Let there be... WATER????

As you can guess, I've arrived in Benin. After the perilous two weeks in France... the real trip begins.
The flight took Yérima (the famous lil cousin) and I, 5 hours, during which I listened to Lauryn Hill and Billie Holiday, and watched Alice in Wonderland as well as HALF of the Princess and the Frog (Yérima and I, pinky swore to remind each other to watch the rest of the movie on our return flight ;)

At the airport (pretty precarious but beautifuly simple), people were fighting to 'help' us with our luggages. I later 'learned' that they weren't employed to 'help' passengers, (they weren't employed PERIOD). They were more like scavengers looking for fresh faces who didn't know the system. I was the PERFECT fesh face, my pro-black mentality ready to give them a chance. I paid a hefty price... literally off course. Funny thing is, this guy who 'helped' us asked the 'douanier' (look it up people) to not look through our luggages (thinking he was earning browny points with me) because we were with him. And the guard DIDN'T look, he let us go through!!! DUDE! I could have like tons of drugs or something more sinister (Britney Spears CDs!!!)
... I should have insisted that he did things proper, but I was tired and a bit annoyed at everybody shoving and pushing around us...
ANYWAY... My aunt ('Tadah Chris' as I have christened her, without her blessing... or her knowledge as a matter of fact) rescued us in the end.
We drove (or more like got DRIVEN) and arrived after 10 mins.

I still can't remember the driver's name (although I keep 'bumping' into him).

My dad was standing outside the gate of my Grandparent's house (or should I say mini mansion,
reminiscent of the African 50's?). I'll write up the emotional stuff in another blog entry. Back to reality...
Humid! My body is hot and sticky. There isn't much breeze, and all I'm breathing in, is water anyway. The air is 60-Bloody-per cent WATER! (Excuse me, I'm French). I don't remember when was the last time I SWEATED this much...
This place is lovely but boy! No one said it would be this HUMID! The air is thick, like just before a monsoon ( I imagine) and there isn't much rain yet, it's gathering up in the clouds I think...
I'll get used to it, but never have I LOVED cold showers as much, NEVER.
Oh and my locks... oh my locks... I'll put up photos of the frizz ball :(

Lots of love from the Southern Hemisphere :D
Leine.