Two New Years!

I left Ayame for Assouinde beaches again much to everyone's disgust in Ayame! They wanted me to spend New Years with them but I'd promised the gang in Assouinde that I'd return, plus I spent New Years in Ayame last year!

So New Years was a fairly quiet affair till the early hours. Stupidly Mino a Lebanese/Spanish friend and I got put to work by Arsene to sell tickets to his party on the beach in front of his hotel .. So the two of us celebrated on our own at a little table prior to the entrance until 3am getting the staff to bring us drinks whilst we sold tickets to juvenile Lebanese kids. These kids were completely drunk and tearing up and down through the coconut trees on quads and their parents vehicles, one Mercedes and a 4x4 met with coconut trees on separate incidents that night and were written off!!!

Mino was sharing a room at Jardin D'Eden, Arsene's hotel, with another couple and the DJ who didn't turn up till after midnight. I was heading back to my pailotte (beach shack) to sleep to then discover that a whole family had managed to get in and were squatting in it! I ended up on a beach lounger on the shore watching the remains of the fires along the shore that light up the coast of the Cote d'Ivoire from Ghana to Liberia. We had three such bonfires in front of the hotel & my beach shack - I watched the sun come up over the Atlantic, a lovely start to the New Year. Then went for a dip before claiming my beach shack again for an hours sleep only to be disturbed by the guardian waking me wanting to do some work on it!!!

I headed back to Ayame on 2nd January for the second party, the Mayor's wife is from a village 8km away and has a successful maquis (bar) there. Originally I didnt know exactly which village it was in and Marcel was offering me a lift there on the back of a scooter at 10pm. From my past experience of night time driving being on the back of a scooter without a helmet didnt exactly go down well with me ... So I scoured Ayame (population of 14,000- 60% unemployment) for a vehicle, I eventually discovered Marcel's older brother had returned from his taxi duties with a minibus so begged him to drive me there.

On arrival I discovered that I'd been put next to the mayor as the token 'blanche' on his table next to a few others who I'd met at the Christmas reception and a few had come from Abidjan!. The mayor made me dance which of course went down too well and I had trouble getting back to my table being held hostage on the dance floor for 15mins or so!!! I fell asleep very shortly afterwards in a comfortable white plastic chair till Philippe drove me back to Ayame with his wife!

I left the next day with Philippe and his wife for Abidjan and got back to my friends house where the maids aunt, who works next door, tutted about my arrival as the house hadn't been cleaned since I'd left. She soon had her niece show up who I gave a ton of dirty laundry to do as well!!! Debra had malaria over Xmas/new year apparently - Im not so sure, after lots of exchanges about her lovely new hair do!!!

So I spent some time working, using my friends office in Angre, being looked after by the guys there and his business partner's wife who is their administrator. Interestingly I found that my neighbour in the compound is a Libyan diplomat and having postponed twice I went for dinner with him, I was shocked by the with all the wine & beer he'd bought!

Two days later I was invited by my BBC friend and his wife to eat at her wonderful new restaurant in Abobo. We were joined by the new Reuters guy who had only been here a fortnight having just spent the last two years in Baghdad thinks its complete paradise in comparison! We had a long interesting discussion on W.African politics and the role France plays here ... or stirs might be more to the point!

Essentially my days in Abidjan were spent working and catching up with friends in the evenings. I was very fortunate to have a base there this time and got to know Abijdan a little better.

Four Christmas' & the christening of Adjoba

I spent a few days in Abidjan with my friend who has a business there, I needed time to come to terms with what had happened on the trip down, although I was dying to get to the orphanage to see the kids.

Spent a Sunday afternoon at his company's staff Christmas party, very funny with one of the guys saying prayers - which consisted of a plea for increased sales and a better profit margin whilst his business partner was quietly puffing on a cigar. It was like something out of a comedy sketch!! We had a great meal of goat, egg salads + rice etc

Unfortunately the next day I fell sick. I got serious stomach cramps every 30mins or so. My friend had given me the keys to his house in Abidjan to stay there whilst he went to see family in Europe. With the cramps getting stronger I decided to get a few taxis to Bassam to stay with my US/Ivorian friends where he tried to insist I see the doctor - but living on vimto, water and pots of charcoal pills I made a good recovery!

