By now, you should all know what a zemidjan is, but you may not be aware of their sleeping habits…

This is the somewhat amusing sight you will see around Cotonou during early afternoon. It is common for people to take a siesta here, from around 1:00pm until 3:00pm. As the zem drivers are work around the town centre, their homes may be far away. So, for a siesta they have two choices: (i) To sleep on the floor (uncomfortable to say the least) and (ii) To balance themselves precariously on their bikes and take a wee nap, which is what they invariably opt for. I sometimes wonder what would happen if one of them forgot where they were and turned over in their sleep. I guess you’d only do that once, though…

The less brave zem drivers seem to go for the safer option of keeping their feet on the floor and leaning forward – not so conducive to a good nap, but slightly more balanced:

Other news…

* Rob just got back from yet another trip up north, this time with Ben, a short-termer from the USA. Read his first impressions of Togo/Benin on his blog.

* We are beginning to sell our belongings, ready for our departure in July.

* It’s rainy season and the streets are very wet.

* Lois took her class to see a collection of dead insects the other day, and now knows how to identify a malarial mosquito (with a microscope!?!)

* The Land Rover is up for sale – good runner, one careful owner (and five careless ones!!!)