Abidjan

We sailed into the Abidjan lagoon through a canal constructed in 1960 to connect the city to the Atlantic Ocean. Abidjan is the economic capital and largest city in Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire), a city of 4 million people, supposedly famed for its mix of colonial buildings and new construction... but it's also the dirtiest and least developed city we have visited, with rubbish everywhere and dirt roads with shanty housing butting onto the main highway.

We toured the city as well as the former capital of Bingerville, traveling from the port in a convoy of buses, surrounded by about a dozen policemen on motorcycles whose job it was to stop traffic at every intersection and roundabout, lights and sirens blaring all day (we also had 2 ambulances follow the convoy all day).

First stop was St. Paul's Cathedral, with a capacity of 3,500 seated and another 1,500 standing (still nowhere near the largest church in Africa... not even the largest church in Côte d'Ivoire - the cathedral in the capital, Yamoussoukro, holds 18,000)

Next door, still under construction, is Tour F (Tower F), which will be the tallest building in Africa when it's completed in 2026.

We visited an art museum, an orphanage, the Botanic Gardens, and finished the day at a large art and craft market.

Another late lunch after 3pm, then a light tea in the Italian restaurant before a Michael Bublé tribute act in the main theatre.Baca selengkapnya