Cotonou is the economic capital of Benin and its largest city. It's estimated over 1.2 million people live here. Our morning tour took us through the heart of the city during rush hour. Thank goodness our bus had a police escort so we were able to zip around traffic and through red lights. We also had an armed guard aboard. Glad we didn't decide to go in on our own. Benin is similar to Togo. Motorbikes serve as taxis but there is more traffic here.

Our destination was Ganvie - a village on stilts on Lake Nokone. We drove to Calavi Harbor where there were hundreds of dugout canoes bringing in fish and taking away food. We boarded motorized dugout canoes (thankfully covered) for the trip across the lake to the village. The village of 30,000 people make their living fish farming. On the way we watched the natives fishing using various methods such as nets, poles, etc.

The huts in Ganvie are mostly built with palm fronds or bamboos and perched on branches piles or poles. A ladder gives access to the houses. We cruised around the village observing daily life on the water. It was a busy place, including a floating market. This was a fantastic tour. The only negative about the trip was the hands out wanting money if you took a picture and even sometimes when you didn't.

To view more photos from Cotonou, please go to Benin Photo Gallery. To read about the next location visited, go to Walvis Bay, Namibia.

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