Being back in Bassam was great, saw the kids who were in the middle of lunch when I turned up, they do have table manners and arent allowed to leave the table till they've all finished but by sticking my head around the corner of a wall to see them eating I caused mayhem to their lunch as they all scrabbled to get out of their places and knocked me over for a hug!!

I went to their Christmas party two days later and finally managed to speak to the Colonel of the 4eme parachute regiment from France to arrange transport of stuff to Cote d'Ivoire. However he didn't promise anything but at least I know how to go about it now and have his support!

It was strange, so many people saw me in the street and came up to me and said hello and welcome back to Bassam. Even some Rasta guy who came out of a shop to try to get me to buy his tour on the lagoon finally caught up with me, saw my face and apologised saying 'welcome back' instead. One morning I was on the side of the road when a taxi came past with the passenger yelling 'Abidjan' at me - normal occurence but having signalled 'no' to them, it stopped 100m from me. Out of the drivers seat popped Eme a driver I use from the beach (50km further on), came running over to greet me and ask how the trip from Burkina was whilst his passengers were all waiting to continue onto Abidjan!!! Yet again people are so open and welcoming!

I left Bassam for the beach. Found some idiot taxi driver who refused to take me the last 3km, so I asked around for someone else but they were all asking ridiculous prices so I sat on the side of the road with my phone and rang Eme who was 2hrs away on another Abidjan trip. Somehow word spread and a little white C15 van pulled up in front of me with a young guy that I sort of recognised. It was Adama who had been sent to get me, driving back into the village past little Ama's mothers stall I got a big shout of 'welcome back'.

Arsene and his brother Mark are Burkinabe that Ive known for a few years, Adama is their cousin. Ive been sending them clients for their two hotels and when I turned up Arsene told me that I had a room for free and wasnt staying in 'my' beach shack this time - I spent Christmas day with them all. Arsene and a friend of his who has businesses in Abidjan sat me down at the table at 9am on Christmas morning and I asked for a coffee - I got a Jack Daniels!!! After lots of complaining I got my morning coffee and then helped them finish a few bottles of red wine prior to 1pm! I spent the day between the maquis and beach then decided to have a bit of a rest when I heard lots of screaming ...

It turned out a girl had been on the back of the only jet ski on the beach and came off, she was wearing a life jacket luckily. She had been bobbing about near the jet ski whilst the guy riding it was trying to get it re-started; suddenly the rip tide got her and dragged her out to sea - the speed at which she apparently went out was alarming. Being Ivorian she couldnt swim like many there, but she somehow got herself back to shore and out of the rip - she was very very lucky!!!

I left the beach on 26th to go to Ayame and meet a baby who was born at the end of April and named after me! She wasn't there!! However the Mayor of Ayame had called me Christmas night and I'd promised to return. I took a new friend with me for the day, she had flown in from Abuja with her husband and friend on their first visit to Cote d'Ivoire. Unfortunately I'd not thought to remind her about her passport so we had problems with the gendarmes on the way up there who were after money, a wife and a cigarette in that order. I gave them a cigarette and then called the Mayor of Ayame for help!!!


On arrival I got a massive welcome and returned to Lucas' motel. The Mayor told me to be at his house at 5pm; he had organised a Christmas reception for me, cocktails; meal and then back to the village for more partying with all the crowd I had met last year. The Mayor of Ayame re-named me 'Adjoba' , my Agni (Akan, southern CI language) name which everyone there used, took a while to get used to it!!! It means I was born on a Wednesday having googled it, I was born on a Thursday!!


I was stunned by his generosity and worked on a plan with him and the elders to eradicate Ayame of plastic bags which drive me mad. Ive got a few people working on figures to find out the cost of material and thread, to make their own cotton bags and create a little cottage industry here that will be self-funding. The Mayor will make Ayame a 'sachette free-zone' so that everyone will have to use the cotton bags and the plan is to spread this throughout the Sud-Comoe region via him

An update ...

Things have moved on ...

First of all, TAP haven't sorted out my claim yet ... but I won't rant on this time! Just remember that when you're next booking your flight somewhere!

The children all had excellent results at the end of the summer term. They're all healthy & happy. I owe an enormous thank you to N.Tse an old friend from Hong Kong who generously sent them a large sum of money which managed to pay the water bill amongst other necessities. I am currently awaiting an e-mail for confirmation of a donated 9-seater minibus, fingers crossed it happens; I will be driving it down later this year loaded with other donations given to me. I had a shock the other day returning home. Found a note with 40euros inside, for the children, spend it wisely! So kind!

