Half the Battle is Getting There

Traveling in Togo is a big part on my life as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Getting anywhere here is a big complicated production that is equal parts terrifying, exhilarating, and frustrating. I’m never more aware of my mortality than when I’m on the back of a moto bumping along the road from Ararama to Notse praying that I don’t fall off . . . or that we hit a goat. It’s also equally difficult to adequately explain what travel is like here. So, I have decided describe a journey from start to finish. 

Zedmen are an important nuisance in Togo. Everywhere you go you will find men on motorcycles just waiting for their next passenger. When they see you they hiss and typically call out “On y va?” There are many roads that cars simply just don’t frequently go down to take passengers. Yesterday, I left my house at 9:00 A.M. and walked into town with all my bags (my huge Eagle Creek Bag, my moto helmet, and my purse). I passed several people walking down what I like to call “downtown” Asrama where you can find a tight cluster of boutiques, street food vendors, and our two bars. Everyone wants to know where I am going and when I will be back (a normal conversation that I have a thousand times a day).

It doesn’t take long for a zedman to spot me. I told him I was going to Notse. He informed me it would be 2,000. I laughed and asked him if thought I didn’t know the “vrai” price. I told him it was 1,500 from Asrama to Notse and then I quickly walked away. I’ve learned through trial and error that if the zedman gives you the wrong price then find someone else. The next guy didn’t question when I said 1,500. After all, I live here and travel this road all the time. I know the price. It’s hard when you’re traveling somewhere and you don’t know the price. You’ll overpay by a lot every time. Yovo prices.

I hand him my giant bag and he places it between the handle bars. I prefer to carry as little as possible on my back when I’m on a moto. I’m not the most coordinated person and it’s hard enough as it is to remain sitting on the moto without a large bag messing with my balance. With my earphones in place I carefully pull my helmet on and get on the moto from the left side (very important unless you want to get burned by the exhaust pipe). Instinctively I reach behind me and grab the metal bars and hold on for dear life.

The road from Asrama to Notse has seen better days. It’s a dirt road the reddish brown color of terracotta. Inevitably at the end of my journey I will be covered with a thin layer of dirt from head to foot. Though the road is mostly a straight path the zedman has to weave back and forth on the road to avoid giant pot-holes and livestock. I usually have a death grip on the bars to keep from bouncing right off. Whenever I’m leaving or returning to village, I do enjoy the ride despite the horrible conditions of the road and dust.

There are several villages from Asrama to Notse. The second you cross the bridge and river before Asrama there is a tiny village, Odef, and if you blink you’ll miss it. There are several who’s names I can never remember because they are too long and difficult to pronounce. After Odef is a medium sized village about the size of Asrama called Kponou. Then about midway there is the village Kpouve.

Villages in Togo tend to stay on the road because the roads mean life here . . . commerce. Just past the dirt road the land is wild. Plateau is a beautiful region with pineapple, coconut, and palm trees everywhere. During rainy season it’s green and lush; full of life and possibilities. Every time I make the trip, I am struck by the beauty of Togo, of Africa.

Notse is a pretty big city. Not as big as Tsevie was, but there is electricity and a marché that always has a few stands even when it’s not marché day. At the end of the road to Asrama there is a massive pineapple stand. Asrama and Notse are known for their huge delicious pineapples. I ended up buying six to take with me to Atapkame.

To get to Atapkame from Notse you have to take a car. I was lucky that there happened to be one going there right after I bought my pineapple. The journey there costs 1,200. Typically, in Notse I grab a five person car, which typically by the end of the trip has eight people in it; four in the back seat (sometimes five), the driver and two other people sharing one seat up front, and commonly the drivers apprentice sitting in the trunk. That doesn’t include the occasional chicken, goat, or child. You get dropped off at the station (gare) just barely in the city limits of Atapkame. Then I always take a moto from there to the Peace Corps house 200-150 CFA depending on if you dispute well or not.

I hope this gives everyone a better understanding of travel here. It took a lot of trial and error, but I think I’ve finally gotten the hang of travel here.