Introduction To This Ivory Coast Blog

This blog is about Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire), a fascinating country I had the good fortune to visit in November 2007. I had met some people on the Internet and for several had corresponded with them from my home in Northern California. Finally I decided that since I wanted to take a photographic expedition, because I needed something of a change and a vacation, and because I would be able to assist these folks in getting better known all over the world with my photography, I would take a trip there.

In October 2007, I flew from JFK Airport in New York via Emirates Airlines. Having spent more than a deade some years back in the travel business when I took innumerable trips to many distant places, I can tell you that Emirates proved to be a wonderful airline that greatly exceeded my expectations. The journey to Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire did, however, seem endless. After crossing the Atlantic, we flew across the Sahara to Dubai, where we had an 8-hour layover. We then went on, again via Emirates, to Accra, Ghana, stopped briefly, and then continued on to Abidjan.

Later, in October 2008, I returned to Cote d'Ivoire. Photos from both trips are mixed through this blog. This second time I took Air France from JFK to Paris, changed planes and boarded a flight from Paris to Abidjan. Coming from California, where I started my voyage in San Francisco, made this an entirely too long a trip to do in one stretch. Next time around I shall overnight in Paris -- see my relatives there -- and try to get a little rest before continuing on.

Arriving in West Africa makes one feel as though he has been living all his life in a black-and-white movie and has suddenly been thrust into a Technicolor world. The colors everywhere seem more vivid than they do at home. And people dress more colorfully, too.

With that introduction, let me show you a few of the sights I saw during both my stays.

More Photos From the Abissa

The Abissa, an 11-day celebration that includes singing, dancing, the honoring of chiefs, and an appearance by the King and the Queen Mother, offers an incredible opportunity to take lots of great photos. Here are the first few in the series I took in Oct-Nov 2008.

On the Beach in Cote d'Ivoire

We drove several hours from Abidjan to a coastal area that a while ago had been a thriving resort. Iwas told that before the start of the rebellion, frequent charters from Italy used to bring hundreds of tourists here. Now, of course, there are no tourists. One passes empty resort after empty resort. A few people come out from Abidjan to spend the weekends here, but certainly noit enough to sustain many of these accommodations.

How long it will take for the tourist business to regenerate is anybody's guess. In a recent phone conversation I asked a friend how the tourist business was shaping up and he replied,. "The last one departed this past November for California." He was referring to me.

The U.S. and British embassies still issue these dire warnings about how unstable the country is, and tell travelers not to visit Cote d'Ivoire unless it is absolutely necessary. In large measure, these embassies are responsible for the present hibernation of Cote d'Ivoire's tourist industry.

This is a shame. The country has warm friendly people, fascinating cultures, fine French food, and lots of things to see -- wildlife preserves, the largest Catholic cathedral in the world, a cocoa industry, a growing rubber industry. I'm on my way back this there this October.

The Largest Catholic Cathedral in the World

Early November, 2007

Would you believe that the largest catholic cathedral in the world is in Yamosoukro, the capital of Cote d'Ivoire ? It is bigger than St. Peters. I was told by a guide that it has been full only two times, once for the Basilique's consecration by the Pope and another time for the funeral of Cote d'Ivoire's first president, Houphouet Boigny.

All the photos here date from early November, 2007. I am not posting these accounts and photos each day as events actually happen. I am writing and posting almost a year later. The official Google dates of the blog poasts have been changed because that is the only way I have been able to order my posts in some kind of coherent narrative about what I found in this West African nation.