This morning I forced myself out of bed at 06:00 so I could be ready to go at 07:00 as we agreed. The breakfast buffet was included in the price of the room and it was delicious and varied; a good start to the day.

I debated taking my luggage down and checking out so I could wait in the lobby for Paul and the driver, but experience has taught me agreed upon times are subject to a host of factors, not all of which are within our control. So I waited in the room and worked until 8:30 when my transportation finally arrived. Kramoco was still our driver, but this time he came with the same Mitsubishi Pajero that we used on my last visit. It's a good vehicle and Kramoco is a careful driver, so this was all auspicious.

As we drove out of Cocody, the quarter where my hotel is located, Kramoco drove us by a military base, with lots of soldiers in evidence. He pointed to a fenced area. "That's where Gbagbo's bunker is" he said. Laurent Gbagbo, is the former President currently facing trial for war crimes in the Hague by the International Criminal Court. When the civil war went against him in 2011, he took refuge in an armored bunker under his residence and basically had to be blasted out. It was much in the news at the time, and we may not still have the whole story on France's role. We probably never will. In any event I found it quite fascinating to drove by the place and see still evident damage on some structures from rifle fire, and some obviously heavier ordnance as well. There were too many soldiers around to risk taking photos.

We drove to Treicheville so I could sell some dollars at a good rate. Along the way we passed or were passed by a number of military vehicles, full of armed soldiers. At the square, men rushed over to us. I rolled my window down just enough to pass cash back and forth and we began negotiations. They bargained hard, but I was able to get 620 Francs per dollars, which was what I wanted. Then we started the drive out, filling the 4WD with diesel which cost the equivalent of $100. Then we took the four-lane toll road to Yamoussoukro, the capital. The road is almost new, though it already has a few potholes. The cost to drive the 230 km between the cities is 2500 CFA, half at each of two toll booths. This is about four dollars at the current exchange rate, which is very good for the dollar at the moment because of how strong the greenback is against the Euro. Speaking of which, this would be an excellent year to attend the Feast of Tabernacles in France….

Karamoco slowed a few times when he suspected a radar trap, of which there were several. Other than that, speed limitations were mostly honored in the breach. The road was smooth enough that I was able to type on my laptop, so I could work until I ran out of battery.

At Yamoussoukro we stopped for lunch at the Breeze which is just down the street from the Syrian restaurant Le Roi, which is good for Middle Eastern food. The Breeze has African, European and some Chinese on the menu, and wood-fired pizzas, which are quite good. We had an hour-long lunch break and then took to the road again, poor roads, actually from there on out. It’s a path I’ve taken now more times that I can remember. The authorities are making an effort on some sections of the highway, but the quality of the road work (done by the Chinese who work the cheapest) is atrocious. A section newly renewed within the last year or two is as already as bad as it was before the resurfacing was done! Kramoco grumbled about the deep potholes as we slalomed around them. These stretches can be alarming because coming toward you in both lanes you may see buses and semis weaving back and forth at some speed. It’s quite impressive in a white-knuckle sort of way.

Just before Daloa we were stopped at a checkpoint. A uniformed soldier had noticed I was white and that was going to cost us. He asked to see the car’s papers and Kramoco’s license. And the hussle began. "Who owned the car? So then, Kramoco was just the driver? Where is the insurance information? Ah, you don’t have the right insurance; this insurance is for renting a car without a driver, not with a driver." The soldier kept all the paperwork and walked across the road to sit in the shade. Negotiations were required; we would not be allowed to move until the soldier was satisfied. Kramoco and Paul walked over to talk. Kramoco called his boss, who confirmed that the insurance complaint was a scam. He told Kramoco to pay the bribe because the soldier could and would probably hold us up all day. He had the rifle and the authority, and he was holding Kramoco’s papers. I was being taken out of circulation and prevented from doing whatever I was here to do, until the extorted money was handed over. It cost 4000 CFA, about seven dollars, a pretty serious sum for this region.

We drove on, stopping to fill the tank again at Duekoué, famous for the brutality of the violence that occurred there a few years back when townspeople settled scores with neighbors of different ethnicities. Many were thrown down a well on top of each other to drown or suffocate: not at all a pleasant way to check out. We turned north and drove the last 50 miles to Man. Séussié was waiting for us at the entrance to the town and climbed in. We drove to the Goulou Marie hotel, taking rooms for Paul and Kramoco. 

Then we drove through town, the market place, and up the hill to the Hotel les cascades, a 1960s, colonial era hotel which has been marginally kept up. The air con works well, there is hot water (when the water is running, which isn’t always) and they have working wifi in the rooms and common areas, which is the reason I’ve started staying here. I used to stay at the Goulou Marie too, which is less expensive per room, but there is no wifi, no restaurant; nothing more than rooms which are acceptable but not great. Still, they’re more comfortable than Paul’s house and probably Kramoco’s too.

By the time we finished all this it was near dinner time, so we sat on the pool deck (there is a small, clean-looking pool which is full of people on weekends) and ordered dinner, spaghetti for me, Ivorian fish and chicken dishes for the others. We planned for the next few days and discussed the local situation and various needs. About 8:00 pm we said goodbye for the evening and the three drove off for the night, and I’ve tied up a few loose ends in my room. The air-con is working well so it should be a mosquito-free night.