Kpalime Togo Second Time Around in Life

Kpalime Togo Second Time Around in Life

I visited Kpalime, a few years ago when my French sucked.

Prior to leaving Lome, Togo, I was not able to make up my mind, for some odd reason when the Moto Taxi asked me where to go, I said,
"Kpalime."



I am grateful I am not a Travel Writers, at least not the kind that needs to suck up to Advertisers or Guidebooks. The reason is this; if I had to write a simplified explanation on how to travel to Kpalime, I would need to explain there is a Kpalime "Gare" the French word for Station or something, and then tell readers how to get to the Gare.

However, I told the driver I wanted to go the location where they have five Seat Cars; of course, this is all in French, confusing and full of complications. The Moto driver said he was Rasta man; this did not make me feel safe, but did mean that he wanted to speak English; I suppose that is a benefit to this need-to-be-avoided people called Rasha Man in West Africa.

What you do in Togo, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, and more West African countries is take a taxi to a pick up and drop off point on the edge of the city. The cars are stopping to pick up riders, and if you are experienced, speak good French and avoid the nuts you can get a good car to the next city rather easily.

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Kpalime, West Africa --- Saturday, November 27, 2010
by Andy Graham of HoboTraveler.com | Read Gadget Profile
| Kpalime, Togo Hotels - West Africa
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This is what they call a "Cinq Place," I am not sure where this word "Place" came from, but it means in English, five seats. Which in reality means the guy is going to put seven people in the car, three in the front, and four in the back. My French has great improved since the first time I was in West Africa and this has made life more comfortable.

Why? Because I can negotiate clearly and easily, if I make a deal, I am sure of the deal and feel confident.

I did not want to sit on the gear shifter, and I did not want to squeeze in the back with a couple of too fat, La Pate fed women, so I negotiated a "deux place - two seats." I paid eight dollars instead of four and did not have to get too close for comfort with the other people in the Car. If I wanted I could buy all the seats and have a private car, but I am too cheap for that, plus more dangerous. Taxi drivers are not going to rob a whole car full of locals.





After we cleared all the police checks, the driver stopped along in the bushes and a couple of boy came over with a large bottle of Gas.



This is smuggled gas from Ghana, I asked the drive how much it cost, he said it cost 500 Franc per liter, and if he purchased in Lome it cost 600 Fran. (CFA) This is about one dollar USA and means they are paying close to three dollars per gallon.



Kpalime is a destruction zone, or a construction zone, as of November 2010, they are installing storm or crap drains in the whole city. And I do mean the whole city, it is a dust bowl. I was amazed; I have never been to a village where the whole town was under construction.

What does this mean to Andy Graham? This is a great time to explain how the sewer systems of the USA is a lot different than the rest of the planet, or the 85 percent of the world called the developing countries, which in reality is the normal world.

Ok, I am in Kpalime, I am on this kick of taking hot dip baths, and mine is getting too hot, so time to take my morning bath and stop typing.

If you have not figure it out, I have again change my writing style, I am returning to a "Travelogue" way of writing, and I write in the more article fashion on specific drill down URL’s in the site, click on home to drill down.

Kpalime Togo Second Time Around in Life