Morning breakfast.

David, on the other hand, had a mosquito net over his bed. I debated crawling in there briefly before pulling out my own, portable net. It took me over ten minutes of fumbling in the dark to get it together—it had been almost 10 years since I last used it. I finally fell back asleep after a long while of sweating profusely and the distracting whine of mosquitoes around me. I woke tired and hot. I counted well over fifty bites on me that I could see. I couldn't help but think of Lena, back in Abomey, hospitalized for malaria.

David and I walked to the small shop that sold omelets but it was closed. Two young boys were sleeping on the ground beside it—our knocking on the wall woke the owner who was sleeping on the small floor inside. I watched them all groggily open the shop—lighting fires, sweeping etc.—while David fetched the others. During breakfast we watched the daily news on a small TV inside the shop. There was a news story on the Brazilian delegation we had seen yesterday.

Small world.

Fishing.

What the heck...?

Back at the hotel, Il commented that her room was freezing last night. I resisted the urge to punt her over the railing.

By the time we cycled out of town it was full light and incredibly humid. We shortly came to the main highway between Lomé and Cotonou and it was busy with traffic. It was also straight, with mangrove on both sides—no shade—and the Bight of Benin to our left.

Fishermen by the ocean.

Guard rooster.

We stopped for a spell at the beach in Grand Popo. It looked like a tourist spot but there were none but us to be seen. Locals and fishermen only. It was a nice diversion because once back on the main road the riding was more tiresome than tiring.

Near the border the Germans hailed us over from a Buvette—they had hired a car for 60% of the day's distance. We rode together to the border where we had to see various officals:

1. To acquire an exit stamp from Benin
2. To check our visa in Benin
3. To check our passport and acquire an entry stamp in Togo

The ride through was a little hairy and chaotic with a huge line of trucks and traffic Togo-side and a hurrying mass of cars and motorcycles fighting for the remaining road space with us.

Our hotel for the night was a short 3 km away—The Oasis—and aptly named: a beautiful location on the water at the mouth of a river on the ocean. The breeze and the chairs and tables were wonderful for relaxation. Nearby, a monkey on a string sat on an overturned boat, ostensibly to amuse/impress the Yovos... like us.

What's up, dock?

Monkey on a string. Yay: monkey.

Jorgen showed up at the hotel with news that Lena was much improved. (Her stay at the hospital cost them $80 USD.) However, both Lena and Annie opted to continue straight to the hotel in Lomé for some "luxury". Too bad for them as this hotel is much nicer!

We lounged around most of the afternoon—chatting; having a couple of beers—and walked a bit in town. Aného is a very nice German colonial town with a library and other various municipal buildings financed by Germany.

Dinner was also a treat: salad of tomatoes, lettuce and tuna—then fish with fries and followed by pineapple. Between the salad and mosquitoes there's a decent chance my Christmas will involve malaria and/or food poisoning. Ho ho ho.

So tomorrow is the last day of cycling (though we've already planned a detour to Vogan and Togoville) which is bittersweet: I'm sad that it's ending, but I'm looking forward to seeing Gill and going home for Christmas.

Our hotel, to the left.

Digital is the new Polaroid.

Watching so many of my companions struggle on this trip has made me especially proud of Gill for tackling Cameroon—the toughest bicycle tour on the market. Compared to that trip, this one is a breeze.

David is already snoring on his bed. We have A/C tonight, thank goodness.

Now... to filter a few litres of water and prepare for the last day on the road!

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