Yamoussoukro - Abidjan - Grand Bassam

I am feeling somewhat sluggish this morning, after a bad sleep interrupted by several horrid nightmares. I grab some fresh French bread at breakfast and enjoy it with the Marmite I brought from home. David has a bowl of cereal, and as usual he has to ask for milk to go with it. This time the waitress brings out a huge bottle of milk from the kitchen, pours some into his bowl and takes it away again. It makes me wonder how the locals eat their cereal – there a several different types at the buffet.

Chocopops, one of David's favourites!

The road between the new capital (Yamoussoukro) and the old capital (Abidjan), is motorway (freeway) most of the way.

Don’t be fooled by the name or the sign, though, this is not a motorway as we know it. Yes, it has two lanes in each direction with a central reservation, but it does not have the same rules as the western equivalent. In fact, it appears to have no rules whatsoever.

In many places we see roadside stalls on the ‘hard shoulder’, and hawkers peddling their wares alongside the fast road.

Cyclists travelling in the same direction as us, and cyclist on the wrong side of the road.

Pedestrians crossing the road, and walking in the central reservation.

And walking on the hard shoulder in the opposite direction of the traffic.

Further along we come across an area where they are working on improving the road, and have set up a diversion.

This time we cross over to the opposite carriageway, and at least there are bollards (albeit rather far apart), unlike when we took this road in the opposite direction a week or so ago, when the first we knew about a diversion making the lanes two-way, was when we were faced with an oncoming vehicle on our side of the road.

Once we’ve passed (what Solo thinks is) the end of the roadworks, he crosses over the central reservation to rejoin the correct carriageway.

It doesn’t last long before we realise that Solo was a little premature.

Oops!

We get re-directed back onto the other side by a non-too-pleased worker

Of course, it is not that easy here, as we have to try and join a fast-moving line of traffic.

There is a lot more work being carried out, with some fancy machinery, before we are officially allowed back on the ‘right’ side.

Abidjan

We head straight for the airport where David goes in with Mathias to sort out the seats for tomorrow’s flight. Fifteen minutes later they are back, as the office is closed until 16:00.

To kill some time we head for Hotel Onomo (the airport hotel) for some lunch.

It has a funky, modern restaurant which is bright and spacious.

We both order the Crispy Burger, an impressive stack of meat, bread, cheese, bacon, sauces and salad. It is very enjoyable.

With still more time to spare before Brussels Airlines offices open, Mathias suggests doing a drive-through sightseeing tour of Abidjan.

After spending the last couple of weeks in rural Ivory Coast, I find the big city quite a culture shock. “Take me back to the villages, I don’t like big towns”, I say to Mathias, and he agrees (despite living in Yamoussoukro city himself).

Entertainment Arena near the airport

The Cathedral on the right, the architecture is said to symbolise a lying down elephant welcoming you with outstretched arms. The tower on the left is poised to be the tallest in Africa when it is finished.

The Cathedral was inaugurated by Pope John Paul II in 1985, and a statue was erected of him in the grounds.

The Presidential Palace

The port

Assoyam Beach Hotel

Our last night in Ivory Coast is to be spent in a beach hotel. The hotel consists of a number of individual cabins in the grounds – ours is in the second row from the beach and the one nearest the swimming pool.

Our cases being taken to the room

Our room

View from our room

The swimming pool

The hotel grounds

Time for a sundowner on the terrace

Sunset

While we are enjoying a Cuba Libre or two, we check in for tomorrow’s flight on the phone app, and discover that the staff at the airport earlier had kindly gives us 30 H & K – which is in the emergency exit row with extra leg room. The only problem is, they should never have given those seats to a disabled person. The moment the crew notices, they will move us somewhere else – and quite rightly too, you would want the person who has to help with evacuation to be able bodied. By the time we are actually on the plane, it may be too late to find another two spare H & K seats (the ones where I can stretch my left leg out), so the sensible thing is for us to change them now. Thankfully those seats are spare in row 42. Phew. You wouldn’t have thought that wanting those seats, in any row, would cause so much hassle. At least it is sorted now. (Post note: Little did we know...)

Dinner

We ordered our food earlier using the QR code in the restaurant – I am amused by the choice of desserts – “chocolate crispy cabbage”, and “White brown sugar”. I am intrigued whether it is just a ‘lost in translation’ situation, or whether they are really serving cabbage for dessert!

The QR Code

The dessert menu

My Confit of Duck is meltingly tender with a lovely tasty – and crispy – skin. Mash is always good in my book.

Despite ordering his steak rare, it arrives more like a medium, but according to David it is still good, “a decent piece of meat!” He also asked for a Roquefort sauce, but it came with a mushroom sauce. Not speaking French, and the staff not speaking much English, it is too much hassle to complain.

The chocolate ice cream for dessert more than makes up for any disappointment with the steak. At each hotel we have eaten, David has asked if they have ice cream, and every place it has been a “no”. Until now.

This the most touristy (domestic and foreign) place that we have been to so far. There is a big table next to us, full of corporate staff all wearing the same official T shirts. As someone who likes to make up stories about other people in restaurants, I think they are probably on an away-day, or maybe a conference for the highest sales people. They do not order from the menu like us, but help themselves from a buffet. There are many tables taken in the restaurant – I am guessing that this is a popular weekend retreat for rich locals and the ex-pat community, as many separate groups seem to know each other. I amuse myself with people-watching (and making up stories) for the rest of the evening.

David at our table with the beach behind

Thank you to Undiscovered Destinations and their local team for arranging this incredible adventure.