Benin Bucket List (in no particular order)

In my pre-trip research, I've been taking in huge amounts of information about things like health and dietary recommendations, to the best ways to get around in Cotonou, places to shop for supplies, how I should dress, etc. As with with prettymuch any place on earth, this research has uncovered some reasons to be wary... but for the most part, the more I learned, the more I feel excited to arrive and actually BE THERE. :D So I've decided to create a bucket list of sorts, with some things that I'm looking forward to experiencing when I finally get to Benin. I would expect it to grow exponentially in the next month. :)

1. Dantokpa market
It's probably not the only market in Cotonou, but I've heard it's the biggest, and an incredible place to visit! Since this will probably be an easy item to check off the list, I'll make it a little more interesting: At the Dantokpa market, I want to find a stall that sells instruments, and learn to play something I've never heard of. Should be fun :)
Here's an article I found describing a walk through the market--it compares it to an outdoor, third-world Walmart

2. The beach
Pretty straightforward and easy, so to make it more exciting, my goal will be to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy it there.

3. Get a zemidjan tour
The main form of wheeled transportation in Cotonou is the zemidjan, or a motorcycle-taxi. Apparently there's about 72,000 of these guys circulating around the city, and they will take you prettymuch anywhere in the city for around 250 CFA (which is about 50 cents US). On one travel blog that I read, the person said they paid their driver about twice that and asked him to give them a tour of Cotonou. apparently the driver was excited to show off his home city, and gave them a really nice tour. What a great way to see a city! So voila--here it is on my bucket list.
(don't worry mom and dad, I'm buying a helmet when I get there.)
Other fun links:
If you want to read more about zemidjans and what it's like to ride one
A funny series of YouTube vids that I found -- the characters are Beninese zemidjan drivers, and it consists of them chatting while they're taking a break from work. In the first one, one tells his friend that while he visited Paris, he started dating Sarkozy's daughter, and now they are in a serious relationship. Sarkozy is the president of France. The zemidjan driver is pretty proud of himself until he learns that Sarkozy doesn't have any daughters, which makes it funnier ^_^
In one of the later exchanges, one guy tells his friend about a really attractive woman that he picked up and brought to the pharmacy. It turns out that this woman was his friend's mother, and he is duly humiliated.

4. Get a tailor-made dress
In Cotonou you can go to a tailor, pick out a fabric, and purchase a tailor-made dress for the equivalent of about $15. This will be an amazing souvenir to keep with me when I come home, and help me to pack light when I move over there ;)

5. Visit Ganvie
Village on stilts anyone? And it's just a little ways north of Cotonou. Way cool!

6. Safari!
I mean, it could happen! I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Benin is apparently home to lions, cheetahs, leopards, red river hogs, spotted hyenas, honey badgers (I know a few friends of mine who will laugh out loud when they read that...), all manner of mongoose (mongeese?), elephants, hippopotamus, buffalo, gazelle, and baboons, just to name a few. You probably don't see all of these on a safari, but I still thought it was cool!