An Underground Adventure - Abomey and Bohicon (part 2)
Abomey and Bohicon, Benin (part 2)
The second day of our weekend trip was on solid ground. The main attraction was a UNESCO world heritage site, which consisted of some of the palaces of the kings of Dahomey. History of the Kingdom of Dahomey
The Kingdom of Dahomey lasted roughly 300 years, with colonization by the French happening around 1900. Dahomey was a major player in the West African slave trade up until the mid-1800s, when the British navy formed a blockade to end it. Throughout those years before the end of the slave trade, Dahomey was a formidable and fearsome force to reckon with. Their warriors were ruthless, if they weren't it might mean their own death or being captured and forced into slavery.
We
were unable to take pictures during almost all of the tour, so I've
found a couple resources for you to scan through or watch.
One of the tasks for the archaeologists to accomplish during their month-long stay in Abomey was to construct a transform a small building within the palace compound into a mini-museum, that shows the history of the area. One of the archaeologists, Nicolai, is also a skilled carpenter, so he was tasked with getting the museum up and running.
Klavs and Nicolai outside the mini-museum.
We also learned about the women warriors of Dahomey, fearsome fighters and perhaps privileged wives of the kings.
Ha! Here I am at the guest house we stayed at with a bas relief of a woman warrior.
These men are descendents of the royal artisans that served the kings of Dahomey. They had set up there wares along with applique and weaving artisans in the open market just outside of the royal palaces.
I also want to tell you about the guest house we stayed at in Abomey. Fortunately for us, there were rooms available in the same area as the archaeologists. Chez Monique didn't have running water (can you say bucket shower?), air conditioners that worked (but the ceiling fan did), or a mosquito net (it's not the rainy season right now anyway), but it was a beautiful setting, really. And it cost us only $18!
The rooms surrounded this beautiful, green courtyard. (CJ)
Outside all of the rooms were painting, carvings or bas reliefs. Some had these incredibly carved and large chairs. They weren't very comfortable, though.
We're not sure what the bas relief on the wall behind us means. Sort of reminds me of The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, by Nancy Farmer. (CJ)
Last, but not least, I want to share some more photographs that Craig took in the main courtyard of Chez Monique. As we walked through it, we came upon some incredible, one-of-a-kind carvings and masks. Most were very old and weathered, with a few newer ones scattered around. We didn't have (take?) the time to peruse the shop where some items were sold, but if we have a chance to go back to Abomey, we'll definitely stop in and buy something.
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Our journey back to Cotonou on Sunday was much less eventful than on Saturday. We stopped in various villages to purchase items, including oranges, peanut butter, and even gasoline from the side of the road!
You can't see it from the picture, but the woman was quite pregnant. I don't think anyone had ever taken a picture of her pouring gasoline before!
Why Trekking in Nepal Nepal?, a land of high hills, mountains, raging rivers and verdant deep jungles of Terai & its rich lifestyle makes one of the most sought locations inside the map of the world. a destination for all season as it's miles one of the most numerous and varied international locations on this planet a unique us of a nestled inside the excellent snow capped variety is some other advent of the mom earth and it embraces worlds' 8 highest peaks from mt.everest, mt.kanchenjonga, mt.lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu to Annapurna massive. nepal is likewise the beginning location of Buddha (light of Asia). The Buna Treks is Local Base Under Nepal Government Trekking Agency in Nepal. blessed with wealthy nature, the brilliant Himalayan in Nepal range stretches from the far north-west to the way east where the worlds highest 8th eight-thousanders are in Nepal. nepal gives a enthralling adventure with enough time to wonder the encompassing beautiful landscapes and immerse with its warm human beings, imparting you full of range and enchantment from the low lands of Gangetic plains and its verdant dense jungle where the endangered species of Royal Bengal tigers and the one-horned rhinoceros roam, to the mythical yak and yeti trail to Everest.as the adventure and leisure tourism was hooked up in view that late 1960 and 70’s quality travel & trekking enterprise have mushroomed by using a tourism professionals Nepalese, and were leading countless of adventure trips in the course of Himalaya consisting of