Previous country: Guinea
10th December 2023 – about one hour at the border. No problems. The first checkpoint however wanted to photo us, the car, our passports and the registration document! That is a first. The roads were a joy after Guinea as they are in good condition.
We are staying at some sort of Catholic mission hospital. There is an Italian Doctor in charge who came to greet us this morning. People are treated here for small money. The Swiss nurse who has been here for 9 months says local people often leave it to the last minute to get treatment because of their economic situation. Especially dangerous with Malaria (we are just moving into Malaria season here). She has had Malaria and Typhoid already!
We met up again with Roland and Claudia, the Swiss couple we met at Chefchaouen in Morocco.
11th December 2023 – We are having a “roast the beasties” day to try and get rid of the bed bugs (Punaises in French). Everything is toasting in the sun, mattress, bedding and tent. There is a washing machine here that will allegedly wash at 60 degrees so we will try that too (it was so slow that we didn’t get to use it). Wondered about a steam iron too (often used here to kill mango fly eggs).
12th December 2023 – we need to get a Ghana visa (takes 5 days apparently) and we are concerned about Christmas holidays so want to get to the capital here to organise it. We will then go to the coast rather than wait in Abidjan.
Last night was bed bug free. Everything had been in the sun and the sheets in boiling water and the tent sprayed with Pyrethrin. We think we will have to repeat and repeat. If we find a pest controller we may get them to treat it (a Malawian friend says the government there do this with 3 different chemicals). Now when I am asked if I am allergic to anything, the answer will be bed bug bites. I visited the pharmacy and they have given a cream and some tablets. I think it best to look them up before using them. There are antihistamine tablets and an antibiotic cream with bactericidal agent. Excellent pharmacist. I showed the Ivorian assistant my bites and she said “Ohhhh shit!” in English and called the pharmacist straight over!
13th December 2023 – stayed last night at Sainte Famille. Sister Chantal is lovely, bubbly and giggly. She is originally from Burkina Faso. They have other sites in Stockwell and Knock. We were going to stay on an organic farm 3 kilometres away but they ask for pre booking but the owner doesn’t answer her phone. We go there, wait two and a half hours, get the wife on the phone by calling the husband but she says we can’t stay. I lose my temper but to no avail. Very disappointing and “pas gentil et pas juste”. Met an Argentinian traveller Tina who is also suffering from bed bug bites (but without my allergic reaction).
We plan to visit the Basilica today in the wonderfully named regional capital Yamoussoukro , the largest Catholic religious building in the world. Money was donated by the first Ivorian President (clearly he had his fingers in the till big time as it cost $300m although the guide told us that he made his money in Cacao). A residence for Pope John Paul II was also built and there is money for the ongoing maintenance of the building. Puts my great Grandfather’s church in Harold Wood firmly in the shade.
The Basilica is of extraordinary proportions, built in just 3 years on 140 hectares of land. The columns look like stone but are actually cleverly disguised concrete. There are 24 doors to the building and air conditioning!
The stained glass came from France and was assembled in Côte d’Ivoire and the monumental Chandelier is Murano glass. The pews are an African hardwood and were made here and are beautifully made and polished. The building is beautifully light and cool.
The place can house huge numbers of people but there is a Cathedral and many Catholic churches in the area so doesn’t get the use such a gargantuan building might merit. The architect was Lebanese-Ivorian.
Pope John Paul II visited 3 times (not much use for his specially built residence then!). The current Pope was due to visit but while in country didn’t actually make it there, the guide was cagey and conspiratorial about this! The guide was called Kofi and was excellent as well as speaking excellent English. We had him to ourselves as well.
