I got my bags packed on a roll.

I'm heading out there and I'm ready to go.

Looking real good in my passport photo.

Oh no.

Amateur Trouser episode 759. Today the Amateur Traveler talks about beaches and a lake

village, colonization, and colorful dress, slavery and the

door of no return as we go to the African nation of Benin.

Welcome to the amateur traveler.

I'm your host Chris Christensen. Let's talk about

Benin or as Wikipedia wants me to say it Benin but I will defer to the guest

here. I'd like to welcome to the show Rachel de Kost from Year of Return Book.com

and who has come to talk to us about the country of Benin. Rachel, welcome to the show.

Happy to be here.

First of all, we're probably going to need to put this on a map because some people are wildly googling right now in Wikipedia.

Where is the country of Benin?

Benin is in West Africa.

The biggest countries nearby are Nigeria and Ghana.

And why did you find yourself in Beninna in the first place?

Let's start with that. I did a DNA test years ago. I am African

Canadian meaning my ancestors came here as enslaved Africans. We don't know where

from. Right. And I thought the DNA test would be a good way to find out where my origins were from.

After I did the DNA test, Benin was one of the top countries along with Chogo, Nigeria, the whole region really and then I took a trip there for six months and

...