Togo > Farewell to Lomé

Togo - The colorful weekly market in the coastal town of Aneho

The last day has arrived, before we fly home again tomorrow. At 9:30 a.m., we board the bus that takes us from Grand Popo in Benin back to the capital of Togo, Lomé. The distance is hardly a hundred kilometers, and we arrive at the border post within an hour. On both sides, many stalls line the road for waiting passersby. Anani takes all the passports for customs, and we drive in the bus to a small parking area between the border posts. Although the entire border area looks messy and somewhat chaotic, Anani returns fairly quickly, and after just over half an hour, we are back in Togo. It is one hour earlier in Togo, so it is actually 9:30 a.m. again. In the coastal town of Aného, Anani tells us that his parents lived here and that his family has royal blood. We visit the local weekly market in Aného. At the end of the busy and lively market stands a statue of one of the former Lawson kings. At a small café, we have a cola before continuing to Lomé. Traffic is heavy on the main road through the industrial area east of the city.

Togo - A truck stopped in the middle of the street in Lome

The vehicles move slowly. The city of Lomé is hazy due to heavy smog. We drive through the suburbs to the hotel where we stayed on the first night. Along a dirt road in the suburbs, next to a disused railway embankment, the poverty in Lomé is clearly visible. Piles of garbage cover the tracks, goats search for edible scraps, and people try to sell goods from their stalls. We turn into a side street, and at the end, by the lagoon, lies the Napoleon Lagoon Hotel. The rooms are already available, and I quickly jump into the shower. After lunch, we walk through Lomé. We are too far from the city center, so we cross the bridge over the lagoon and walk along the main road. Tourists probably don’t come here very often. In a small music shop, we listen to African music and buy a few CDs. At a small café, we order a beer. Back at the hotel, I repack my luggage for the return flight. We end the last evening with a good dinner and two bottles of wine. At nine o’clock, I go to bed and set my alarm for 11:30 p.m., just to lie down for a couple of hours.