Togo > Climbing Mount Kabyé

When I arrive in the hotel lobby, I see that the group for the Mount Kabyé hike has thinned out considerably. With only five enthusiasts, we soon leave Kara heading toward Lassa.

Togo - A walk up Mount Kabye to the 810meter peak

Toy is our local guide today and will lead us to the top of the 800-meter-high mountain. Near Lassa, we leave the main road and turn left onto a dirt track. The route gradually climbs through the villages. After we disembark, Toy leads us along a narrow path uphill. Further on, we follow the valley road. The bus can also come here, so if we get tired, we can hop in. I find walking through the valley and among the local people far too enjoyable to skip. To the right of the road, tomatoes are being cultivated; to the left, boys are shaping clay bricks for a house. Girls are crushing corn with a stick, and from a small hut comes the hum of a grinding machine for barley. Everyone responds very warmly. An old man offers me a piece of tomato. A woman carrying a large bundle of wood on her head bursts out laughing when I try to take a photo. Eventually, we reach the top at a kind of resort under construction. From here, we have a view over the entire valley. On the way back, we stop at a blacksmith.

Togo - A performance of traditional dance in the town of Lassa

Iron is forged in the campfire and shaped with a large stone—impressively hard work. Around lunchtime, we return to the hotel. I order a sandwich at the bar and then take a dip in the pool. In the afternoon, we drive again toward Lassa. In the village, the local dance group is already waiting for us for a traditional folklore dance. The men perform in traditional clothing. Beads around their ankles jingle to the rhythm of the drum as they dance. As before, the local population watches the dance from the sidelines. I am struck by the high tempo of the dances. In the evening, we eat at Le Jardin, a lovely, quiet courtyard restaurant in the city, very close to the hotel. The food tastes excellent, although it’s a pity that my dish only arrives after everyone else has finished. On our way back, the power goes out in the city again—a fairly common occurrence. Today, it is the third outage already. I quickly grab my flashlight to alert traffic to our presence. As usual, the interruption is brief. When we enter the hotel grounds, the lights come back on. I notice one problem: no water is coming from the tap. So I end up going to bed without a shower.