World
Urban Forum Cote
d'Ivoire Articles by
Jerry W. Bird Cameroon:
Africa in One Country Air Highways
Travel "With
some 10.000 participants from over 100
countries, the Third Session of the World
Urban Forum paved the way for a new drive
forward on the international urban agenda
in a world of rapidly growing
cities." Cote
d'Ivoire: From the Paris of Africa to its
elegant Roman Cathedral What's
more, the place never seems to close -
allowing us to visit well into the wee
hours. Thus, Abidjan's "Lobster Villa"
became our staging point for one of the
most event-filled weeks in my lifetime. At
the time there was a major renovation and
expansion of Mr. Gakpo's Beach Hotel in
progress. For reservations and information
phone (011) 225-27-40-86, fax
225-211-08 Meeting
Therese Haury was another milestone. Like
Mother Teresa of another era, this travel
agent extraordinaire is dedicated to
helping Ivorian villagers equip and supply
local health clinics. Her souvenir- filled
residence overlooks Abidjan, the Paris of
West Africa. I plan to devote an issue to
the elegant new homes and modern lifestyle
I saw emerging, as this young giant of a
city, the Paris of Africa, enters the new
millennium. During
my first visit to the hotel, Manager Peter
Janssen suggested we visit the 'basilica'
at Yamoussoukro (the capital). Air Afrique
showcased this 'wonder of the world' on
Africa Travel Magazine's back cover in
1996, the same year as our trip. "You've
come this far," I told myself, "why not go
all the way?" So, when the sun rose over
the coconut palms at Lobster Village the
next morning, I decided, rather than fly
or drive, we'd 'go native' and purchase
tickets on the local bus. Indiana
Jones in Abidjan: A taxi took us to the
bus station at Adjame, which was like
something out of a Bogart or Indiana Jones
movie - mingling crowds, a cacophony of
sounds, street vendors everywhere - even a
special room for the Muslim population to
perform its ritual prayers. I didn't know
it then, but there are several classes of
buses available, and we chose the bargain
version, a half day milk run, with
countless stops and some unexpected
adventures, which in retrospect made the
journey more memorable. Speaking
of classic, grandiose settings,
Yamoussoukro's basilica, a replica of St.
Paul's Cathedral in Rome, lived up to its
billings in the Air Afrique advertisement.
Palatial grounds and marble columns gave
it a regal presence - and 36 giant giant
stained-glass windows, splashed a
kaleidoscope of colors across the
interior, in changing patterns. We vowed
to spend at least one Christmas week in
Cote d'Ivoire, to hear the choir and enjoy
the blend of traditional European and
exotic West African music. I
congratulated myself for turning over my
camera to a local volunteer who stayed by
our side for almost two hours. That way,
for $30 US, we were free to take in the
atmosphere, and visit every corner of one
of Christianity's most awesome sites,
while he recorded the occasion for
posterity and future publication such as
this. From these 36 treasured photographs,
we have enough images to produce a fine
coffee table style book. With much more to
see and do in Abidjan, we chose a speedy
bus for the return trip. Jerry
W. Bird is
the Editor of Africa Travel Magazine. He
is also editor of two Aviation/ Travel
Magazines, Air Highways and WingSpan.
(http://www.airhighways.com) Muguette
Goufrani,
Africa Travel Magazine's Francophone
Editor covers West African destinations
and events in detail. Her native language
is French and she has lived in five West
African countries, working for Air
Afrique, Royal Air Maroc and Citroen. As a
Travel Agent, she worked in North Africa,
where her family operates an inbound tour
company, and later in Tahiti and Cambodia.
Muguette has been a partner in the
magazine since it was founded in 1995.
E-mail
Muguette
with your travel experiences in Cote
d'Ivoire and other West African
destinations. We welcome your
input.
Africa's
Cities
Gateways
to Tourism
Africa's
Mayors
Who's
Who?
Africans
On Video
Grass
Roots
Famine
Relief
Photos
Abidjan
Best
of Africa
Cuisine
Dream
Place
News
Update
Map
Sassandra
Tourism
Ministry
Best
of Africa
Angola:
Land of Diamonds
Ghana:
Golden Experience
Hands
Across the Ocean
Capsules
by
Jerry W. Bird
Having
heard our Associate Editor Muguette
Goufrani sing the praises of her life and
times in Cote d'Ivoire and other West
African countries, I was full of
anticipation as we boarded the Air Afrique
jet at the Cotonou, Benin Airport, bound
for the legendary Ivory Coast. As
serendipity plays a big part in many of my
African journeys, the first Ivorian we
chanced to meet en route was a Mr. Gakpo,
"The Lobster Man of Abidjan" (a possible
song title), who kindly invited us to stay
at his seaside inn the following week.
That opportunity was a special treat for
several reasons, one being that the Inter
Continental Hotel Ivoire was full to the
rafters and rooftops, due to an
Africa-wide financial summit. I'll never
forget Mr. Gakpo's stadium sized outdoor
dining area, open to the moist Atlantic
bre
ezes,
and topped by a traditional West African
thatched roof. While wining, dining and
cracking red lobster shells, one can watch
the ever-present fishing boats bobbing up
and down in the waves, in search of fresh
seafood for tomorrow's table.
Photo of the Atlantic coast, courtesy of
Best of Africa Hotel. Photo below courtesy
of Haury Tours< Abidjan.
We
visited every district by taxi, which
proved to be a relatively low cost mode of
travel. Haury Tours operates two travel
agency offices - one in the central lobby
of Abidjan's 750- room Inter *Continental
Hotel Ivoire (below right). Yamoussoukro
the Capital
Arriving at Yamoussoukro, the elegant
Hotel President, another Inter
*Continental, became our center for a taxi
tour of the city. After a refreshing lunch
of aloco (bananas, onions and grilled
fish), foutou (yams) topped by an icy
cold, long-necked bottle of Flag beer at a
local 'maquis,' (open air restaurant) we
drove by the walled Houphouet- Boigny
residential palace. Its version of a moat
is a series of ponds occupied by a horde
of hungry crocodiles. What a fantastic
setting for the next James Bond or Indiana
Jones movie.