Moo.

There is a nomadic people group in Benin and most of West Africa that herd cattle. They are the Peule people, or sometimes known as the Fulani. They hang out usually in the north of Benin and you can pass them herding their big scary horned creatures while flying by on the highway.

They are really big and have horns like the Texas Longhorns. I've never come up close to one until the other day.

As you have read I have taken up biking lately. Well, there is really only one road that I ever go on, it goes past my house away from my village and the freeway into the forest, fields of cotton and orchards of cashews. My only other option is the highway where people drive waaaaay to erratically and fast... I don't have a death wish. So I stay on my little 'terre rouge' into the bush.

The other day I was really only about 5 minutes into what I had planned on being about a 45 minute ride, when I came up on a herd of cattle. Walking down the road, filling up the road.... Hmm. Now, there isn't much that scares me, really, but very large unknown animals with extremely dangerous huge horns are one of them. I didn't know how they would react to a stranger, a white stranger at that, and on a bike? One flick of that huge neck and I would be history. The herders of course do not speak French, or Tcha.

Actually, they communicate in a series of clicks and clacks with their tongues. It was totally wierd. (Anyone read that childrens book 'Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type"? TOTALLY random!)

Anyway, after following a bit wondering what I was going to do, one of the herders, who couldn't have been more than twelve years old, beckoned for me to follow him, and he literally just walked through this mass of huge stomping dangerous animals. Who, it turned out, basically just shied away from me as I rode by. No big deal. On the return trip, I was winded and as I met them coming at me this time, I just stood by while they walked by me.

So that is my cattle story. Great story, huh? Ha. Peace. K

PS Facebook worky! Yay!