back tomorrow

enjoying the free wifi at the abidjan airport, while waiting for my plane home :)

again had good days, wandering around the city and hanging out with the couchsurfers in the evenings. yesterday 4 hours of talking with manu over a sheesha, followed by partying with moustafa and his friends until 4 am. made me loose my voice. but the interview i planned for today didn't take place anyway, because the building of the organisation got shot at a and ruined during the conflict, so they moved temporarily to some other, remote place.

some of the marks of the postelectoral crisis. the windows are broken, not open

the giant christmas tree in abidjan. a part of the impressive christmas decorations that light up the city at night.

'NO.. to hatered and revange' 'truth, justice, forgivness and reconciliation'. cafe de la republique!

by the way, today the team of big-bellied ministers of the ivoirian government beat 3-0 the representation of FIFA at the stadium in abidjan :)

seeeee you sooooooon!!!

almost finish

in some 27 hours I will get on the plane back to brussels and - a couple of hours later - to warsaw!!

the last couple of days were the best ever :) not only the most amzing night and the nicest first day of the new year, but then two best days of research yet, going to the bush, eating sweet fresh cocoa and all.

oil palms near n'douci. on the way to cocoa plantations

started with dancing until 6 am with one couchsurfer and his ivoirian friend, a couple of hours of sleep and a trip to the beach with another couchsurfer (Manu) and his ivoirian friends. sweet sweet time with wave running and playing bucket deck-become-frisbee in the sun :)

yummmmmmmmmy. very very sweet, moist thing around cocoa grains

the chief of batera village. owns some 10 ha of cocoa. photo taken on his demand :) i visited the fields with his son

impressive pepiniere (plant preschool?? ;)), financed by nestle, full of the new hybrid plants 'mercedes'. extremely interesting - more about it in soon to be published 'Bitter chocolate' book ;)

fireworks!

an exhausting week. it's the travelling that makes it the most tiring, i guess. going from san pedro to fresco, then to abidjan just for a night and then to divo and back to abidjan really wore me out, but after a more relaxing weekend in abidjan, with lots of fun and party and the most amazing new year, i'm off to n'douci for my last fairtrade cooperative here.

san pedro and valentine

the containers fulllll of cocoa in the port of san pedro

cocoa cooperative in divo. rainforest alliance certified!

new year!! amazing fireworks over the lagune of abidjan and tens of thousands of people everywhere celebrating together the new year and to many of whom i talked to - the end of the conflict. it was the most amazing feeling to be able to be a part of it.... happy new year to everyone!