Welcome back to part 2 of our 3 country tour of West Africa. If you missed Part 1 (Senegal), here's the link.
For our second stop on our our West African tour we flew south from Senegal to Cote d'Ivoire (or Ivory Coast for all your francophobes out there). The name of the country in French is an obvious indicator that (like Senegal) it used to be a French colony. It later gained independence in 1960 like many other French holdings in the region. I was very disappointed to find out there are no elephants in CDI. Laaaaaame.
The first thing one from the north notices about Cote d'Ivoire is the heat. Yes, it was hotter in Senegal than we're used to Morocco; but after that 3 hour flight over Ebola country, and landing just 5 degrees off the equator, January doesn't feel like January anymore. (And I say this will all due consideration to some of our friends who may still be trapped in their house behind a wall of snow from Snowpocalypse 2015). It wouldn't be too bad if it weren't for the daily Doxycycline taken to prevent malaria with the unfortunate side effect of making one sensitive to heat and light. But enough whining and complaining. There's no time for that while traveling. Hot doesn't even describe it. Hot is NY in August. Hot is FL in June. This was stifling and gaross. And hits you like a ton of bricks. Our plane landed at 9 pm and it was just as hot as it was a 4 pm. January is part of their winter, after that comes the rainy season, and I hear that it just pours. All day, all night. Rain. So there is your weather lesson fro CDI. Sunny hot or rainy hot. I knew I should have been a meteorologist!
We stayed in the city of Abidjan, the largest city in the country, on the coast, and the de facto capital (though the official capital is Yamoussoukro to the north). I like to call Yamoussoukro, "The Town that Felix Built.") When Felix Houphouet-Boigny became the first president of newly independent Cote d'Ivoire, he wasted no promoting his country to the world by building impressive structures (that we visited) in his home town including the Basilica of Notre Dame de Paix (Peace) with no officially price tag but "the price of peace." (at least a couple mil.) As we visited this impressive replica of St. Peter's in the Vatican (taller actually), one cannot wonder how many roads, hospitals, irrigation projects, etc this money could have gone to. Still though, it was an impressive sight.
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| Column.....for scale |
Also on the agenda in Yamoussoukro was the Houphouet-Boigny Foundation, a large super-convention center used heavily in the 80's and 90's to resolve political and security issues between the new African states and the west. Ok, so we showed up thinking that we could walk around and take a look at the place. They offered tours, which was nice. But the guard was a little taken aback about our unannounced visit. I don't think many people go there, and that's sad. But anyway, our tour guide was great. Very knowledgeable about the facility and very very very proud. Very proud. I can honestly say I had no idea what I was looking at or who this Felix cat was, but by the end I understood. It is an impressive building and I can see why it would be used for state functions. But its doesn't get used much anymore. Hoping with the move upstate it will be used to its full capacity.
Of course being on "The Coast," we had to take in a beach day. So we headed east to Grand Bassam which served as the French Colonial capital back it the day until it was moved to Abidjan near the end of the 19th century. The old French colonial buildings are all still there though which was cool to see. Today, however, Grand Bassam is a tourist getaway with lots of hotels as well as restaurants and pools which the kid enjoyed (along with good seafood which we always enjoy.) We all got a well-deserved break in the middle of our hectic travels. Grand Bassam was my favorite part of CDI. Cool ocean breezes, a nice pool and quiet. Ahhhhhhh.
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| A officer of the Gendarmes sitting by the pool at the hotel talking on the radio. A sign of the lingering political insecurity that exists 4 years after the civil war hostilities? |
Cote d'Ivoire was at one point the "Paris of West Africa," cosmopolitan and bristling with hope and potential for growth. Then there was the civil war that followed the contested national elections of 2010. Today, it is a country faced with the task of rebuilding peace and reconciling it's past and present self. The people are proud and there is a feeling that something good is going to happen here soon, pending the outcome of this years elections.
So my PSA of Cote d'Ivoire. Its not one of my favorite places. I know that there is still a lot to see on our crazy year long adventure, but if CDI is on 'the list' anytime soon, I will pout. I know its what you make of it, but after visiting I see that there is not much to make of it. Power to all those that are living there and are making it work, but I know a lot of work went into it. The "rules" are a lot and I don't think that its very fair or fitting to bring a family to a place where there are so many restrictions and cautions to everyday life. Yes yes yes, the country went through a Civil War less than five years ago, I understand that. But I sometimes with the big Army would actually take a look at what is happening and take into account the quality of life that is associated with living in a certain place. Its so easy to live in your DC town home and commute on the Metro every morning to a nice office with hot coffee to make decisions for a family with small children to live in a country where it isn't safe for them to go out after dark. Or have their Service member be away for lengths of time to leave said family alone. Oh and spending time with the IRT family that is there now really helped shed some light on having an entire family there. And how important staying in touch is. And how important a consumables shipment can be. And how much I really do love getting mail.
Ok ok ok. Lemme just say this. Is Cote d'Ivoire the absolute worst place in the world, no. Of course I would be happy if we could be a whole complete family. We would make it work, but I hope that we don't have to. ((I am sure the PCS Gods have now set my fate in stone))
While visiting Cote d'Ivoire I noticed how nice we have it up here in Morocco. From now on I will not refer to myself as living in Africa. This is an extension of Spain. For realsies. Or as Ryan likes to call it, AfricaLite.
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