For someone who thought he had come prepared to Porto-Novo, I sure had a lot to learn.
Sometimes when you travel, you experience a massive stroke of luck that can only be explained by the travel gods smiling down on you. You happen to be in the perfect place at the exact moment to meet the right person or step into that certain subway car and presto, the course of your trip has changed forever.
Some countries do have two, or even three official capitals, but Benin has only one: Porto-Novo. And yet, Porto (as it has affectionately been nicknamed by locals) often plays second fiddle to the mighty Cotonou, which is a mere 41km (25mi) west of Porto along the Atlantic coast.