The Elephants Nest, Grand Bissam, Abidjan.

I have heard about the Elephants Nest as a meeting place for Overland Travellers and decided early that I would head over there and have a look for myself. It’s only 41km outside of the city at Bassam so I thought that I would have a little walk to start the day. I could have just grabbed a taxi but I wanted to see a little more, so off I went.

The walk was pretty good at first, stepping out on the town streets and taking in the days activities. Very soon I took a wrong turn and found myself walking through a ghetto, probably not the best place to be walking but it was hot as usual and I could see a large road down the hill in the distance.

I created quite a stir, I don’t think many white folk come here and all eyes were on me. I stride through with confidence, nothing else I could do really. The ghetto was roughly constructed on the site of a rubbish dump, it was easy to see this as the whole ground had discarded clothes and the inevitable plastic hanging out of the earth absolutely everywhere. 

It didn’t feel totally comfortable I could see the road in the distance down a very steeply sloped hillside and that’s where I headed, I could here people calling to each other, it felt like I was being announced with groups of people coming to have a look.

I walked with a purpose and eventually I reached the road which to be honest, was a relief. Joining the road the drains from the hello sluiced straight into the road below, all manner of festering detritus stagnating in pools on the roadside.

I was pleased to have seen the ghetto but of course was also glad to have got through without incident, these places can be very dangerous for foreigners but for me it went without incident. It was interesting to see how poor people are forced to live, I’m glad I don’t have to resort to accommodation like that though.

Continuing with my walk the heat is rising, I walk though an industrial area and out towards the main road, next obstacle is a police checkpoint who stop me and ask where I’m going, I point up the road and continue which is met with protest from the police. I stand firm when they direct me in another direction and stick with my plan. I have a route planned on my phone so I stick with that. 

The walkabout continues and I’m starting to think about a taxi, I try a local bus but my language barrier results in confusion so I carry on walking. After about 6km I reach a busy area of the city and call a cab. I showed the driver where I was heading, again there is some confusion but we agree that I will direct him and he will just drive. 

We are straight into heavy traffic and I’m boiling hot for a change, the town is bustling with activity and there are street sellers everywhere as we negotiate the traffic innumerable products are thrust through the windows in pushy sales attempts. I don’t really need a shelf unit or  toilet brush or indeed a massive carpet but the sellers keep coming. 

The road opens up and we get a little airflow this is short lived as we are stopped at traffic lights and the hoards of sellers swarm around the cars again and again. Most are happy and smiling but what a way to earn a living, I didn’t see them make a single sale.

Finally we turn towards Bassam and all of a sudden the toad is completely empty! 

Driving alongside the coast the views are lovely and the airflow very welcome. We stay on this road for pretty much the rest of the journey and soon arrive at the destination. I can’t see the place but I paid the driver and try to find it on foot. Amazingly the Elephants Nest was exactly where I was dropped by the taxi, there’s no sign but I peep through the walls and spot an Overland camper, this must be it!

I bang on the compounds steel gates and events woman comes out through an adjacent gate and lets me in.

This place is lovely, I’m given a seat and discover that the owner is not around and no one speaks English. Not a problem I get my message across and secure a suitable room which is adequate for my needs. 

The Elephants Nest is pretty close to the airport and if all goes well I will lodge here until my departure in a couple of weeks.

One of the staff takes me over to the lagoon, there’s a row of marquees alongside the river with an impressive array of food and beer stalls, the beer is cheap and ice cold and I’m sat watching the world go by, in the shade with ice cold beer.

Some time later a couple sit down at the table next to us and the chap starts a conversation, he’s lovely and is doing the usual welcome to Cots de Ivoir for foreigners. He’s a businessman and very friendly, after a while he orders me another beer! I wasn’t planning on drinking too much but he was not up for refusal.

Their meal arrived I finished my beer, said goodbye and went back to the hotel. Next on my list is money, I need some local currency and yet another SIM card for my phone. The young man, Yannis, decides he’s going to guide me through the process, this happens a lot and although convenient I do feel that sometimes I would just rather do it myself, you learn more and meet more people that way. This time that’s not to be, we hail a taxi and arrive at the first bank which has internet issues and can’t change the money so we find another that can.

Next on the list is the phone, the staff in the Orange phone place are lovely they even have to take a photo to validate my new account!

With all that sorted we head back and I have some rest. Soon after the Irish owner arrived back from her work, she’s a marketing manager for an African Airline and travels extensively as a result.

Chloe is quite a character and we get on very well. She cracks out the beers and it’s the start of a very late night, we order food which is picked up by one of her staff , I was ready for that as today I forgot to eat..

During conversation tonight I talked about my walk through the ghetto, Chloe was shocked and told me that she had walked through the same area and had had a knife to held to her throat! She felt I had been lucky, another day in Africa eh!

The night rolled on and Chloe fell asleep at the table finally we all  allied it a night, too many beers for me but it was a good evening..

Some of the unsustainable timber being hauled out of the forest..

My walk through the ghetto was apparently quite risky! I heard that the owner of the Elephants Nest has a machete held to her throat here! Luckily I just breezed through unchallenged.. lucky boy eh?

I was well and truly painted at the Bissam music festival. Lots of very drunk people and security guards were busy keeping the peace..

There is a great vibe here, in the right circles.

One of the many young people who requested selfies with the white guy!

Patrick, taken from terrible circumstances on a plantation by the police and currently being adopted by the owner of the Elephants Nest. Luck boy indeed.