Holiday Travels

I love traveling. This year for the holiday break I decided to visit Benin again, only this time as a tourist in the North of the country. I never made it there while I lived there from 2002-2004. Every time I tried to travel in Benin I would get a 104 degree fever, call the Peace Corps doctor, and follow his orders to come to his office immediately. This time around, there were no fevers, no doctors, and no worries. 

I had a lovely time meeting new friends and observing the tourist scene. The biggest attraction in the area is the game park, promoted in Benin as the "best game park in West Africa." After a full day of driving around the park I concluded that the lack of animals was disappointing, especially compared to parks in East Africa. However, I found watching the humans to be even more interesting. I liked seeing the tourists cruising around in their 4x4 vehicles, decked out in their safari outfits. 

I reveled in the rivalry between the guides. The highlight was when one vehicle sped past us, covered us in dust (we were in the back of an old pick-up truck), and then later while gazing at the empty watering hole, bragged about seeing three elephants moments before we arrived. Our guide, Francois, looked at the ground and turned to his vehicle. Life is not easy for guides in Park Penjari, where competition for glimpses of elephants, lions, and hippos is fierce. I was proud of Francois for taking the high road and maintaining his professionalism. Back in car, our team was less polite, calling the other guides liars, jerks, and cheats. 

The low point of the day came when our guide stopped at a field station building and told us that there were some cool statues of animals in the back. We declined the offer and bitterly complained that if we didn't see the big animals soon, there would be hell to pay! By the end of the day, we had seen all the animals, except lions. We saw crocodiles, baboons, monkeys, antelopes, gazelles, deer, many birds, elephants and last but not least, hippos. Although the animals were far away, hiding behind trees, and smaller than we imagined them to be, we drove back Nattitangou in high spirits. Our guide did right and we saw the best the park had to offer that day.... 

Back at the hotel, the tourists bragged about their victories and complained about the lack of organization of the park and country in general. The driver of an oversized SUV grumbled that he wasn't able to hunt this expedition, while the others nodded and wished him better luck next time. The attitude of many of the tourists reminded me of colonial times. The safari vests only reinforced the image. In the end, I felt happy to know that I am NOT like most of the tourists we encountered. One day in the park was enough for me!