26th August 2008 – Grand Bassam, Cote d’Ivoire
I get to see more of Grand Bassam today. The main hospital, Cote d’Ivoire Telecom offices, the Police, market square, taxi park, and every other thing typical with a small town in a west African country. One thing sets Grand Bassam apart though, it once served as the capital of Cote d’Ivoire during the colonial era and so one can see several of the old buildings erected during the colonial times. Whilst some are well maintained and still in use, the rest are dilapidated and ruined.
Most of the old structures I was told, have a story behind them in that some history about the past of Cote d’Ivoire took place in these structures and it is a deliberate policy of recent government to keep the buildings as historical monuments but I think keeping the buildings in good condition would serve that purpose better. That should make them a real tourist attraction.
Coming from Ghana, I don’t find the food around here much different. The only point is, they taste differently from what I am used to; possibly because they were prepared differently. The main ingredients, I reckon, are similar. I had a taste of fufu, groundnut soup and some ‘bush meat’. The fufu is more yellowish. I assume more plantain was added to the cassava used in preparing the meal. There was also, aloko. Aloko is a dish of fried plantain served with sauce and boiled eggs. A delicacy if you asked me.
There is music in abundance every night as many people unwind over beer after a day’s work. Though soukous ndombolo, performed by Awilo Longomba, Aurlus Mabele, Koffi Olomide is more widely played, I did hear some music from Nigeria and Ghana.
Life is slow and easy in Grand Bassam. No one seems to be in a hurry.
Based on your pictures, their Roads appear to be in good shape. Is this a widespread phenomenon in Ivory Coast?
Well, its hard to say. I visited Abidjan and Grand Bassam only. I can’t tell about the rest of Cote d’Ivoire.