Thanks, Mekus for sharing your Ivory Coast experience with us. Your sweet story has rekindled my long-forgotten lovely memories of Ivory Coast.
I have been to IC twice on a cycle tour and I was opportune to experience Abidjan briefly during the first tour. A young man in his twenties approached me at the finish line of our race in Abidjan and greeted "bros how far na" I was stunned when I heard pidgin spoken in a faraway foreign land and asked him how he knew I was Nigerian. He replied and said he sighted when I came out of our team bus that was distinctively embalmed (Team Nigeria) on the body. We exchange phone numbers after a brief chit chat and he implored that I give him a call in the evening so he can come and pick me up to show me around the city. Femi is his name, he is a smart and a decent looking guy. He was in the same kind of hustle like the OP but his living conditions were more comfortable because he had a sponsor and a side hustle according to him.
I couldn't reach out to Femi that evening as agreed, I needed some sleep to recover from the exhaustion of cycling from Ghana to Abidjan. That day was the last stage and the most tiring stage of all races or perhaps I was fatigued from the general accumulated exhaustion of riding from Surulere, Lagos (where the race was flagged off) to Abidjan. I rang Femi the next day and he came and took me out. We boarded a taxi and drove around the city, unfortunately, I can't recall most of the places we visited nor the names but I can vividly remember visiting two different markets that were saturated with Nigerians trading in all kinds of goods, the place was bustling and looked neater than the average markets I am used to. The place we had lunch was like a mini Yoruba quarter where almost everyone spoke Yoruba.
French is the official language in Ivory Coast, you can hardly get around if you don't understand basic French except you opt to be hanging around with your tribesmen all the time. It's highly recommended to learn the language of your host country if you intend d to stay there and start up a business. Almost everything in IC is beautiful, I observed that Francophones live a very simple life and they know how to enjoy life to the fullest. At sundown, every street is immaculately illuminated and it's time for happy hour in the local pubs.
I and Femi connected so easily as if we have known each other for long so we decided to venture farther away from the city to a suburb that he said he had always wanted to visit but hasn't created the time to do so. We alighted in this busy suburb and located one popular club in the area. Inside the club, everyone was on the dance floor while the DJ was blasting makossa music. There was some serious waist shaking going on, the type that will make any man lose concentration. We spotted a group of three gorgeous girls dancing and without hesitation, we asked if we can join their party and they affirmed with so much excitement. A lot of things went down and we all had mad fun that night. The next day I went back to my lodge, packed my bag and set for the long road trip back to Lagos with my teammates.
My second Ivory Coast experience was surreal. I thought I had fun during the first visit but it was nothing compared to the second visit. This time I had the opportunity to tour other regions; from Abidjan to Man - Zoukougbeu - Bonon - Yakro - Bouaké - Katiola - Ferké - (back to) Bouaké - Sakassu - Yamoussoukro - Dimbokro - Bonguanu - Daoukro - Adzopé - and finished in Abidjan If I have spare time and if Emekus permit I will share my second experience here. Please I will suggest if anyone is in Ivory Coast or have visited before, you are welcome to share your story to keep the thread alive while we are patiently waiting for an update from the OP. Thank you all for your contributions.
edwonderz: Thanks, Mekus for sharing your Ivory Coast experience with us. Your sweet story has rekindled my long-forgotten lovely memories of Ivory Coast.
I have been to IC twice on a cycle tour and I was opportune to experience Abidjan briefly during the first tour. A young man in his twenties approached me at the finish line of our race in Abidjan and greeted "bros how far na" I was stunned when I heard pidgin spoken in a faraway foreign land and asked him how he knew I was Nigerian. He replied and said he sighted when I came out of our team bus that was distinctively embalmed (Team Nigeria) on the body. We exchange phone numbers after a brief chit chat and he implored that I give him a call in the evening so he can come and pick me up to show me around the city. Femi is his name, he is a smart and a decent looking guy. He was in the same kind of hustle like the OP but his living conditions were more comfortable because he had a sponsor and a side hustle according to him.