There is a central Altar and two Chapels on the periphery dedicated to Mary and Joseph. Both had beautiful Italian marble statues. All the marble came from Italy. There is marble in Côte d’Ivoire but the first President wanted to preserve it for future generations according to the guide. View from the first gallery:
There are lifts inside some of the columns! The altar, made of brass and copper:
We are free camping tonight by a lake (a former granite quarry):
There are egrets (a big noisy roost of them this evening) and cormorants here. Some young guys arrived on a bicycle to fish, caught some and they asked for some water which we gave them in a large lemonade bottle before they left.
Tonight’s setting sun over the lake:
14th December 2023 – Unimpressed with the coffee we bought in Guinea, it is poor quality. Noisy wake up, sounded like some political rally at 6:30am but all quiet an hour later. Amazing Kapok or Cottontree bark at our campsite. Lots of dancing fireflies again last night and beautiful star filled night sky:
The online Ghana visa application is a pain. So many questions to answer and information to endlessly repeat. Also too many documents to upload. And after all that you have to print it all off and take it with you to the Embassy!! You have to have an in country hotel booking so we have booked (and will cancel) on booking.com. We are wearing trousers to the Embassy because there is a receptionist who apparently turns you away if you wear shorts!!
We are now in Abidjan. Traffic coming in is a nightmare and you feel seriously nauseous from the exhaust fumes. But a chance to buy more delicious plantain crisps! There were people cutting the grass verges with pangas or billhooks. It reminded me of the boarding school punishment of having to cut the lawn with nail scissors! It did look neat but will grow again in no time I guess. Good to provide employment though.
We looked around for a restaurant to eat at this evening. We looked at the menu for a seafood restaurant but it was very pricey (£53 for assiette de fruits de mer! What?!). An African restaurant but it didn’t seem very African and was very empty at peak lunchtime. So we decided to try the Chinese restaurant near our hotel. We had a beef (lovely amount of red chillis) and a chicken dish. The neighbouring tables were cooking their own food on charcoal burners (there were hoods for the fumes) and there were guys outside with charcoal barbecues cooking huge quantities for the diners (all Chinese). Our portions were huge but nothing compared with what the other diners were tucking away! Oddly all the staff clearing tables were black Ivorians and the Chinese treated them with great distain. Difficult to witness. Really hadn’t expected a good Chinese meal in Côte d’Ivoire!! Oddly the French call chopsticks Baguettes (batons), who knew?!
15th December 2023 – The Ghanaian embassy won’t give us a multiple entry Visa unless we are residents of Côte d’Ivoire. Rachel is annoyed but there is little that can be done. The single entry visa is £105 each so it increases the cost of a returning considerably. Although I understand that the multiple entry visa would be three times the price! Plus the cost of a Residency card. However we will get the visa on Monday afternoon.
Went to an extraordinary ex-pat supermarket before we left Abidjan. A whole chiller cabinet of Pate de fois gras, another of smoked salmon. Large tins of Carnard confit. Presentation boxes of Laurent Perrier champagne with flutes. A huge aisle of Christmas chocolates. As astonishing as it is incongruous!
We are now on the coast for a few days at Assouindé. We can camp for free if we eat here (no hardship!). Nice place, right on the beach, French owned. Menu looks great. Wonderful breeze after sweltering Abidjan. We can chill. There is a pool as well as the ocean.
Lots of people have come here to surf today and the waves are good!
I just read Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson (British Ghanaian) which won the Costa award in 2021. What a amazing book. Sadly some of the music references are lost on me but such insight into the lives of black people in the UK and the human condition. Read in one sitting.
The owner just told us to move from our seats because we are occupying an area for 4 people. I appreciate that they are very busy but he came across as rather rude but perhaps it is just a cultural thing, the French tend to be more direct. We are clearly not filling his coffers sufficiently.
Hopelessly overloaded transport of Cassava! (stuck in Abidjan traffic). There are many pickups with the same pattern of criss-crossing and I love the spare wheel at the top:
Picked up Ghana visa (sadly only single entry and premium to pay for 24 hour collection (20,000 or £26! Ouch). Even in London they won’t give you multiple entry until you have had 2 single entry in a year!
