ABIDJAN’S NEW DOCK

We sailed thru the narrow, 1 mile long, Vridi Canal as the sun cracked the horizon with the Abidjan skyline off in the distance.  We moored at a new dock that has only been open for a few weeks.  There weren’t any structures on the dock and we weren’t allowed to walk out of the port.  There weren’t any taxis or signs of any independent tours on the dock – only the large, new buses for the HAL excursions.

SHUTTLE BUS

HAL offered a shuttle bus to an artist market:  CAVA Centre Artisanal de la Ville d’Abidjan.  There was confusing information about whether or not it would be open since it was Sunday, but as it turned out, it was open.  I talked to some people who visited the market and heard various opinions.  Most said it was a market typical of what you find in West Africa while others felt it was well below expectations and immediately returned to the ship.   No one reported feeling unsafe or threatened.

BRITISH SUMMER TIME

I wasn’t familiar with British Summer Time (BST) – until early this morning.  I was moving around the ship at 7 am and what was supposed to be open at 7 am was still closed.  I realized that I had set my iPhone to London time and early this morning they started BST and my iPhone advanced my clock.  Fortunately getting up earlier is better than getting up late – so lesson learned.  Later the Captain announced that the ship had a similar problem as some ship clocks were based on London time and some were not which caused some time synchronization issues.

GRAND BASSAM EXCURSION

We had originally planned another Across Africa Tour, but they canceled at the last second because their local vendor had become unresponsive.  A few weeks ago, all the HAL tours were sold out, but all the tours opened up as we go closer to our arrival.  Côte d’Ivoire is listed as Level 3 (reconsider travel) by the US State Department.

We decided to take the following HAL tour –

“From Abidjan to Colonial Grand Bassam”

“Departs: 9:00 AM (Waitlisted) Approximately 6 Hours Adult $209.95; Child $169.95

An hour’s drive east of Abidjan is the city of Grand Bassam — a late 19th-century colonial town and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will stop for photos at some of the historical sites, such as the old post office, Palais de Justice and Cathédral du Sacré Coeur — Ivory Coast’s oldest cathedral. Visit Maison des Artistes (House of the Artists). This building is a cooperative of craftsmen selling a beautiful array of paintings, masks, batik and woodwork. The center is doing a good job of preserving the artistic and cultural legacy of Grand Bassam, and you can support their work by purchasing one of the many souvenirs if you wish. A delicious lunch of traditional Ivorian food is served at one of the great local restaurants. Don’t miss a guided visit to the National Costume Museum, housed in an impressive Colonial-style building. This architectural gem is one of the main attractions in town. Explore their excellent collection of traditional clothing, masks, ornaments, and ethnographic photos for a fascinating insight to the culture and history of the Ivory Coast. Relax on the return drive to Abidjan.”

MEETING FOR THE TOUR

Our HAL tour met at 8:45 with a 9 am departure, but we have learned that most people go to the main stage as soon as they open and then head directly to the dock.  Ian made several announcements that people should wait in the theater until their group was called, but when you looked down on the dock, you could see all the tour buses were already there so most people ignored this and proceeded directly to the buses.  Consequently, the people who waited as instructed were only left with the least desirable seats.  (Note: The bus seating was 3 seats on one side with 2 on the other).

We didn’t see many people using the excursion tickets on their phones as simply scanning your room key is easier and faster.

Our tour left at 9:05 and we headed east toward Grand Bassam.  The roads were very modern with many cranes and other signs of construction everywhere.  We passed a large BMW dealership along the way and there were other signs of wealth, although the run-down and dilapidated housing near the airport presented a stark contrast.  There were several interesting statues we passed along the way as well.

ARRIVE AT GRAND BASSAM

We arrived at Grand Bassam around 10 am and stopped to pick up a specialized guide required by UNESCO for tour groups of our size.  Grand Bassam is a historic coastal town located in the southeastern region of the Ivory Coast.  The town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the first French colonial capital of Ivory Coast and played a significant role in the country’s history.

Our first stop was the Grand Bassam Lighthouse where we had 15 minutes to take some photos.  The tour buses had two sets of stairs which made getting on and off faster, but the aft door required the use of some very steep steps.  Many people used the forward door to avoid these steeper stairs.

We stopped for a restroom break at the nearby Etoile du Sud which is where we would have lunch later.

The Grand Bassam Royal Palace was our next stop.  We were off the bus for 15 minutes and took a few pictures.  There was one large interior room which is used for conferences or classes.

NATIONAL COSTUME MUSEUM

Our next stop was The National Costume Museum of Grand-Bassam.  This museum is responsible for preserving and promoting the Ivorian clothing heritage and is housed in an old building built in 1893 that served as the governor’s residence.  The collections consist of traditional costumes, models of traditional habitats, photos and other exhibits.  There are two floors and the costumes are displayed on mannequins inside glass cases.  Our guides conducted tours thru the museum but we decided to explore on our own.  There was a small craft market on the ground floor next to the museum.

LUNCH

After the museum, we returned to the Hotel Etoile du Sud, for a nice buffet lunch set up outside under tents.  Beer or soft drinks were included.  The food choices included grilled chicken, fish, and a beef kabob along with rice, vegetables, and salad.  The food was very good and we were here for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

CATHEDRAL

Our final stop was the Cathédral du Sacré Coeur, a rather modest church, that was in use since today was Sunday so we were not able to go inside.  The bus dropped us off on one end of the street and we walked to the other end where the bus was waiting to take us back to the Zuiderdam.

EXCURSION SUMMARY

It would have been nice to be able to get off the bus and explore the town on our own, but this wasn’t possible so we had to settle for three brief photo stops with 30 minutes at the Costume Museum.  We spent 6 hours on the bus with only about 1 hour off the bus exploring or taking pictures and another hour for lunch.  If you want to see Grand Bassam, I would consider other options if available.

A different HAL Excursion, “Banco National Park”, received rave reviews from a few people we spoke with afterward.

SPORTS NIGHT

Tonight was Sports Night on the Zuiderdam – with the dress code listed as “Sporty.”  Everyone was encouraged to wear their favorite team’s sports jersey and participate in a variety of sports-related events in the evening.  The main event was Sports Night Trivia on the World Stage with Ian.  Nyron was the DJ and Chris from the Dance Band provided accompanying organ music like you might hear at a ballpark.  Special happy hour drinks were available at the entrances to the theatre along with popcorn.

The World Stage was about 1/3 full.  This was not a normal trivia game with teams and people keeping score.  Ian would display a large image on the screen that depicted some aspect of a sport.  Ian would ask a question and people who thought they knew the answer would raise their hand and hope to be called upon.  You were disqualified if you raised your hand too soon or shouted out the answer.  Ian’s commentary keep the event fun and light and everyone got into the spirit.  The Captain made an appearance toward the end sporting a jersey that I didn’t recognize.

Most of the questions involved recognizing certain teams’ jerseys, knowing the names of world champions in smaller sports, or being able to list all the different colored Judo belts.  I won one question when I knew the three different events of fencing:  Epee, Foil, and Saber

Other events this evening included:  Majority Rules Game Show – Sports Edition

Sports Commentary Challenge

Sports Night Party – Dance to the hits