I couldn't reach out to Femi that evening as agreed, I needed some sleep to recover from the exhaustion of cycling from Ghana to Abidjan. That day was the last stage and the most tiring stage of all races or perhaps I was fatigued from the general accumulated exhaustion of riding from Surulere, Lagos (where the race was flagged off) to Abidjan. I rang Femi the next day and he came and took me out. We boarded a taxi and drove around the city, unfortunately, I can't recall most of the places we visited nor the names but I can vividly remember visiting two different markets that were saturated with Nigerians trading in all kinds of goods, the place was bustling and looked neater than the average markets I am used to. The place we had lunch was like a mini Yoruba quarter where almost everyone spoke Yoruba.
French is the official language in Ivory Coast, you can hardly get around if you don't understand basic French except you opt to be hanging around with your tribesmen all the time. It's highly recommended to learn the language of your host country if you intend d to stay there and start up a business. Almost everything in IC is beautiful, I observed that Francophones live a very simple life and they know how to enjoy life to the fullest. At sundown, every street is immaculately illuminated and it's time for happy hour in the local pubs.
I and Femi connected so easily as if we have known each other for long so we decided to venture farther away from the city to a suburb that he said he had always wanted to visit but hasn't created the time to do so. We alighted in this busy suburb and located one popular club in the area. Inside the club, everyone was on the dance floor while the DJ was blasting makossa music. There was some serious waist shaking going on, the type that will make any man lose concentration. We spotted a group of three gorgeous girls dancing and without hesitation, we asked if we can join their party and they affirmed with so much excitement. A lot of things went down and we all had mad fun that night. The next day I went back to my lodge, packed my bag and set for the long road trip back to Lagos with my teammates.
My second Ivory Coast experience was surreal. I thought I had fun during the first visit but it was nothing compared to the second visit. This time I had the opportunity to tour other regions; from Abidjan to Man - Zoukougbeu - Bonon - Yakro - Bouaké - Katiola - Ferké - (back to) Bouaké - Sakassu - Yamoussoukro - Dimbokro - Bonguanu - Daoukro - Adzopé - and finished in Abidjan If I have spare time and if Emekus permit I will share my second experience here. Please I will suggest if anyone is in Ivory Coast or have visited before, you are welcome to share your story to keep the thread alive while we are patiently waiting for an update from the OP. Thank you all for your contributions.
Wow thanks for sharing your experience chief. Would love to hear more of it.
edwonderz: Thanks, Mekus for sharing your Ivory Coast experience with us. Your sweet story has rekindled my long-forgotten lovely memories of Ivory Coast.
I have been to IC twice on a cycle tour and I was opportune to experience Abidjan briefly during the first tour. A young man in his twenties approached me at the finish line of our race in Abidjan and greeted "bros how far na" I was stunned when I heard pidgin spoken in a faraway foreign land and asked him how he knew I was Nigerian. He replied and said he sighted when I came out of our team bus that was distinctively embalmed (Team Nigeria) on the body. We exchange phone numbers after a brief chit chat and he implored that I give him a call in the evening so he can come and pick me up to show me around the city. Femi is his name, he is a smart and a decent looking guy. He was in the same kind of hustle like the OP but his living conditions were more comfortable because he had a sponsor and a side hustle according to him.
I couldn't reach out to Femi that evening as agreed, I needed some sleep to recover from the exhaustion of cycling from Ghana to Abidjan. That day was the last stage and the most tiring stage of all races or perhaps I was fatigued from the general accumulated exhaustion of riding from Surulere, Lagos (where the race was flagged off) to Abidjan. I rang Femi the next day and he came and took me out. We boarded a taxi and drove around the city, unfortunately, I can't recall most of the places we visited nor the names but I can vividly remember visiting two different markets that were saturated with Nigerians trading in all kinds of goods, the place was bustling and looked neater than the average markets I am used to. The place we had lunch was like a mini Yoruba quarter where almost everyone spoke Yoruba.
French is the official language in Ivory Coast, you can hardly get around if you don't understand basic French except you opt to be hanging around with your tribesmen all the time. It's highly recommended to learn the language of your host country if you intend d to stay there and start up a business. Almost everything in IC is beautiful, I observed that Francophones live a very simple life and they know how to enjoy life to the fullest. At sundown, every street is immaculately illuminated and it's time for happy hour in the local pubs.
I and Femi connected so easily as if we have known each other for long so we decided to venture farther away from the city to a suburb that he said he had always wanted to visit but hasn't created the time to do so. We alighted in this busy suburb and located one popular club in the area. Inside the club, everyone was on the dance floor while the DJ was blasting makossa music. There was some serious waist shaking going on, the type that will make any man lose concentration. We spotted a group of three gorgeous girls dancing and without hesitation, we asked if we can join their party and they affirmed with so much excitement. A lot of things went down and we all had mad fun that night. The next day I went back to my lodge, packed my bag and set for the long road trip back to Lagos with my teammates.
