Prior to my attempt at putting together a few cohesive sentences, I would like to point out a very small insignificant fact, or a disclaimer if you will; I hate blogging, or more diplomatically put, i really hate blogging. So join me on this wild adventure --.--
One thing I do love doing however, is talking about the amazing journey I embarked on with a small fraction of my Peace Corps family. From Guinea where we loaded our bags on top of the Grey Goose and bid home as we knew it farewell all the way to Ivory Coast where we each embarked into our new individual realities.
I guess it makes sense that I am writing this blog post, as I have been obsessed with Cote D’Ivoire for a very long time. For some reason unknown to man, I have felt such a pull towards that country. I remember how I would huddle up in a corner of my hut where I had good internet reception (reseau) and do endless research on my phone until it ran out of battery, only to take it to the charging center and do it all over again the following day. I would read every article in Worldview on Economic and Agricultural growth pertaining to Cote D’Ivoire and fantasize about walking down the streets of Abidjan in a business suite and a cute pair of Tory Burch flats. But that is beside the point. The point here is, I was seduced by a people and place before I even set foot in it.
As we drove into the city of Abidjan, my jaws dropped to the floor like you would imagine an animé character's expression of awe. First, let me give you a little background about Cote D’Ivoire. Located on the Western Coast of Africa between Ghana and Liberia, she is shaped like a square. Once recognized as a model of stability during the first decade of the 21st Century, Ivory Coast was recently plagued by international conflict like its counterparts all over Africa. In 2002, an armed rebellion split the nation in 2 fractions.
For more than 3 decades, after independence, the leadership of Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Ivory Coast’s President was commended for its thriving economy and religious-ethnic harmony. All these milestones came to a halt when the late Robert Guei led a coup which toppled President Houphouet-Boigny’s successor Henri Bedie in 1999. The chaos that swept the nation destroying lives and cities, is a memory that will remain engraved in the minds of many for decades to come. 10 years ago the tension and tragedy was palpable but today, the people of Ivory Coast have put it all behind them. Today, they are focused on rebuilding the thriving economy and country they have always been proud of.
We came into the country through Ghana stopping to spend the night in Grand Bassam, a
beautiful beach town and former French colonial capital east of Abidjan. Yes it was very sketch and yes, there were blue and red mood lights and yes, it might have been a brothel but the service was great! The following day, bright and early, we drove into Abidjan where we stayed at a chouette (neat) little hotel in le Plateau “Le Sport”. The rooms were nothing short of quaint! The management was very helpful with directions and everything else we needed. They even helped us sell the famous Grey Goose Gaggle, sad, sad day it was. Later that night, we had Vietnamese food and played way too many games of pool at a mix club that replayed Drunk in Love at least 6 times. We danced like we just didn’t care, whipped our hair back and forth, pretended to be Rihanna singing to Diamonds and met the Montinique sisters…*side eye*, that is a story for another day lol. The Following day, we explored the Treichville market, visited the St. Paul’s cathedral where we enjoyed an amazing panoramic view of the city, got bottle service at a fancy night club and came really close to seeing P square.
The view from the top of St. Paul's Cathedral
As we danced in a circle to more Beyonce, Coupe Decale, old school Jay Z and random pop songs, I realized that these moments are what some people search for a lifetime and may never get to experience. I looked around me, and everything was perfect! I would give up anything to experience that feeling again.
Huge warning: Do not eat 5 mangos at a competitive pace or in what some may call an Ultimate Mango-Beer Contest! It really isn’t worth it, solid poo is to be cherished my friends.
- Clara
Trip stats:
- Total time in car: 108 hours
- Cheapest diesel: Benin (620 CFA/liter)
- Most expensive diesel: Conakry/ Siguiri (9,500 GNF/liter)
- Capitals visited: Conakry, Bamako, Ouagadougou, Contonou/ Porto-Novo, Lome, Accra
- Number of doppelgangers sighted: Lebanese Sean Cochrane seen at Room, Conakry, Guinea, Fred B at Amadine, Bamako, Julie in car in Ouaga, Tosten at De Niros, Ouaga, Dante Bugli at Oasis Beach Hotel
- Longest border crossing: 3 hours 30 minutes (Guinea - Mali)
- Shortest border crossing: 1 hours 05 minutes (Benin-Togo)
- Togo-Ghana boarder crossing debrief (1 hour 53 minutes):
- Stop 1 (Ghana) - Police stop - passports
- Stop 2 (Cote D'Ivoire) - show passports and visas, paperwork for the Goose
- Stop 3 (Cote D'Ivoire) - Cote D'Ivoire laissez-passer
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