Birthday in Benin

First birthday in Benin, check. The Beninese certainly do find a way to influence all aspects of your life--even your birthday.

There's a really nice restaurant (remember my standards have changed. I lived in Africa) called Java Promo. Getting there was a blast. Erin and I rode together, and were taken to the wrong place and charged too much. Once we got there, I had 8 shots of a Beninese-made liquor called Sodabe. Very good. Enough said.

Here in Benin, often times, the trip is more interesting than anything you experience at your destination.

Today, TEFL went to visit a village built completely on stilts in the middle of a huge lake. Very nice because it was my first real photo excursion here in Benin.

On the way there, smashed in a Peace Corps vehicle (as always), I was sprawled across a seat sitting in front of 3 current volunteers. I forgot to keep my balance after the van stopped and found my face in the breasts of said volunteer. Yikes.

Ganvie was really beautiful (see photos).

Because it's a village built on stilts, people travel around the village on little wooden boats.

At one point, there was a boy bugging us for money and gifts. The guy steering the boat decided to take the boy's only oar. This boy is only 1o years old by the way. He immediately broke into tears. Other people started yelling at our boat steerers started yelling at ours.

Imagine this: a traffic jam of boats, all the boatsmen yelling at our boatsmen. We're sitting in dirty water--the boat is rocking. Tres scary.

My birthday is fine so far.

Also, warning NOTICE THE ADDRESS CHANGE. ALL PACKAGES SHOULD BE SENT TO THE NEW ADDRESS :)