hotel so Ignace and I can tour the park.

We also meet a group of Peace Corp workers...they don't like me photographing them.

28 December

We see crocs, an elephant...hippos...water buffalo, etc. Very cool but I wasn’t there to see wildlife....this trip was about culture......drive back to Natitingou and get a hotel room.

29 December

Off to see the Sombas....We stay with Adolph Biaou owner of hotel Auberge Nekima in Natitingou, Adolph makes arrangements for us to meet a Somba chief and tour his home. We meet the chief on the roadside and drive to his village. Somba people don't normally allow visitors to their homes. They open their home to me only because I am staying with the Biaou, who is also a Somba.

Their homes, known as Somba tatas, are constructed from mud and palm thatch and have one entrance at the ground level. Animals are kept in the 'basement'. We climb a log ladder to the roof where they have tobacco and various vegetable laying in the sun to dry . Around the perimeter are small rooms used for cooking, storing grain and sleeping. The chief allows me to access to any room I want. I film it all. Then he introduces me to his family. We snap a few pictures with the digital camera and let them see the pics via digital display. They laugh.

We move downstairs, head out the door, and I'm introduced to the village grandmother. I try to shake her hand but she says no and explains she's dirty. I laugh and tell her no problem. We hold hands and smile at each other. The chief asks me to STAY with them as long as I want. I accept and tell him I'll return in a year or so to stay for a few weeks. ...we try to arrange a deal for authentic Somba knives, bows, arrows and pipes....but the chief says NO...they would not sell their heritage...I hang-out, we drink homemade beer....a deal is worked...I walk away from Somba country with 3 bows, arrows and quiver sets, a hunting knife, smoking pipe and ax....they are priceless. Ignace and Christian are surprised that I was able to obtain them.

Adolph has us to dinner to celebrate my birthday and the New Year... he takes us to the local waterfalls and Museum of History. I ask the Colonel why the people of Benin treat me so well. He said it's because I opened my heart to them and their culture so they want to share with me.

He went on to say that he's rarely greeted by tourists. Most tourists, he explains, come to Benin, view the sites, and have little interest in the local cultures. They're happy I'm interested in their way of life. Biou turns out to be a wonderful friend. I hope to visit him again.

30 December

Off to Cotonou..we stop to buy vegetables and a goat for the New Years day celebration. We also visit some villagers that hunt snakes and other reptiles for Ignace and Simon. They have collected quite a few animals for a shipment going out after the New Year.

When we arrive at Ignaces', I try to email an update to Jesse but the email won't go through....I can't read the French error messages. Christian tries to help, but sees I'm pissed and goes outside. I'm totally frustrated as I know tons of people are waiting to hear from me. I wish my friends and family could be here, they'd love the adventure.

31 December

New Years eve in Africa....I love it! Everyone is preparing for the celebration.

We take the goat to Ignaces' uncles house to have it butchered. They slit its throat to collect the blood, the goat dies very slowly while we drink African gin and beer. The hair is burned off, the goat butchered and we're on our way.

New Years eve is interesting in Benin. The families gather together at 11:00pm, read the bible, and discuss problems within the family unit. Resolve the problems and determine what they're going to do to make the New Year better, happier, and more productive. They allow me to film what I think is the most intimate family gathering I have ever witnessed. They are open and honest amongst each other...it was very touching and personal in nature. The footage, in my humble opinion, is to personal to share with the world. It's one of those moments, I feel, that outsiders should not be allowed to see. At midnight we prayed.

About 10 minutes after midnight we went outside with the children. The kids lit sparklers, throwing them in the air and laughing....Ignace told me to relax, "the party will start soon, you'll see". About 30 minutes later people started gathering in Ignaces' yard and the party began. Once again, we sang, danced, laughed and celebrated all night. I crashed at 4:00am but the rest of the crowd headed down the street. I had a blast!

1 January

Happy birthday Colleen, I love you.

Everyone is hung-over today. Constance, Ignaces' wife, has been cooking dinner since I woke up. I don't think she slept. Simon and Christian join us for dinner. The goat was great, dinner was great, the drinks and company were great. Happy birthday to myself.

