I met Olivia a few years ago, she is originally from Togo, in this article I will do an interview about her trip and she will give us her opinion on Togo.
Opinion on Togo: Olivia’s trip
Hello Olivia, can you introduce yourself to us?
I am 30 years old and I work as a research engineer in biology in the field of cancer research at the Gustave Roussy Institute (Villejuif). I was born in Bordeaux and my parents are originally from Togo.
Tell me a bit about the places you have visited?
I haven’t traveled a lot. I have been to Spain in Granada, to Reunion Island, to the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, London, and twice to Togo and Benin.
Me: I think that’s pretty good 😀
Opinion on Togo: I know you went to Togo, tell us a bit about it?
Togo is my country of origin and I visited it for the first time in June 2007 as soon as I received my first paycheck. I paid for the tickets for my mother and sister and we went for 10 days. There is approximately one flight every two or three days with Air France (ticket price 950 euros round trip).
We landed in Lomé, which is the capital and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The city is very populated and is gradually being built up with more and more buildings.
The official language of Togo is French but Mina is mostly spoken. There are many hotels to stay in (prices from 9000 to 18000 CFA francs per night, 1 French franc = 100 CFA francs). This trip was an opportunity to reunite with my parents’ family, I met my grandparents, uncles and aunts, and cousins for the first time, it was very intense. During my second trip, I was able to visit a bit more.
Opinion on Togo: Have you been to other places besides Lomé?
I crossed Togo from south to north up to the Burkina Faso border and visited the cities of Sokodé, Atakpamé, Aledjo, Anié, Kara, and the Dapaong region. I also took the opportunity to go to Benin to see the cities of Cotonou, Ganvié (the city on the water), and Ouidah (the city of snakes). You can visit the palaces from the time of African kingdoms, the temples dedicated to snakes, and the door of slavery on the Atlantic Ocean coast.
Opinion on Togo: Which place do you recommend we go to?
I would recommend going to Lomé to see the ocean and the palm trees, the craft markets. I would also advise the city of Atakpamé (former capital during the German colonization), it is really worth the detour.
Around Kara, it is possible to visit Togolese tribes, it is somewhat touristy but it helps the local population. My favorite is the village of Aledjo which is my parents’ original village. It is a village nestled on top of a mountain, even in summer the temperature is lower than in the city. You can find a charity home run by French sisters with an extraordinary garden, a very peaceful place, it feels like being at the end of the world. The landscape of Aledjo is very green and it is a landscape with many stones, it is magnificent! You must of course see the Aledjo fault which is a rock in the middle of a road.
What is one thing you can present and advise to our traveler friends who want to discover Togo?
Unlike Benin, Togo is not a very touristy country so to discover interesting places, you need a good guide with a 4×4 because the roads are hardly passable except for the main road that connects the south to the north. Accommodation is not too expensive, hotels cost between 15 and 30 euros per night for a double room. I would also advise travelers to make a detour through Benin, Cotonou (the capital) is 3 hours from Lomé by car but don’t forget to get a visa in France because the border is very crowded and the visa will cost you more on site.
Can you explain what this trip was for you?
This trip was an opportunity to discover a part of French-speaking West Africa and to meet my family. For me, this trip was very emotionally intense but for someone who does not know Africa, Togo is a good destination, less touristy than Senegal and Mali but with similar landscapes.
You can also find a description of 4 African countries.
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