To get to Lomé from Accra one can take a comfortable bus with the STC company, but they only run on certain days and I was to travel on an off day. I did not relish traveling by tro-tro, crammed in a hot minivan with countless others, so I decided to travel by shared taxi. I caught a regular taxi from my hostel to Tudu Station, which isn’t so much a station as it is a collection of cars, vans, and vendors all loudly vying for one’s attention.
The deal with a shared taxi, as with a tro-tro, is that the vehicle leaves when it is full. Fortunately I didn’t have to wait long. And I got the front seat. The 3.5 hour drive to the border was about $10 cdn and quite comfortable.
The border experience was fine. I went to 4 checks, 2 on each side. (I had applied for and received my visa whilst still in Canada.) The guards were friendly. One flirted, another insisted on taking my picture as I crossed out of Ghana. Whenever I started to go the wrong way someone kindly ushered me in the right direction.
And just like that, I was in Togo. Immediately different from Ghana in that it is a French speaking country and suddenly baguettes are for sale from baskets atop women’s heads (along with everything else.)
On the other side of the border I needed a taxi. Before I even had time to haggle, a man and his wife found me a driver they knew, made sure he knew where my hotel was, and got me a good price. But even had they not assisted, getting a taxi would not have been a problem. They were right there.
My hotel, Residence Hoteliere Oceane, was an odd pseudo-French countryside castle design with African art. I had a two level suite (quite unnecessary, really) and a little seating area overlooking the courtyard, which also had seating. Smoking was allowed, which meant that I finished each of my three nights there enjoying a cigar in the bar.
I really liked Lomé. I hadn’t expected to, as nothing I read about it ahead of time suggested it was anything other than a place to pass through. Staying in the centre was a good choice. I could walk to almost everything I wanted to see, as well as to the market for anything I could want to buy.
Compared to Accra, Lomé felt chill and pleasant. I wandered around the market and generally walked the streets. No one hassled me. I never for a moment felt unsafe. Everyone was simply friendly; greeting me with Bonjours and Bienvenues.
The market (Le Grande Marché) was fantastic. Crowded and busy, but not stressful. Everything you can conceive of is sold there. I would have liked to have gotten better photos, but people in Lomé really don’t like having photos taken – even if not of them, but just of their merchandise – and will sometimes say no. I still managed to get a few.
In the midst of the market is a striking red and white church outside of which I met a guy who offered and I accepted to hire him to take me on a day trip the following day. Serendipity.
The streets of Lomé are shabby and bustling, but they are also often tree-lined and the traffic is not crazy, which made it nice for walking. I took pictures of the few bigger buildings with interesting architecture.
I visited the artisans market where I resisted the urge to buy more than a few trinkets, but it was great for a browse.
I headed towards the independence monument, marking Togo’s liberation from France. At this point I was sweating and red-faced from the heat, so I walked purposefully towards a shiny, tall hotel where I basked in the AC for a little while.
I walked towards the Royal Palace. I had read online that it had been refurbished as a gallery / art centre in the midst of beautiful gardens stretching to the sea. The pictures look stunning, but when I arrived I was told that the opening had been delayed for one week. So I saw only pictures, but if you are planning to visit Lomé, it is a must visit.
I should say, there is a beach all along the city, but I did not visit, though glimpses were in abundance.
There are few restaurants in the centre, at least that is my observation; and I had trouble finding vegetarian street food, so my dinners tended to be baguette and fruit from the market and Camembert and yogurt from the supermarket.
That was sort of my first day and a half in Lomé. I did also visit the Fetish Market on day two but I will make a separate post about that.
love all of it