Arrived to Yamoussoukoro yesterday. The stragest city I've been to. Super wide long streets with full light and between - a village. Plus the chic presidential palace surrounded by an artificial lake and the absolutely mind blowing Basilic (copying more or less the Vatican one, but bigger and with airconditioning, elevators and loudspeakers built-in the collumns). All build by Houphouet-Boigny, the first president of the independent CDI in his home village.
Met the mayor on the bus last night - hoping for a meeting this afternoon to know more. Fascinating.
Facing the Basilic, wrapped in barbed wire, the UN base. Small groups of soldiers visited the Basilic when I was there. A couple of French-looking and sounding ones. Not in UN colours. A group of UN ones somewhere from Middle East, I think, accompanied by a CDI gendarme. All left quickly. A low-flying UN helicopter circled around the city whole day.
Had my first full interview with the secretary of a cocoa cooperative yesterday. Very informative, plus really nice. Got to meet his father and was offered two cocoa fruits, picked from the tree by his house. A good start for the research. With the information and contacts from Ange and Peter, things are moving well.
Off to even more cocoa-growing areas tomorrow!
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