A store employee washing the grocery baskets of dirt and dust before the store opened for the day. Click on the photos to see an enlarged version.

To stave off jet-lag and acclimate quickly, we had a full day planned for our first day in Abidjan, CI, leaving the Residence Touriste Hotel shortly after a satisfying breakfast of croissants, soft cheese, fresh fruit and omelets. After a stop at the local grocery store for water and picnic fare, we boarded our air-conditioned bus and headed out for the day.

Seeing Abidjan in daylight for the first time was an eye-opening experience. It is a large city: the streets are congested and traffic rules are treated more as suggestions than requirements; its urban neighborhoods are filled with construction projects in various stages of completion; and open air markets line the highway for miles – entrepreneurs selling anything from live chickens (housed by the hundreds in wooden coops) to reconditioned shoes.

Christina buying our bus’s supply of water and toilet paper.

Pedestrian street hawkers weave in and out of moving traffic holding up for display any number of random household goods, snacks and water, clothing and more. Looking at the wares from the window, many of us mused “at what point does one realize they need – fill in the blank (say, a full-length mirror), and roll down their window to buy one?”

Families and individuals young and old seemingly live and work along the roadside, and glimpses of daily life in dense boroughs could be seen down dusty orange alleyways as we drove along the highway. Since it was a school holiday, we were treated to the sight of many children playing or helping with family chores.

Deserving of their own special mention are the numerous gbaka buses – pronounced without the “g” weaving in and out of traffic, stopping by the roadside to pick up passengers and packed full with people, their packages and the occasional live goat tethered to the roof. Of particular interest were the ways in which gbaka buses are painted, featuring favorite athletes and entertainers, political personalities, and other themes. It wasn’t long before our group began playing a game, “who’d be on the back of YOUR gbaka bus?” Our bus often drew up alongside a gbaka bus, giving us a closer look at the crowded conditions and lack of amenities like air-conditioning many Ivorians endure just to get from one place to another. Like so many experiences on the trip, it was humbling to say the least.

Our first group photo outside of the Musée.

Our destinations for the day were the Musée des Civilisations de Côte d’Ivoire, a small museum offering a good overview of Ivorian history, colonialism, culture and tribes, and Parc du Banco, an immense preserve within the city where we enjoyed our picnic lunch and learned about the lush indigenous plants and trees while walking through the dense canopy. The fresh air and gentle walk served us well as most reported a good night’s sleep the following morning.

- Erika

Our 2020/2021 tour dates have been finalized!

Join us December 27, 2020 – January 13, 2021
Check out our proposed itinerary and stay tuned for registration and deposit details.

First Look, Flora and Fauna