The middle of nowhere!

The day started well, my friend Julie and I met at reception, we walked off the gangway, we made out of the port when a landrover stopped beside us and offered us a lift to near the place we where headed to, the Benin Embassy. As we started chatting, they told us they were headed to a village to do some evaluation work. They work with the agricultural team and they are following up on projects they did in Togo in 2010. The driver then told us he would take us to the embassy as he is from Benin and he would like to see where his embassy was. We were so grateful for a lift all the way to the embassy, they dropped us off, we said our goodbye's and then Julie and I walk in to the office to be told the lady who deals with the visas was not going to be there until 4pm, the time then was 10 in the morning. As we walk out of the embassy the driver who had given us a lift tells us that won't get the visas and would we like a lift to the main road. We of course said yes. So we got back in the landrover. As we drive, they ask us what we are up to next and we explain we had to go to the craft market to pick a few things up, then no plans after that. They both then say if we want to join them for the day and go an hour away north from Lome. Julie and I look at each other and say yes!!!!!!! (the market can wait!)

So all the plans were changed! It was great to leave Lome and head north, to see new places and see the differences as we leave the city to the fields. As we turn off the main road, the road becomes a dirt red road we pass one village and then nothing for a few kilometres. We turn off this road and go through a smaller village, at this time I am thinking to myself should a car even less a landrover go through here, as there is no clear path for a car!

But then we leave the village and we head into the bush, the path is just a walking path, and thank goodness we have a landrover!! We stop and get out and are met by a farmer who then takes us to his field where him and his dad farm. We walk for about 10 mins (and this is in the middle of nowhere!) he shows us what he is growing and how the teaching he had in 2010 has changed the way he grows his crops!

We sit underneath a tree, next to a stream. It is a beautiful place to sit and discuss the way they are farming and how it has improved their life's by changing it. They both agreed that it was a better way of farming as now they have food to feed their families and to sell, this was great to hear. The family then started to come to see us and they even made us some corn on the cob to eat! Straight from their land! I even got to have a cuddle with one of their children who fell asleep in my arms!

One of the good things about the project was that they taught some farmers so they could go and teach the other people in the village, the project is called food for life, and that is what it meant to be teaching new techniques so they can have food for them and their families for life and be able to live from it too.

After the food and the discussions we head back to the landrover, we drive for a few minutes and stop at another farm. We are not as long at this one as time is going fast and we still have to go and see a King!

Yes it is right I did write King! The last village we had come through has a King and he had been to the ship to see if he could have his eyesight fixed, so we where going back to see the outcome. As we walk through the village all the children look at us and call out "Yovo" (meaning white person). We get directed to where the King is, he is sitting in what looks like the village conference area. It looks like they village men are having a meeting but they let us sit down. The King then starts to explain what had happened at the ship, unfortunately they are unable to do anything about his eyesight, but we get a telephone number so we can call to let them know for definitely if this is true. They make us feel welcome but unfortunately we have to make our way back before it gets dark, they offer us a place to stay the night, but we decline nicely!

We head back through the dirt road and then meet the main road to Lome. We make it in time for dinner and before it got dark! Julie and I thank both for a great day, and I let them know that I would love to do it again!

It was a great to be in the middle of nowhere in Togo and meet the people living there!