Trying Chicken Kedjenou (popular Ivorian spicy dish) with Alloco (fried plantains) tonight. Rachel is having Calamari saute with chips! (sadly no saute potatoes which were on the menu). The Kedjenou is only mildly spicy but you have to watch out for the submerged scotch bonnet chillis in the sauce!! Amazing value at only 4,000 west african francs (£4.30). Being Toubabs (or “Monsieur Le Blanc” as an Ivorian driver called me in the traffic today!) we asked for knives and forks! The restaurant had lots of French foods including Snails, Frog and Guinea Fowl! The waiter was very concerned that I couldn’t eat chilli!!
Côte d’Ivoire has toll roads and are putting in more camera and are using tags for quick payment like South Africa although most still pay in cash. We may scoot across to Ghana as our visa is active today and see more of Côte d’Ivoire on the way back. We may then just get a transit visa for the return across Ghana to save a couple of hundred dollars in repeat visa fees (and the ridiculous forms and wait times).
Went past a Cacao plant today and the chocolate smell was wonderful. The rubber processing plant less appealing.
There has been a serious explosion at the oil terminal in Conakry, Guinea. Reoprts of up to 18 killed and 200 injured. We are fortunate that we aren’t awaiting our visa there because the part of town where the embassy is is closed off. There may be fuel supply issues when we go back to Guinea as the depot supplies most of the country. Silke and Jan (German motorbikers on Bulgarian bikes) who we met in Labé, Guinea are stuck in Conakry. Diesel is being sold but not petrol yet. They need 5 litres to be able to leave the country.
The Ivorians are noticeably less open than the Guineans. Even when greeted they are less likely to engage.
Oddly Côte d’Ivoire has a huge number of very large pharmacies. I have no idea why this may be the case but is incredibly useful when you need something.
Return to Cote d’Ivoire
Return
20th January 2024 – One hour and a half on the border. Thought it would be easier on the way back having been through this border before, but not so. Some of the offices (not all) are different depending on whether arriving or departing. We realised that Togo customs had started to fill in a second Carnet sheet. They hadn’t stamped it so we decided to just leave it rather than Côte d’Ivoire customs cross it all out. No doubt the Carnet issuer will query it. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed in the office so didn’t see them doing it or we would have stopped them!!
We have made forward plans to get George some TLC from a mechanic in Abidjan. We will stay with Chloe Aya who is Irish and is an expert on West Africa. We tried to stay there before but she was feeling sick.
We are staying at Kame Surf Camp at Assinie. Near to La Bahia where we stayed before. French owned and the food looks good (if slightly pricey – champagne at $830 a bottle in Africa, really? $3.33 for a Sprite, wow! Twice that for an orange juice, what?).
Pleased to say the food was very good but it really should be.
21st January 2024 – Staying with Chloe and her adopted son Patrick (born Burkinabé) and two dogs (Pica and Rocky) and a cat (aptly named the terrorist!). Chloe is an aviation expert in Africa.
Pica:
22nd January 2024 – at the beach at Jacqueville. The beaches in West Africa are just amazing (and we have seen a few!).
Equatorial Guinea are soundly beating Cóte d’Ivoire in the Africa Cup. They have one more game to play and if they don’t win then they won’t get to the second round as host nation. Howls of anguish can be heard here when 2 CDI goals were disallowed!
23rd January 2024 – Long drive today through huge rubber and oil palm plantations. There were some beautiful areas of native forest with large really tall canopy trees.
We are now on the beach again in another surfers spot near Sassandra:
Had a long chat with the owner Thomas who is Rasta.
George much enjoyed an oil, oil filter, air filter and fuel filter change in Abidjan. In fact he is feeling a new man!
24th January 2024 – and on the beach again at Dahoua. An Italian owned ecolodge whose speciality is grilled Lobster and prawns and pasta! Yum, yum!
