Ghana is quite close to Nigeria, so I thought to myself why not travel to Ghana and do a number of neighbouring countries. Instead of booking a return ticket, I decided to go one way so I could enter Togo from Ghana. If you read this and think “Eniola is a rich kid”, please I’m looking for helpers, in case you know one or are one.*wink wink.

After a week of fun-filled adventures in Ghana, I took a bus with my friend to Lomé, Togo.

In hindsight, I realized I didn’t explore Togo as much. I assumed it wasn’t as interesting as Ghana. When I left, I discovered there were other places I could have stopped by besides Lomé.

Yes, my friend and I were exploring Lomé, but on this particular day she was tired and I went to Palais De Lomé by myself, and that was where I had the most fun. The tour guide was super helpful as he translated everything for me in English. Check out my highlights here.

I think it is important to note that if you are leaving your home country to another, have an active sim because you will need it for maps and translation. You should also try to learn the basic terms of communication such as “Hello”, “How can I get here”, etc for easy conversations.

Don’t be like me that learnt everything on the spot. Funny story, the first morning in my hotel — Marie Antoinette, the housekeeper entered and said “Bonjour” and I said “Bonjour le masi” If you are familiar with this saying on Twitter or Instagram you’ll understand. She just looked at me puzzled and then I realized that she didn’t get the joke.

As I said earlier, I wish I had more time to visit because the places I wanted to go to were closed. Fortunately, I was able to visit the first Catholic Church, Monument de l’independance, the beach and the Grand market. Maybe I will go back and explore more places in Lomé.

We left Togo for Cotonou in Benin Republic. It felt like home to me, it was as busy Lagos, but with fewer people. It had a Lagos vibe and energy, but weirdly, the night time felt so peaceful. In Benin Republic, the most common place every tourist goes to is the Amazon statue. You can’t even miss it. It’s 30m high and right beside it, is the largest wall Art in Africa, some even say it’s the largest in the world. As we passed by the different paintings, I whispered to my friend, “people are very talented”.

Benin Republic has a lot of interesting places to visit, I actually didn’t expect to have as much fun as I did. Also, I tried the local food, which was mainly swallow, and to my surprise, I liked it a little bit, which for me is a big deal because I don’t like swallow.

As at the beginning of 2023, I had no plans of traveling anywhere or doing such, It’s funny how a lot can change in 8 months and now all I want to do is carry my bags everywhere and see the world. Three countries in fourteen days as a first time traveler is a big deal! I don’t know about you but I was so proud of myself.

Anyway, this trip basically birthed my tourist lifestyle. I am looking forward to so many experiences. I want to look back 5 years from now and make statements like “I’ve visited all the African countries” “I’ve been to 20 European countries” “I spent 1 year touring in Asia” and so much more. So help me God.