At the first pedal, all the joy returned. We woke up at 5 AM and started cycling at 6 AM. Along the way, we met Leon, a cyclist we had met at the Ghana embassy, and we cycled together.
About 10 kilometres before Grand-Bassam, the road veered to the right alongside the ocean to the right, while the lagoon flowed to the left. We made a short stop for fish when a man approached us, offering a fish with soup for 3,000 CFA. We knew that price was overpriced. A woman then guided us to a local eatery where we enjoyed fish with cassava for 500 CFA each, fresh from the ocean.

We visited the Costume Museum and were fortunate to join a guided group from Germany. The guide invited us to accompany him. I heard an interesting statement today: the issue in Africa is that cultures and histories are often passed down orally. They are not documented, leading to the loss of many important facts.
in the museum, many photos recovered from France about the colonial time. photos like a French man touching the breast of a black woman in the market. or forcing people to work, or picking up the French men in their hammocks.

After Grand-Bassam, we needed to take a national road to the border with Ghana. There is a nice route, but it can only be taken when the tides are low. Unfortunately, we arrived when the tides were high, and the road was covered in deep sand. As a result, we decided to cycle back and take another scenic gravel road instead.

While Sandra was taking a short toilet break, we asked a restaurant if we could pitch our tent by the river. He called the manager, who said it was no problem. We decided to order something to eat, and the cheapest option was African chicken with Atieke for 8000Cefa. However, what we received were only chicken bones and hot soup. We had a lot of comments about it, even Leon mentioned that this is typical for African chicken, but it had no meat at all. Anyway, I haven’t had much of an appetite for the past few days, and the chicken didn’t help. Still, I’m trying to eat because we need the energy.

Woke up at 5 AM and started cycling at 6:30 AM. The weather is pleasant. I love the morning hours and sunset; people seem nicer during the morning as well. The road is supposed to be gravel for around 35 kilometres, but we learned from Joseph, who allowed us to pitch our tent on the grounds of an empty restaurant by the river, that after 9 kilometers there is a brand-new two-lane road in each direction. The road has been delightful; we even spotted an insect I need to identify with the help of AI ”stick insect”. We took another gravel road that led to the national highway to Ghana, passing through a nice forest and a non-existent river. At one point, we had to get on a pirogue (boat) where the captain wanted 500 CFA each for a one-minute ride. I told him that the people in the village mentioned the price should be between 50 and 100 CFA. He agreed directly without any argument. I would say Ivorians don’t insist on their inflated prices.Once we arrived, we enjoyed a nice dip in the cold, refreshing river. Later, Leone informed us he saw a sign stating swimming was forbidden there. It rained heavily last night, so the road had small muddy stretches, but we managed to navigate them without much difficulty.

After cycling 90 km and watching the sun set, we bought some water and bread in aboisso. We then left the city and headed to the next village. At the mosque, we asked if we could set up our tent, and they agreed without any problem. For dinner, we had attiéké and a whole chicken, which was more than enough to satisfy all three of us. The total cost was 4,500 CFA.

At the start of the day, we encountered an annoying police officer whom we didn’t really hear. I remember vividly that he was playing with his phone when we passed him. After about 500 meters, he came after us, visibly angry that we hadn’t stopped for him. He claimed he had called us, which was quite frustrating.

What do you want?!
Passports,.

He took the phone, dialed a number, and said in French: 

“I have three white people with bicycles.”
“Is everything okay?” 

I asked, but he didn’t answer.
Again… really annoying. After Morocco, the police here are the most irritating we’ve encountered. And honestly, Mauritanian and Liberian police still share the top spot as the most annoying we’ve ever dealt with.
A few kilometers later, another checkpoint—but this time it was okay. They took photos of us and the bicycles, and then “Bye-bye.”

In the shade of the clouds, it’s bearable, but under the sun? It’s unbearable.  The last bread we bought was at the border before heading to border control.
The question was: do we cross today? Would it be late, or should we find a place to sleep in Igo and cross early tomorrow? Leone, the German cyclist, wanted to try because he was under Time pressure; he had already booked a flight back to Germany from Accra in 9 days.  After a long break, we decided to cross today, and it turned out to be a good decision because the border crossing went smoothly. Everything was completed without issue. I asked the police officer on the Ivorian Side for permission to take a photo of myself, Sandra, and Leone, but he was upset, aggressive, and wanted to see my phone gallery. 

and looking forward to Ghana……