My second Ivory Coast experience was surreal. I thought I had fun during the first visit but it was nothing compared to the second visit. This time I had the opportunity to tour other regions; from Abidjan to Man - Zoukougbeu - Bonon - Yakro - Bouaké - Katiola - Ferké - (back to) Bouaké - Sakassu - Yamoussoukro - Dimbokro - Bonguanu - Daoukro - Adzopé - and finished in Abidjan If I have spare time and if Emekus permit I will share my second experience here. Please I will suggest if anyone is in Ivory Coast or have visited before, you are welcome to share your story to keep the thread alive while we are patiently waiting for an update from the OP. Thank you all for your contributions.
edwonderz: Thanks, Mekus for sharing your Ivory Coast experience with us. Your sweet story has rekindled my long-forgotten lovely memories of Ivory Coast.
I have been to IC twice on a cycle tour and I was opportune to experience Abidjan briefly during the first tour. A young man in his twenties approached me at the finish line of our race in Abidjan and greeted "bros how far na" I was stunned when I heard pidgin spoken in a faraway foreign land and asked him how he knew I was Nigerian. He replied and said he sighted when I came out of our team bus that was distinctively embalmed (Team Nigeria) on the body. We exchange phone numbers after a brief chit chat and he implored that I give him a call in the evening so he can come and pick me up to show me around the city. Femi is his name, he is a smart and a decent looking guy. He was in the same kind of hustle like the OP but his living conditions were more comfortable because he had a sponsor and a side hustle according to him.
I couldn't reach out to Femi that evening as agreed, I needed some sleep to recover from the exhaustion of cycling from Ghana to Abidjan. That day was the last stage and the most tiring stage of all races or perhaps I was fatigued from the general accumulated exhaustion of riding from Surulere, Lagos (where the race was flagged off) to Abidjan. I rang Femi the next day and he came and took me out. We boarded a taxi and drove around the city, unfortunately, I can't recall most of the places we visited nor the names but I can vividly remember visiting two different markets that were saturated with Nigerians trading in all kinds of goods, the place was bustling and looked neater than the average markets I am used to. The place we had lunch was like a mini Yoruba quarter where almost everyone spoke Yoruba.
French is the official language in Ivory Coast, you can hardly get around if you don't understand basic French except you opt to be hanging around with your tribesmen all the time. It's highly recommended to learn the language of your host country if you intend d to stay there and start up a business. Almost everything in IC is beautiful, I observed that Francophones live a very simple life and they know how to enjoy life to the fullest. At sundown, every street is immaculately illuminated and it's time for happy hour in the local pubs.
I and Femi connected so easily as if we have known each other for long so we decided to venture farther away from the city to a suburb that he said he had always wanted to visit but hasn't created the time to do so. We alighted in this busy suburb and located one popular club in the area. Inside the club, everyone was on the dance floor while the DJ was blasting makossa music. There was some serious waist shaking going on, the type that will make any man lose concentration. We spotted a group of three gorgeous girls dancing and without hesitation, we asked if we can join their party and they affirmed with so much excitement. A lot of things went down and we all had mad fun that night. The next day I went back to my lodge, packed my bag and set for the long road trip back to Lagos with my teammates.
My second Ivory Coast experience was surreal. I thought I had fun during the first visit but it was nothing compared to the second visit. This time I had the opportunity to tour other regions; from Abidjan to Man - Zoukougbeu - Bonon - Yakro - Bouaké - Katiola - Ferké - (back to) Bouaké - Sakassu - Yamoussoukro - Dimbokro - Bonguanu - Daoukro - Adzopé - and finished in Abidjan If I have spare time and if Emekus permit I will share my second experience here. Please I will suggest if anyone is in Ivory Coast or have visited before, you are welcome to share your story to keep the thread alive while we are patiently waiting for an update from the OP. Thank you all for your contributions.
chairman so you are on nairaland, nice to meet you
I've been hoping to read more constructive gist but all I'm getting is x rated talk. Apart from yash, sexx and women does Ivory coast have any other thing to offer? for instance is it an easy route to gain foreign scholarship? what about exchange programmes, Masters & PHD admissions? did you try to gain admission into a school over there or have you given up on education?
