To go to Kpalimé

As an American, I could only get a 7-day visa for Togo.  

There is a possibility of extending your visa at the embassy, once you arrive, but when expensive, big ‘ticket’ items are involved, like plane tickets, you don’t want to run the risk not getting approved before making your travel plans.

Bonus info:  There is a direct flight from Togo to Newark! (How cool is that?!) But it only leaves every other day.  So, while I had a 7 day visa to Togo I was only able to stay for 6.

You can read about my Lomé time here.

Kpalimé, Togo.

This blog is about when I headed to Kpalimé for cooler weather, hikes, and great views. 

Once there, I hired a motor taxi and went on an adventure near Ghana.

Vroom vroom

I went on a solo butterfly excursion. It was hard to get any pictures ‘cause they were tiny; the size of moths. But I did manage to capture some wildlife in the form of ants.

And found a nice restaurant, where I got to try the famous West African fou-fou.      

The fanciest spot I could find.

A no thank fou-fou taste.

The next day, I took a motorbike to Mt. Agou — 2,234 ft. (986 meters)– which is the highest point in Togo and in the Atakora mountains.  I was going to hike it instead of bike it, but the views from the top were too foggy and not worth the extra time.

Refreshing.

Really mist out on a good view.

The next day, I took yet another moto taxi to see a waterfall.

Chasing waterfalls on dirt roads.

And even though all of my friends (and me) make fun of the bad camera I have on my phone, my guide loved it — he was very impressed.  It’s all relative…and nice to get some perspective.

Photoshoot!

My guide suggested that I go swimming at the above falls but I told him (in subpar French) “I am scared of crocodiles”.  But ended up just imitating a croc with my hands and pretending to attack.  He assured me that there weren’t any here, but I knew that there ARE crocs in Togo.  Eventually, after much insisting, I did go in…it was hard to resist.  I kept all of my clothes on because, unrelated to crocodiles, this is still a conservative country. 

I tried not to get any water in my mouth, least the water make me sick.  Strange how I was afraid to get water in my mouth but apparently I deemed my crotch safe.  I kept laughing to myself, these were the pants I was going to wear, sans washing, onto an international airplane. 

On the way back to town, we stopped for my first ever taste of fresh cacao. It was SO good.

Probably my favorite fruit.

Back in town, I went walking and stumbled upon another market. Again, I noticed that the variety of street food in Togo FAR surpasses that of Djibouti. And don’t even get me started on the smells. 

Variety is the spice of life, after all.

FOOD WITH FIRE

My favorite item to get at the market is pictured above: fried yummy things (as seen in the pan). They were hot and fresh, but I never did find out what they actually were.

Every time I ate, I took a picture. That way, in case I got sick, I’d remember everything I had eaten that day.

Here, I ate some eggs.

Coca-Cola in a glass bottle with a side of inspiring woman.

I also met some Couchsurfing friends in Kpalimé who I hung out with for a few hours, during which time they helped me practice walking with a book on my head.  As long as I walked as slowly as a snail I could handle one, single book. 

Some other Kpalimé moments:
There are no donkeys in Togo!  I showed off our donkeys pics.
The goats in this country are noticeable shorter. For real.
There was a medium sized crocodile (recently killed) for sale on the side of the road. Actually, there was lots of food that I’d never seen before for sale.
Not enough (hardly any) girl moto taxi drivers.
In the taxi-car from Lomé, we drove 4 in the front seat and 6 in the back. 

After three FULL days in Kpalimé, I took public transportation back to Lomé.

Ça va?
‘mi