In Ayame, my friends have had a third daughter and named her after me! They're waiting for me to return for her christening and she becomes my fifth godchild! In Abengourou, Leopold who desperately needed a job, seems to have secured a role with my European friend's company which I'm thrilled about! In Jacqueville, 'la blanche' has found the man of her dreams & is moving to be near Bassam, which will make it easy to visit her! I'm very happy for her! During the summer I met an Ivorian guy in a restaurant in Montpellier; he works for Studio 225 and gave me a lot of Gohou DVDs to see what I think. He's also agreed to arranged for some of the children to visit the studios in Abidjan; amazing what can be achieved from afar.

I, meantime, await my return ... sooner rather than later I hope; just depends on work!

Another Christmas & New Year in West Africa

Christmas was great; started on 23rd for me with a great party at the centre with Noel celebrations. The kids were super excited as Pere Noel (in the form of Etienne, one of the guys in the Abidjan office) was coming and I had promised to spend the night at the centre with the kids. I was presented to all and sundry; sat between the Mayor of Bassam and the King of Old Bassam whilst trying to butter up the representatives of the 43eme regiment from France to bring out more stuff to the orphanage for me!!!

Decided to head down to Assouinde on 24th to see Ivorian & Burkinabe friends there. The journey started well; got a taxi to Samo from the Grand Bassam gare routiere. However as I got out and held the door open with my leg (as you do with old bangers!) and got a rusty nail in the side of my leg! Blood streaming out I sat on the side of the road with my bits of a first aid and sewing kits putting myself back together! Lots of expats and Lebanese drove past in flash cars and when I finally stood up I had an offer of a lift from two Ivorian guys - wish I hadnt turned it down - it took another hour to get the taxi filled before we were on the move!

The guys in Assouinde were disappointed Dani wasnt with me, even little Ama now known as 'Princesse' Ama asked where she was! But they were all as kind as ever, spent 4 great days at the beach, listening to an endless collection of reggae, drinking too many Flags, getting meals from strange men who were eating at the maquis and lots of attention from Ama who I met last year who's now 5 and grown!! Spent just about every night at Dani's favourite nightclub, Blue Marin!!!

I headed off rather sadly for Ayame, a town that sits on the edge of a lake which has the second largest dam in CI and produces a lot of electricity. Got a taxi in Samo from Assouinde where a lady told me I have feet like Mme Gbago (Presidents wife) - it was meant as a compliment but Im dying to find a photo of her feet!!! I had a good laugh over that one!

In Ayame I got out of the taxi + pounced on by the deputy mayor who took me to an auberge for 4000CFA and completely under his wing with a group of friends of his. Lovely spot but it was soo hot, everyone was complaining and Ayame was no exception!!! They would not let me leave before New Years Eve, even rang the Mayor in Abidjan to tell him of my arrival. The deputy Mayor's wife who became a good friend; cooked meals daily for me and refused payment - another prime example of Ivorian attitude!

On New Years Eve, he and I went to Aboisso for me to use the internet and send an email and for him to do some banking! We were driven there by a mad elderly Italian nun, Sister Ana who was 80-odd apparently, lived in CI for 35yrs and would rival any Formula 1 rally driver, overtaking on blind bends with the horn pressed hard! I said my prayers that morning for the first time in a very long time!

New Years started around lunchtime New Years Eve and finished sometime around 10pm New Years day, I did manage to get some sleep; non-stop music, food, dancing ... it was all a bit mad.

New Years Day I was invited to the Mayors house for a champagne breakfast ... had an interesting chat with him about people I know in Cote d'Ivoire!!! He took me off to meet the village elders as on 31st the village chief had died, weird being sat next to the mayor on the best chairs the elders could provide us, discussing the arrangements for the chief's burial; very sad time ... women were crying endlessly ...

I finally left Ayame in a minibus to go the 66km up to Binouan, the first 15km was tarred then it turned into piste, lots of snakes around ... then horror of horrors, a truck just like the one I got in
Guinea had just overturned in front of us .. held us up a bit whilst they arranged a winch around a tree to pull it upright again, luckily the driver wasn't hurt! Made my heart pound a little!!!