En brousse

'En brousse' is French for in the bush, a term Peace Corps volunteers use to describe posts that are remote and fairly rough in terms of amenities, but it also refers to areas filled with vegetation but not rising to the level of 'jungle.' These are some photos of what 'en brousse' looks like (at least in the greener areas of the country). The girls pictured in the last photo are walking home for lunch from school -- they basically walk on a little path in the bush in their uniforms with their books on their heads to get to and from school. (By the way, they've paused because they're watching Paola, the photographer mentioned below, at work. I'm sure they could not imagine why this random white woman was out in the middle of nowhere taking pictures of plants).

Village scenes

These are pictures of a small village in the hills surrounding Kpalime, one of Togo's bigger cities and the area that attracts the most tourists. I don't recall the name of the village, hence the pretentious 'village scenes' title of this post. But the pictures are pretty representative of what small Togolese villages look like. The leaves in the first photo are drying and will be used to make woven mats for sleeping. The thatched hut in the background is the kitchen.

Prosper and Paola

These are some photos I took while hiking with Prosper, in the first photo, who runs a hotel and guides hikes into the area surrounding his hotel to hunt for butterflies. (By the way, the giant insect on his shirt is a walking stick, which when on a plant is indistinguishable from a branch). During the peak season, you can reportedly see up to 500 kinds of butterflies, although when I went it was low season, so I saw more like 20 types. In the second photo is Paola, who went with me on the tour. She's a professional photographer and all-around character who lives in Addis Ababa but was in the middle of a photography expedition in West Africa.

Kpeta

This is Kpeta, a village on Mont Agou, Togo's highest mountain. I don't know much about it but thought it looked really beautiful in the rain.

Mont Klouto

These are pictures I took from the top of Mont Klouto, one of the highest mountains in Togo, located in the southwest. The first shot is of a castle that used to be a retreat for Togo's former president. The second picture is of Mont Agou, Togo's highest mountain. And the third is of Lake Volta, which is in Ghana.

Vehicle Safety

The picture is a little blurry since I took it from a moving bush taxi but you can still see that there are 4 (or is it 5?) guys hanging out of the trunk of the car in front. I didn't get a picture of the rest of it, but it was crammed to the limit with people as well. Just an example of the surreal things I see everyday here...

Parc Fazao

Parc Fazao is Togo's main national park. The officials in the park office said there is a 1 in 50 chance of seeing elephants, so with those odds I did not end up spotting any, but there was one crocodile and some beautiful scenery.

Gborode

Rebecca (pictured below), who is also posted in Sokode, and I are helping the NGO I work with, ADIFF, set up a women's village-level savings and loan system in the village pictured here, called Gborode. It's perhaps less than 5 kilometers from Sokode (Togo's second-biggest city), but even in that short distance away life is completely different. The small mud-based building pictured is one of the two small school buildings the community built (although they have just started building a larger, sturdier building for the school to replace the smaller ones). Before school starts the kids have to sweep the courtyard and then the stand in a formation as school is about to begin while they raise the Togolese flag and sing the national anthem.

Ghana -- Cape Coast and Elmina

Cape Coast and Elmina are coastal cities famous for their so-called slave forts, which were originally used by various European traders to ship goods from Ghana but later used to house slaves before they were sent to the United States, South America and elsewhere. Cape Coast castle is in the first photo and the second shows the fishing boats along the coast. The last photo is of Elmina castle.

Ghana -- Nzulezo

Near Beyin, pictured below, is Nzulezo, a village that consists of houses on stilts over a lagoon (a lot like Ganvie in Benin, which is also pictured below). The experience was pretty depressing, since the village seems in decline and overly dependent on exploiting tourists, but the pirogue trip to the village through wetlands and over the lagoon was really nice.

Ghana -- Beyin

These are photos of Beyin, a beach resort not far from Cote d'Ivoire. My sister and I discovered this really cute hotel with great views and great food. While we were hanging out, we noticed these kids casting their net into the ocean to fish.