Letters from West Africa

Day 34. The Kings' Mouths

There is one special place in Grand Popo that despite its vicinity I have yet to visit. It’s the King’s Mouths – the point where the sweet water of Mono River meets with the crashing waves of the ocean. The place is 10 km from Grand Popo and accessible by foot, or by 15 min zem ride. There is a good reason we have postponed the visit. Going to The King’s Mouths without a local guide is punishable with a fine. The strict rules were enforced recently, after the drowning of inexperienced swimmers in the quiet lagoons of Mono River.
Today we are accompanying the local guide who has prepared the paperwork and is ready to take us to the edge of the beach. We hop on a zem and drive east on the straight but bumpy red road through the neighboring villages until the road turns to soft sand. From there we continue on foot. We pass old abandoned buildings and a small lagoon. Swimming is forbidden, but after taking a closer look at the water any temptation to dive in immediately disappears. The muddy waters at the end of the Mono River are sprinkled with floating plastic and dead fish. Despite its gloomy sight, our guide tells us the King’s Mouths is a good place to catch large fish as they sometimes leave the sea, entering the river waters to hunt.
At the King’s Mouths, the sand is finer than elsewhere on the beach. The sand is likely carried by the river waters which cover a much wider area during the times of high tide. The distance to the other shore looks only around 100 m long and is marked by the parallel line of dark grey water of the river and cyan of the sea.
We spend a day in the serene environment of the King’s Mouths. Only when the sun starts to set, we decide to head back home. But there is one small problem; no zem drivers come this far to look for potential customers. We start walking and enjoy the sights of the villages on the way home to Villa Karo. Cheers, Anna
Abandoned building.
Fine sand.
Plastic and dead fish in Mono River.
Border of gray and cyan.
Waves.
Fish skeleton is revealed after high tide.
Mangrove tree seed.
Hay truck on the long walk back.
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