Congratulations on being the first to "Bell the Cat". I know I will be attacked, like you were, for stating a contrary opinion to what exists in the echo chamber, but the truth is that the "Emperor has no Clothes"! It takes a certain amount of skill to present a lot of words but actually say nothing . OP should not take this as negative criticism but a challenge to present useful information, facts, details, even pictures! A few people on here have presented more information in one fleeting post than the OP has done in 11 pages. Now excuse me while I don my fire retardant suit as the flaming begins.
I don't know why some people are so daft, always claiming some sort of intelligent serious minded individual. This guy is a footballer not a doctor or an Engineer or a business man. Footballers and women plus chilling is their lifestyle, he is sharing his experience and what he has encounter during his stay, so I wonder why you feel his stories are misleading.
Please disregard these two monkeys above, na oversabi dey worry them.
Spacewalk: I don't know why some people are so daft, always claiming some sort of intelligent serious minded individual. This guy is a footballer not a doctor or an Engineer or a business man. Footballers and women plus chilling is their lifestyle, he is sharing his experience and what he has encounter during his stay, so I wonder why you feel his stories are misleading.
Please disregard these two monkeys above, na oversabi dey worry them.
Thank you brother, am not surprised because even "Jesus Christ " was criticized and hated.... So am not surprised because some human beings are not satisfied.
Like i said from page one this is just " my Sweet memories" and not comparing ivory coast with anywhere in the world.
And i will be updating very soon for other people to be encouraged.
CONCLUSION - may be the guy want me to lie about my story
Congratulations on being the first to "Bell the Cat". I know I will be attacked, like you were, for stating a contrary opinion to what exists in the echo chamber, but the truth is that the "Emperor has no Clothes"! It takes a certain amount of skill to present a lot of words but actually say nothing . OP should not take this as negative criticism but a challenge to present useful information, facts, details, even pictures! A few people on here have presented more information in one fleeting post than the OP has done in 11 pages. Now excuse me while I don my fire retardant suit as the flaming begins.
The title says it all "My sweet Ivory coast memories" yet the OP talked about some living hacks, doing business, diversity, real life experience etc
Its very ok to ask whatever you want to know but that entitlement.....
Spacewalk: I don't know why some people are so daft, always claiming some sort of intelligent serious minded individual. This guy is a footballer not a doctor or an Engineer or a business man. Footballers and women plus chilling is their lifestyle, he is sharing his experience and what he has encounter during his stay, so I wonder why you feel his stories are misleading.
Please disregard these two monkeys above, na oversabi dey worry them.
I just don't understand some people. This is not a "Visa for CV/Studying in CV/Living in CV"
Thank you brother, am not surprised because even "Jesus Christ " was criticized and hated.... So am not surprised because some human beings are not satisfied.
Like i said from page one this is just " my Sweet memories" and not comparing ivory coast with anywhere in the world.
And i will be updating very soon for other people to be encouraged.
CONCLUSION - may be the guy want me to lie about my story
this right here wins it! Think about those that your thread is encouraging, will encourage and has encouraged! please keep up the good work brother!!!
Thank you brother, am not surprised because even "Jesus Christ " was criticized and hated.... So am not surprised because some human beings are not satisfied.
Like i said from page one this is just " my Sweet memories" and not comparing ivory coast with anywhere in the world.
And i will be updating very soon for other people to be encouraged.
CONCLUSION - may be the guy want me to lie about my story
OP, I will respond to you because it's your thread. Constructive criticism should not be construed as hatred and should not be taken personally. You know that I don't know you from the next guy on the street so why should the concept of hatred come in? Take it for what it is and what its worth. There is a lot lacking ….details, descriptive information, perspectives, pictures which could speak a thousand words! Names of towns, street names, locations, names of restaurants, clubs you visited, names of churches and their locations. I would encourage you to re-read a few of the other contributions on this thread and compare and contrast. Perhaps I am just used to a higher level of output on Nairaland!
Imagine being blocked on top.
. OP should not take this as negative criticism but a challenge to present useful information, facts, details, even pictures! A few people on here have presented more information in one fleeting post than the OP has done in 11 pages. Now excuse me while I don my fire retardant suit as the flaming begins.
