Côté d’Ivoire: Grand-Bassam

Grand-Bassam, which was briefly the capital of the Ivory Coast, is a UNESCO WHS due to it “… being an example of a late 19th and early 20th century colonial architecture and town-planning.” While some buildings have been restored and repurposed, unfortunately a great many of them have fallen into ruin due to lack of funds for restoration work.

The city was abandoned due to a yellow fever epidemic in 1896 that killed 3/4ths of the population. In fact, one of the places where we stopped for a photo-op was the memorial in tribute to those who lost their lives in that epidemic. A good thing the window next to my seat was fairly clean as there was no getting off the bus at the memorial … nor anywhere else, really.

Being unable to get out and walk in Grand-Bassam was very disappointing. I had expected that the three hours of walking mentioned in the O tour description meant we’d be seeing the old capital on foot not on a drive-by. But thinking on it later, I could understand why we didn’t get off the bus. Where would you but 6 bus loads of people? The streets were packed with both vehicles and people. There were no sidewalks to speak of. And where there was a place to walk, much of the space was taken up by stalls … and the locals frequenting them.

We did get off in two places. The first was at a craft market … of course. Mui and I rarely shop when we are traveling, so we used the time to take photos of the colorful handmade items that had most of our fellow passengers reaching for their wallets.

The second stop was at the former Palace of the Governor, which was built in 1893 and served as the home of four leaders. It now houses the National Costume Museum. Again, not many photos … this time because the glass exhibit cases were filthy and the glare from the lights not conducive to photography. I did enjoy the colorful fabric displays, however.

Before leaving Grand-Bassam, we were taken for our lunch break at Assoyam, a resort on the beach. Mui and I are not eating off the ship in West Africa … a precaution against GI issues. But we had a plan to while away the time while our tour mates enjoyed their meal … Mui was going to swim and I was going to enjoy some quiet time.

Alas, although the tour description said that swimming was possible, signs on the beach stated that swimming was prohibited. Actually, the rough surface was all we needed to see for Mui to be dissuaded from taking a dip. No strolling on the beach either as we didn’t feel like dealing with all the hawkers who were lined up just outside the cordoned off section of the beach.

Overall, I’d have to say that this tour was a bust for us in many ways. That said, we appreciated the glimpses we got of the daily life of the locals … and it was interesting to feel the current-day vibe of Grand-Bassam and imagine how it differed from colonial times. West Africa, we’ve been warned, is a “different” experience … a cultural experience. You accept it as you see it.Read more