Neighboring Niger

At the end of May we finally got a chance to take our first vacation OUTSIDE of Benin- to the neighboring country of Niger. It was fantastic!

We first traveled to the Northern part of Benin, where we met up with our friends Ryan and Kimberly (the other married couple that arrived when we did). They live near a larger town called Kandi, but their town is called Gogounou. After spending a night at their house we then went to the Northern most town in Benin and on the border of Niger, Malanville. Here we spent the night with another volunteer so that we could cross the border as early as possible and catch the bus to Niamey, the capital of Niger.

Even though we crossed the border (which involves a trek across the mighty river Niger) as early as possible, we somehow still managed to miss the bus to Niamey (though we aren't convinced that there really was one on that day). So, we got to cozy up with 25 of our best friends in a 19- passenger van for a 7+ hour ride. Did we mention that none of us speak the local language in Niger, nor do many Nigerians speak French! It made for quite an adventurous day, but we were relieved to finally arrive in Niamey.

Miranna and Ryan loading up for a cozy 7 hour "bus ride" from the border of Niger to Niamey.

As soon as we crossed the border into Niger, it was amazing how much the landscape changed. It was much drier, browner, and it was also evident that the people there are much poorer. The Muslim influence was also much more pronounced. However, Niamey is the complete opposite of Cotonou: the streets were quite and organized, there were taxis everywhere, instead of motos, and there weren't people always calling us "yovo." It was a very pleasant capital city to visit! However, it was HOT!!! Riding in a taxi with the windows down felt as if you had a hot hairdryer blowing on your face. Yes, it was hotter than Benin and we promised ourselves to never complain about the heat where we live again!

Our first night in Niamey was actually our 2nd Anniversary so we treated ourselves to a nice Italian restaurant. Niamey has some fantastic and diverse selections of restaurants so we had good eats all week- plus real ice cream! We did also try the local fare: pounded couscous and guinea-fowl meat mixed with bean, greens and sauce. It was yummy! A cold "Biere Niger" also couldn't be beat on those hot days!

Trying the local brew while overlooking the Niger River.

Our main purpose of going to Niger was to visit the last remaining herd of wild giraffes in West Africa. They are located in a village about an hour outside of Niamey, so we took a day trip to see them. Once your guide spots a heard, you follow them around for a couple of hours and can take as many pictures as you want. It was really amazing to be as close as we were to them and see the giraffes in their natural habitat. You can read more about them here: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/giraffe.html




The other highlight of the trip was riding, though ever so briefly, a camel. We never see camels in Benin, but they are abundant in Niger, so it was a must-do (especially for Charlie- he wouldn't leave Niger until he had ridden one).

Other than that we visited the Grand Mosque and the National Museum/Zoo, shopped at the central market, went swimming at the American Rec Center, and saw a concert at the French Cultural Center.

So that's about it for our travel log today. Stay tuned to hear about our recent trip to the North of Benin to see the 'Tata Sambas' and the waterfalls. We're planning on a trip to Ghana in the next few weeks before Miranna starts school again. Of course, you too can enjoy the sites with us if you plan your trip soon. Look forward to seeing you here!