Our first day in Abidjan I woke up to the sound of people singing. Six AM choir practice at the school across the street. The song came in clear as a bell through the open balcony doors.
Later there was band practice, with trumpets and drums.
Now, just after sunset, they are
singing hallelujah.
Today we took the boat across the lagoon the Plateau. As we were waiting in line to get on the ferry I stood next to a man reading the newspaper. On the front page, under the fold, was a picture of Ouattara (the other president) and it had a large ballpoint pen x across it. As I stood there, he pulled out his pen and traced over the x a few more times. Eeep.
We walked around the city today, doing touristy things. Since we are the only tourists, we did not have to contend with crowds, gaudy souvenirs or disgruntled washroom attendants. We browsed the shops for Pagne, a wax block fabric made locally, and made a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of St. Paul.
The cathedral was built in the 1980's by an Italian architect. It's a very interesting building that one of the attendants told us was inspired by the majestic elephant. There were amazing modern stained glass panels depicting the history of CI, filled with animals and missionaries.
On the way to the cathedral, as we were walking up the hill, we passed a tree that was alive with what I thought were birds. There was a strange smell in the air and the sounds they were making were like no bird I'd heard before. Suddenly, a group of them took to the air, translucent wings spread. They were bats! Hundreds and hundreds of bats!
Later, Marco and Jen's roommate Ba told me that Plateau was a refuge for the bats. Until recently, people used to hunt them. Apparently, they are quite tasty.
Opted for Lebanese food for dinner instead.
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