abidjan highlights

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I can’t even begin to describe my excitement prior to going to Abidjan last week. I’ve been taking French lessons since January 2019 and apart from in class I haven’t been able to speak French in my everyday life. So going to Abidjan was going to allow me to speak French in every day life and I was over the moon. It was my first time in Ivory Coast so I was quite excited to explore.

Since I was there for a work trip I didn’t have a lot of time to explore during the week because I was locked in a workshop till the evening. On the weekend we had some time on Saturday to explore the city, before I get into the photos, here are some of the my insights on the little I saw of Abidjan:

  • Abidjan is not a cheap city! I knew about this before going but the prices still had me like whoa!
  • There is a lot of water. Looking at the map you can see that the city is made up of many islands, so we were crossing a lot of bridges.
  • People in Abidjan drive very nice cars. The road was filled with very fancy cars more than in other African cities that I’ve visited.
  • The people have a love for their country / flag – I saw the country’s flag being displayed all over the place and the flag’s colours being used as well.

Grand Bassam, Ivory Coast
We stayed in Grand-Bassam which is an old town 30 minutes away from Abidjan – the hotel had such lovely gardens!

St Peter's Cathedral - Abidjan

The streets of Abidjan
Driving around the streets of Abidjan – it reminded me of SA cities, there were quiet spaces and very busy spaces.

African Crafts Market - AbidjanAfrican Crafts Market - Abidjan
We went to a crafts market and did some shopping. I had an opportunity to flex my French with the vendors and I had so much fun bargaining in French (I usually despise bargaining for prices). One thing about these markets though is that they’re super similar – items that were sold here I had seen in the market in Kampala.

Beauty shot Abidjan
Just hanging out

Ankara print fabric Abidjan Ivory Coast
Ankara print fabric Abidjan Ivory Coast
Also went into a fabric shop with tons of different prints available! I don’t buy material anymore because I never use it.Les moutons de la pizza Grand BassamLes moutons de la pizza Grand Bassam
We had lunch back in Grand Bassam at a lovely restaurant called Les Moutons de la Pizza – the pizza was amazing and we all enjoyed our meals.

Les moutons de la pizza Grand Bassam
Les moutons de la pizza Grand Bassam
Les moutons de la pizza Grand Bassam
After our late lunch we went for ice-cream (I can never say no to ice-cream). It was such a relaxed place across the road from the pizza place by the river.The beach at Grand Bassam
We ended off the day with a walk on the beach, the waves were quite rough and freezing so I kept myself safely on the sand while my colleagues frolicked in the water.

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Nomali

    Tell me about this skirt bo! The city looks colourful af

    1. Lungi

      The skirt is from Mr Price – one of their recent collections with an SA designer. It’s not good quality though – the ends of the steps awaphethiwe so the threads are already running πŸ™

  2. Simpz

    Lol so funny how I also wanted to ask about the skirt, its beautiful If only I’d known I’d have sent moola for fabric. I need…

    1. Lungi

      It’s cute sona but the quality is questionable. Next time sis, I shall hook you up

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