rafting, mountain climbing also organize adventure trekking, and entertainment trips which includes tailor-made itineraries for own family, college companies and company executives. Many of Trekking Company in Nepal are not perfect trip dealing, they have not enough Experienced. Trekking in Nepal, Nepal is domestic to community of trails also known as the amazing Himalaya trails, an extensive trail gadget that covers Nepal from humble and Darchula within the west to Kanchenjunga in the east. the range of Trekking in Nepal cannot be located in any other location of the world. in fact, the lowest factor in Nepal is fifty-nine m above sea-level inside the terai location even as the very best point is Everest, eight,848 m above sea-level, the two factors are, in a direct line, most effective two hundred kilometers aside. the majority of visitors to Nepal are available through the Tribhuvan international airport in Kathmandu. it's far in Kathmandu that trekkers want to accumulate their permits and other documentation, both from a trekking agent or from the best places of work. those files will be checked along the hiking route. for people with little time to spend in Nepal, there are half of-day hikes from Kathmandu to witness breathtaking Himalayan Trekking in Nepal perspectives in any other case trek for weeks over stunning tough mountain passes. as much as the mid-1960s just a few trekkers had generally visited Nepal and lower back then as part of corporations of excursion fans. the various huge expeditions of the day recommended trekkers to join up in an try to help balance the investment.
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Why Trekking in Nepal Nepal?, a land of high hills, mountains, raging rivers and verdant deep jungles of Terai & its rich lifestyle makes one of the most sought locations inside the map of the world. a destination for all season as it's miles one of the most numerous and varied international locations on this planet a unique us of a nestled inside the excellent snow capped variety is some other advent of the mom earth and it embraces worlds' 8 highest peaks from mt.everest, mt.kanchenjonga, mt.lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu to Annapurna massive. nepal is likewise the beginning location of Buddha (light of Asia). The Buna Treks is Local Base Under Nepal Government Trekking Agency in Nepal. blessed with wealthy nature, the brilliant Himalayan in Nepal range stretches from the far north-west to the way east where the worlds highest 8th eight-thousanders are in Nepal. nepal gives a enthralling adventure with enough time to wonder the encompassing beautiful landscapes and immerse with its warm human beings, imparting you full of range and enchantment from the low lands of Gangetic plains and its verdant dense jungle where the endangered species of Royal Bengal tigers and the one-horned rhinoceros roam, to the mythical yak and yeti trail to Everest.as the adventure and leisure tourism was hooked up in view that late 1960 and 70’s quality travel & trekking enterprise have mushroomed by using a tourism professionals Nepalese, and were leading countless of adventure trips in the course of Himalaya consisting of rafting, mountain climbing also organize adventure trekking, and entertainment trips which includes tailor-made itineraries for own family, college companies and company executives. Many of Trekking Company in Nepal are not perfect trip dealing, they have not enough Experienced. Trekking in Nepal, Nepal is domestic to community of trails also known as the amazing Himalaya trails, an extensive trail gadget that covers Nepal from humble and Darchula within the west to Kanchenjunga in the east. the range of Trekking in Nepal cannot be located in any other location of the world. in fact, the lowest factor in Nepal is fifty-nine m above sea-level inside the terai location even as the very best point is Everest, eight,848 m above sea-level, the two factors are, in a direct line, most effective two hundred kilometers aside. the majority of visitors to Nepal are available through the Tribhuvan international airport in Kathmandu. it's far in Kathmandu that trekkers want to accumulate their permits and other documentation, both from a trekking agent or from the best places of work. those files will be checked along the hiking route. for people with little time to spend in Nepal, there are half of-day hikes from Kathmandu to witness breathtaking Himalayan Trekking in Nepal perspectives in any other case trek for weeks over stunning tough mountain passes. as much as the mid-1960s just a few trekkers had generally visited Nepal and lower back then as part of corporations of excursion fans. the various huge expeditions of the day recommended trekkers to join up in an try to help balance the investment.
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