Time Out in Dapaong

“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment

is the only one you know you have for sure.”

~Oprah Winfrey

Back on the 19^th I took a mini-vacation in Togo. I’d never seen the northern region before, so I decided to finally make the long trek up. Instead of using the dreaded bush taxis, I used Peace Corps Togo’s convenient “Lome Limo,” a Peace Corps van that makes a roundtrip trip from Lome in the south up to Dapaong in the north, passing through all the regional capitals along the way. One way takes about 12 hours so the van goes up one day, rests the next day in Dapaong, and then returns to Lome on the following day. 

I caught the van in Atakpame and spent most of the journey as the only passenger, such a luxury not to be squished into a row with four other people. I will never take air conditioning for granted ever, EVER again. It was 9 hours of heaven! I didn’t even mind the potholes and the close passes we made along the way. 

traditional mud houses

Traveling up north is like venturing into a different world. Maybe it’s just living in Kpalime that made the contrast so drastic for me. After we passed by Kara, there seemed to generally be a lot less people and fewer villages along the way. The vegetation was sparse, with a lot more open and empty countryside. The rains had started up here earlier this month, so the ground wasn’t as dry and brown as it is during the dry season. Up in the northern most region there is a major road construction project underway on the national route. It was wonderful to see a road without potholes. I never thought I would think this was such a luxury but it really is amazing! 

Dapaong market

Once I reached Dapaong, I stayed at the Peace Corps work station with several volunteers from that region. We went out to dinner, went shopping in the market, and walked through a crazy wind storm that blew my hair so hard, I looked like Cousin It from the Adams Family! It was fun to see volunteers I hadn't seen in almost a year! Volunteers up in the north tend to hardly ever (or never!) travel down south. When shopping at their market, it was obvious how much geography affects your access to certain things and their prices. For example, 5 bananas was three times more than what I would pay for them in Kpalime. Certain foods I didn’t even see for sale, like apples, green beans, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, and grapes. Something that I LOVED about the north was how dry the climate is. It is very hot, hotter than Kpalime, but it was so relaxing to not constantly be wiping sweat from my face or feeling sweat trickle down my back throughout the day. This trip made it clear to me that no matter where you live in Togo, there is a trade off between the negatives and positives. It was a nice break, a change in scenery, and good times with friends. 

Peace Corps Dapaong Work Station