I call Tim and Colleen to let them know everything is good.

Christian invites me to talk with the University students as a representative of the U.S. I'm honored but don't accept...I had no plans to get involved in politics...I don't have the time.

We spend the rest of the day relaxing.

2 January

Simon and Christian take me to Ouida to walk the slave trail. We're joined by Nicholas, Ignaces' relative.

Nicholas lives with Ignace, helping around the home while he waits for a VISA to Italy. He can't find employment in Benin. Nicholas seems to be responsible for my well-being. He washes my cloths, fetches water for my bucket baths and tries to follow me when I leave Ignaces' property.

While we don't speak the same language, we communicate just fine and find ourselves joking all the time. It turns out to be one of those unspoken friendships that breaks all language barriers. I try to teach him English, he tries to teach me French. I feel comfortable with Nicholas at my side. It's hard to explain...it's kind of like he watches my back and keeps me out of trouble. Christian and Simon do the same.

Nothing could prepare me for this day!

Ouida is a small coastal town in Benin famous for its slave trading activity. The short story is: The King of Dahomey would raid neighboring villages and capture people to sell into slavery. The captives were held in Ouida under deplorable conditions. Half would die before the slave ships arrived. Of the ones that made it to the slave ships, half of them would die before arriving in the Americas.

Christian guides us to the slave trail. He was here just a few months ago with the production company Black Side, to film a segment on African slavery. I tell Simon to stop the car, I want to walk the trail. I want to film it for my friends and all the people that can't come here. I want to feel the emotions of walking the same route that more than one million human beings walked only a century ago, into a life of slavery.

It's hot, I'm sweating...we stop at the various monuments erected by Beninese artists in memory of the slaves. I film a voodoo deity and a local woman starts screaming and yelling at us. Christian tells her I didn't photograph it. We move on....

We reach the Tree of Return. Reportedly, the slaves circled this tree three times to ensure their soul would return to Benin after death. We met a man who asked if we'd like to walk the 'real' trail. We said yes and headed down a narrow path to an enclosed slave memorial. He explains the significance of the memorial and lead us to several others. Christian comments that Black Side productions didn't even film the true slave trail. He's shocked but happy that we are on the right trail.

Eventually, we arrive at the trail leading to the beach and the Point of No Return Memorial. Simon and Christian decide to drive the car to the beach while Nicholas and I walk the trail. I turn on the camera to film my reaction to this trek. Up until now I found the trail interesting but not the feeling I was expecting.

We started walking past the lagoons and down the trail. Everything was quiet, I could here the birds singing and the sound of my foot steps. I began to think about the friends I'd met in Benin. The Colonel, Ignace, Simon and their families, Christian, Nicholas and the Somba people. The villagers of Ganvie. My family, my brothers and sisters, father and mother. All the friends who'd stood by me through the tough times. The women of my life, my lovers, my friends.

I thought about how lucky we were not to be living in the slave trade days. Would Ignace, Simon and I be slaver traders instead of reptile traders? Would the Dahomey Kingdom have captured one of my loved ones? What would I have done? It could have been you, or I, or one of our loved ones.

This trek becomes a reckoning, a time for me to face all the evils of humanity, all the horrible things we do to each other without thought or consequence.

I can hardly talk into the camera. I glance at Nicholas, he knows I'm feeling it, he knows I'm feeling the pain of his ancestors. He tries to smile but looks away. The hike seems to last for hours. We walk in silence through the Point of No Return and onto the beach. Nicholas and I are both silent. The waves crash onto the shoreline....I feel like I just walked through hell.

We meet Simon and Christian at the memorial and leave for lunch. We follow the coast back to Cotonou stopping for lunch along the way. Christian admires our waitress and asks her for a date. She accepts and we kid with Christian back at the car. He says he wants to marry her. Uh huh.

I notice the beaches are starting to fill with locals and tourists alike. It seems the beaches don't come to life until later in the afternoon.

Benin's beaches are beautiful. Lined with palm trees and deserted for the most part. I can't help but think Benin is an undiscovered tourist location. Ignace and I will have many conversations concerning the idea of bringing American tourists to Benin. Allow them to discover what I've found. It's paradise for the adventure bound. We plan to bring organized tours to the country.

