Une Petite Vacance à Kpalimé

After IST, Katy Todd (a fellow Savaner) and I were itching for a break. We itched for it probably because of a swarm of mosquitoes in Pagala. Ha! I know, I know. Bad joke. But honestly, I have enough self-control to resist the temptation to scratch a few mosquito bites. If, however, my body becomes an open bar for all mosquitoes resulting in more than 15 bites…I deem it as grounds for BLACK SWANNING. Black Swanning?? This action occurs when a person—one who has lost all self-control—scratches the bite until the bite becomes an open wound, i.e., until it bleeds. Moments like those I become quite the hypocrite for having previously slapped the hands of other Volunteers who did their own Black Swanning. My take on it: More than ten bites at one time warrants the action.

Katy and I left Atakpamé the Sunday after IST. What should have been a 45-minute taxi ride to Kpalimé was unfortunately a three-hour ride to Kpalimé. The road—or more so the rocky dirt path—we traveled on was by far the worst I’ve experienced in Togo. And once we finally reached a flat surface that resembled a paved road just shy of Kpalimé, I barely sat still with so much excitement. The cherry on the ice cream was the moment I bonded with an older gentleman—one I was actually sitting on because there were so many people crammed in the taxi. Moments before Kpalimé, the vieux lifted his right hand, extended his index finger, swiped it on my arm and showed me the dirt that once plastered my skin from the voyage. He then said with a smile, “You’re dirty.” Haha! Shall I reciprocate dear sir?

It took us approximately an hour to find a hotel room. Who knew we needed to make a hotel reservation in Togo?! (Note: Lomé and Kpalimé are probably the only two cities where it makes sense to make a reservation. Unfortunately, we missed that memo.) We stayed at Hotel Cristal for 15,000fcfa per night, which included air-conditioning, hot showers and a TV. Whoa. Living the big life!

After I showered my first hot shower in five months, I was on cloud nine. It was undoubtedly the first time I felt clean in Togo. And after my allergies flared up in Pagala, the STEAM certainly cleared those sinuses.

Among the few activities Katy and I planned for our petite vacance, the first plan of action was to dine at the Belgian restaurant called Bon Vivant. The restaurant was talked up by other Volunteers like tour guides did of the Empire State Building in NYC, so of course we had to go! Oh mon dieu. It was divine. We ordered a burger and a bottle of CHILLED red wine to toast to our three-month anniversary at post. My friends, I can’t even begin to describe the magnificence of our dining experience.

The following morning we attempted to hang-glide in small village near Kpalimé, but alas, time was an issue. We didn’t have it.

On the contrary, we had time to shop! We also took motos to the top of a mountain for some fresh air to see waterfalls and the remarkable view.

Bottom photo: I bought a couple paintings in a small village on top of a mountain and the artist said only natural materials are used. (See photo.)

Overall, it was a lovely break from Training and Dapaong. At the same time, both Katy and I couldn’t wait to get back home. Traveling in the U.S. is exhausting, but traveling in Togo…there are no words.

I think Lonely Planet wrote it best:

“…getting around without your own transport requires the patience of a saint and the determination of a fighter.”

Yeah… K