Started the day by searching for the ATM. Found one guarded by guards brandishing AK-47s. That was a vibe.

Exploring the grand market reveals that digital payments seem to be in an early stage here — reminds me of China ~10 years ago.

After asking around, I found a shared taxi to Cotonou, Benin.

People here are far more forgiving with the odd French mistake than in France — I suppose ultimately we're both speaking a 2nd language.

This share taxi also broke down along the way — I'm sensing a recurring theme...

The border crossing was interesting. Signs at the immigration counters explicitly state that money will not be accepted by officers. In practice, informal fees just before + after the border. Our driver acted as the group chaperone, absorbing the frictions & informal fees.

This was considerably less stressful than the Ghanaian-Togolese crossing, where I crossed on foot and handled the border crossing logistics myself.

Made it to Cotonou, Benin.