As we're driving through Cotonou, Simon pulls off the road announcing we're at the High Voodoo Priests' home. I grab my video camera and we head to the door.

A young man allows us in and Simon begins speaking in an African language I don't understand. Eventually, another man comes out and introduces himself...Christian tells me he's the High Priest of Voodoo. Christian explain to the man that I'm looking for a particular voodoo fetish that offers protection. You can't buy true voodoo art unless the priest believes you're sincere in your request for protection. Unbeknownst to me, the priest offers to perform a voodoo ceremony to give me the power of protection from the evil spirits and says I can pick up the deities the following day.

The priest performs a small ceremony in his home alter, introduces me to his father, the former high priest, and invites us to a ceremony he's about to perform outside of Cotonou. We accept, pile into the car and head off to film a true, secret voodoo society ceremony. Way cool!

The ceremony is performed in an outdoor covered pavilion. The priest informs his congregation of my intentions to film and my request to seek the powers of protection. The congregation is mainly women and children, with the men playing drums. I notice the drum sticks are made from animal penis's.

The ceremony last for about two hours. Everyone takes turns dancing. As the drum beat increases two women eventually fall into a trance like state, reminding me of Christians as they become 'full of the spirit'....The truth is, I didn't find anything bizarre about the ceremony. It was typical, not unlike any of the other religious ceremonies I'd witnessed in my life. Certainly unlike Hollywood producers would have you believe. I felt comfortable.

The priest ends the ceremony by telling the congregation to use the spirits for good intentions.

We’re tired from Ouida and the voodoo ceremony....head back to Ignaces’ house and relax for the night. It’s at this time Christian explains that the ceremony was offered for my protection.

3 January

Simon, Christian, Nicholas and I drive to Abomey to visit the Royal Palace of the King of Dahomey in an attempt to interview the King about his views on African Americans and slavery. To my knowledge, nobody has ever publicly interviewed the King about his views on slavery and/or African Americans. We arrive unannounced, with no expectations....it’s an adventure for all of us.

Before I traveled to Benin several people told me:

1. I’d never get an interview with the King.

2. If I did get an interview, not to ask about slavery because it was a touchy subject.

My thought? Give me a break! If I’m going to travel all the way to Abomey and get the opportunity to meet the King...you can bet your ass I’m going to ask about slavery. The Dahomey kings were the most powerful slave traders in Africa. I saw Henry L. Gates Jr. meet the King on a PBS presentation about Africa. He, in my opinion, acted scared and didn’t take the opportunity to ask the King anything. He blew a perfect opportunity, as an African American, to ask the King for his views on slavery. I thought Gates acted like a frightened child.

We toured the palace as our guide made arrangements for us to meet the King. We were told the King would arrive at 11:00am for the interview. I was freaking out...I mean, you just don’t go to Abomey and get to interview the King. Particularly an average American guy with no political ties....the King wouldn’t benefit, in anyway, by meeting me.

To make a long story short, the King didn’t arrive until 4:00pm....it was an afternoon of cat and mouse, trying to find the King. We ate a lunch of bush rat and rice...and made one last attempt to get the interview. We ended up going to his house for the forth or fifth time asking when he’ll be at the palace. Finally, the King and his entourage climbed into a vehicle and drove to the palace.

Our guide introduced us....the King seemed nervous, particularly when my interpreter told him I had some tough questions.

I spoke through Christian, my interpreter, asking the King how he came to power, what authority made him King, if he felt responsible for his forefathers slave trade, what message did he have for African Americans, what was he was doing to bring the people of Save’ together with the Dahomey kingdom?......the interview went perfect! I treated the King of Dahomey with my full respect. We ended up laughing and joking...he answered all my questions...said we’d meet again...we exchanged phone numbers, I filmed it all...and smiled all the way back to Ignaces’ house.

I still can’t believe I interviewed the King of Dahomey. I’ll publish the entire interview here when I have an extra moment.

4-5-6-7 January

Coming soon.