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Hot Chocolate is huge in Togo (Lome). It's their coffee or tea. Pick a local spot and enjoy. The guys running this outdoor (make shift by our standards) were jovial, happy to oblige; all for less than $1 U.S. dollar. They also have food prepared as you wait/watch. Local breakfast is spaghetti with a fried egg on top.
We stumbled across a strange custom in the Djendi village of the Kotakoli – foot fetish amongst the men! Apparently, the men like their women to have soft feet and hands, so their lady folk will do their best to accommodate these wishes. An herb known as LALE is used to beautify their feet and to make them soft. The herb is ground to a pulp on a stone and then mixed with water for it to become a soft a pliable pulp. The feet are washed thoroughly prior to the treatment. This pulp is applied to the edge of the soles of the feet with their hands. It is left on for two-three hours, after which is becomes a nice red colour, rather like the henna which is used in India. Overnight it will become dark and black – just like henna! This is considered a real treat in their customs and their men love it!
It never ceased to amaze me how ingenuititive (I think I might just have made that word up) the local people are. I have said it several times: waste not want not. These oil lamps are fashioned from discarded food cans. Much cheaper than making them from ‘new’ metal and much more sustainable. We have a lot to learn from the African in the west!
When making millet or sorghum beer, a pulp is remaining after the beer has been filtered through a fine mesh. This pulp is dried and made into patties and sold in the market for fuel. It is known as pelebe.
Shea butter has a sizeable quantity of unsaponifiable fats, several vitamins and other active elements, as well as soothing, moisturising and protecting properties. Shea butter also helps cell regeneration and capillary circulation which in turn speeds up the healing of small wounds, skin cracks and crevices, and skin ulcers. It is also believed to aid in the fight against ageing. Shea butter is produced by extracting fat from the fruit of the shea tree by crushing and boiling. As well as being used as a body moisturiser, shea butter is also used for cooking and sometimes in the production of chocolate in place of cocoa butter.
This is probably a lot healthier than the western counterpart, as these natural toothbrushes are disposable and biodegradable. I didn’t actually try them, but did try some similar ones in Mali some years ago and they worked a treat! It just shows that you can still have impeccable personal hygiene without the modern trappings.
This is the equivalent of the ubiquitous handbag in England or purse as it is known in the States. No self-respecting Togolese would be seen without one! Everything and anything is carried in these shallow metal bowls: shopping, sales goods, laundry, water, food…….the list is endless!
In Togo, blacksmith is not just any old trade; it is a very special trade. Blacksmiths are special, different, extraordinary people, as if they are from a totally different society, and are almost revered like semi-gods. You cannot just set yourself up as a blacksmith, you have to belong to the secret society where everyone knows everyone else. Only post-menopausal women were allowed to collect the raw materials from the nearby mountains. The reason for choosing post-menopausal women was that they are considered pure, as they no longer engage in sexual activities.Many people would come to the furnaces (picture 2) from nearby villages to buy the iron to make into farming implements. The process would involve a layer of firewood inside the cone, then the raw iron materials, grain wood on top of that, topped with fire. The iron ore would then be collected at some later stage from the holes...
Many families in rural villages have their own gris-gris in the corner of the house to protect them from evil. Gris-gris is basically a talisman used in animist religions such as voodoo, and in this case it is a collection of stones, herbs, oils, bones, hair, nails, and feathers. It can be other personal items relating to the family or any of the family members. The gris-gris will protect the inhabitants against evil and bring them luck.
The so called calabash container is named after the calabash tree. It is the fruit or gourd which is used to make the containers so widely used throughout Africa (and other parts of the world), and is one of the earliest cultivated trees in the world grown not for food but for utilities. The fruit is hollowed out and dried and it is used for cleaning rice, carrying water and also just as a food container. Small gourds are used as bowls to drink palm-wine (see Off the Beaten Path tips for more details). It is also used to make certain musical instruments.The calabash is considered sacred, and will not be thrown away, even if damaged.
2 Reviews and 56 Opinions A very nice, comfortable/upper class hotel with amazing swimming pool. Staff very helpful....
1 Review and 56 Opinions I have stayed in this hotel for a week in 2005 Sep on my way to accra from cotonou. I must say that...
Ibis Lome Centre Lome
1 Review and 37 Opinions Hotel Ibis is old, but still represents the best among the hotels in Lome. Price is approx. 75 €
Reviews and photos of Togo attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Togo sightseeing.
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Q: Any advice and tips on a short vacation to Africa? I have less than 14 days and want to see as much as possible and also relax on...
A: I would certainly recommend the "auberge" at Grand Popo in Benin for relaxing and being on a nice beach. Quite frankly the beaches are not that great in Togo, the ocean...
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