Cotonou, Benin

Mercy Ships has reached Cotonou, Benin! We arrived on Tuesday, and were granted shore leave on Wednesday evening. It has been an amazing experience to get off the ship and walk around Cotonou. Due to the lack of suitable ports in the majority of West Africa the port in Cotonou is a huge economic hub. The city is much more developed than I expected, there is electricity on the major streets, and street vendors selling anything and everything, from sunglass (no, no, you need these, they from Paris!!) to socks, suitcases (I still don't understand this one), and anythign else imaginable.


Another major phenomenon in Cotonou is the motor bikes. It is estimated that there are 80,000 motor bikes in Cotonou, and about 5 helmets. Some are taxis, called Zimidjans, that will take you anywhere for cheap. I think I would rather walk.





All of the locals carry EVERYTHING on their heads. It is really impressive the weight they can hold up!



There is a small market nearby the port, just a short walk from the ship. I will spare you most of the sights of the meat section, but these are chickens and ducks for sale.

There is a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in the markets in Cotonou.

This is about 20 minutes away from the ship, next to the river that splits Cotonou in half. Despite the development a majority of the city lives in shacks like these. They are spread throughout the city, rows of small shacks next to large buildings. All of the buildings seem to have been left by the French in the 1960's, with very little stable building since Benin's independence.

Here is the most recognizable Catholic Church in Cotonou. The inside also looks incredibly Islamic. There are striped archways and mosiacs common to the Middle East. There are large numbers of both Christians and Muslims in Cotonou, it isn't uncommon to see groups spreading out their mats and kneeling to pray in the middle of the day.

This is the view to the left of the ship. It is a very colorful fishing village, with flags from a variety of nations hanging from the masts. Each day the little boats go out, loaded with people. There are fish for sale everywhere in the city, so they must be successful!

Here are some crew members on the way out to dinner. There are some good restaurants within walking distance and it is a real treat to get off the ship and go out for meals!