Today is Labor Day in Benin, so with our day off, we decided to take Flynn somewhere we had been meaning to go for a long time – Magic Land. It’s a small amusement park barely a half mile from our house.

We had been putting off going because it has been so hot lately, but finally decided that today was going to be the day. We resisted until around 9:45 in the morning (we had been awake since 5 a.m., thanks buddy), not really knowing whether it would even be open. Lucky for us, it was. And even luckier, in the hour we were there, we saw no other guests, so we had the whole place to ourselves.

Flynn wasn’t big enough for many of the rides, but there were plenty of slides for him to go down. There were also lots of small cars for him to sit in that would rock back and forth. They were just like the ones you find outside a grocery store in the U.S. You know, the ones where you put in a quarter and the car tips this way and that. Of course here there was one key difference. Instead of putting a coin in a slot, you tell the man working there you’d like to ride it and he rubs two exposed wires together like he is jump starting a car. The ride starts right up. Magic Land indeed!

Even though it was still relatively early in the morning, it was very hot and humid. Fortunately, much of Magic Land is covered, so the shade gave us some relief.

Flynn’s reaction to most of the rides at Magic Land could best be described as “indifferent.” However, if he were just a little bit older, we think there would be a few more things there he could be interested in, including a giant blow up castle (not blown up during this visit) and a little train that ran around a track about 100 feet long, and even had a small hill.

We were also surprised by how inexpensive Magic Land is. There was a small fee to get in, and then additional fees for each ride (playground excluded). Flynn didn’t go on many of the rides that cost extra money, so we got out of there for about $5 total.

All in all, we enjoyed Magic Land. It was a good way to see something new in Cotonou. We plan on going back when Flynn is a little older so maybe he can enjoy a few more of the attractions. In the meantime, he’ll have to be content with the new jungle gym they just set up at the embassy.