Travel

So today was supposed to be the day that I was leaving to go back to post from Cotonou. Ha ha. Seriously what was I thinking? I thought to myself yestarday oh there should be no problem if I can't on the bus line that I was I can just choose another of the 6 buses that leave and go to the same place. So I go down to the place in Cotonou at 6:30, a good half hour before the buses leave, this usually is more htthan enough time to be there, find a seat and get on the bus, and fall alseep before it even leaves. I get down to this place and there are a lot of people. I go up to my bus line and ask if there is space. They wait 20 minutes, so basically everyother bus line is getting ready to leave to tell me that there is no space. I then go to my 2nd choice, full. 3rd, 4th, 5th and the last one bus line that I absolutely hate but will take as a last last resort, all full. No Joke. there was not one space available on any of the buses leaving Cotonou today. So I go back to the work station and I tell all the other volunteers what happened I get looks of disbelief. Never has anyone ever heard of someone not being able to find a bus. Never. Then I find out tomorrow is the end of Ramadan. It's like the day before Thanksgiving. Everyone is trying to get to the place where their families have chosen to gather. I then make some phone calls I know that there is a bus that leaves Cotonou at 11am to go to Bassila. It's the last option. I think to myself "I'm going to Bassila they should allow me on as that means they can make the most amount of money off me." Ha ha that's cute that I thought that way. I get off my zem and the place is packed everyone who had the same issue as me is trying to get on this bus with about 3 tons of baggage. Rarely have I seen a mob of people in Benin so stressed out. This went way beyond the normal hip checking and shoving that occurs on a daily basis here. It was crazy there were people walking over others luggage, I got a nice bruise on my arm from where a mama poked me with her finger to get me to move over. I had to explain that I couldn't move over there was no space for me either so stop get used to it, or get a smaller girth. Needless to say there was no space on that bus either. I heard the guy say no space and I was a bit relieved to not have to take that bus with lots of angry people. So I'm back here I meant to leave two days ago.... oh well. Such is life au Benin!