I’m seated at Addis on my layover, laptop about to die and my cable is not suited to the charging ports they have at the airport. If someone had told Felistus at the start of the year that she would be seated in Addis on her way from Ghana and Ivory Coast she would laugh in your face because neither country shows up on the 2025 roadmap. Then she would get a little hopeful that maybe we got another impromptu work trip- Yeap, delulu is the solulu as they say!
Enough chitchat (me saying that like chitchat isn’t the point), let’s take a trip down my memory lane on the past two weeks and how new friendships led to pivoted travel roadmaps and a lifetime of memories. Oh about where the roadmap said I was supposed to be- I had planned to go to Türkiye and/or Albania for a summer of backpacking and working from our company office in Türkiye- granted we still worked from and facilitated a 2-hour training in the Ghana office by ourselves, so I’d say a win is a win.
This trip was less about seeing everything and more about the amazing people that I connected with. I will break down the blog into logistics where I cover what I did and some lessons/moments that stood out for me.
Let’s kick off with the logistics part:
For Ivory Coast, I had to process my VISA in person. Some websites say you can get the evisa if you are entering Ivory Coast by flight but since I was entering by road, I got mine from the Ivory Coast embassy in UAE. A friend of mine had sent me the application from beforehand which I filled and carried the other required documents- my yellow fever card, a hotel booking, a passport size picture and of course, my dear old passport. Doing a walk in may have been a little risky and I count myself lucky that I found a very kind security guard who asked me to wait for the person that processes VISAs. I waited for about two hours and was handed my passport with my VISA stamped. At the border, the process was very seamless and I did not have any issues crossing the border. The Ivory Coast VISA cost me 320 dirhams.
The currency used in Ivory Coast is the CFA. This time I didn’t find a bank that didn’t charge a fee. Matter of fact, both Sarah and I struggled to find a bank where we could withdraw money and eventually got lucky with Eco Bank.
In Ivory Coast, we went to the great Cathedral, visited the Plateau, went to the Stade Felix-Houphouet-Boigny, Rue Lecoeur, in the Le Plateau which serves as a memorial for those from Ivory Coast who died during World War I, and ended the day having Atsieke and learning a new way of opening beer bottles at Cocody.
Grand Bassam is about an hour away from Abidjan. You can take a Yango there or like us, opt for the bus which cost us 100 CFA each. In Grand Bassam we walked to the beach. The waves here are quite strong so I would not suggest this if you are looking to swim. We visited the King’s palace, the Maison Ganamet (fair warning, there’s not much to see per say. It’s just a really old building covered with trees- still beautiful to look at though) and tried Chinese food at a restaurant a couch surfer we met works at.
Ghana
For Kenyan passport holders, we get 30 days VISA free access to Ghana so yaay for us!
In Ghana I withdrew money from Eco bank and was not charged a withdrawal fee. When I used Absa, I was charged a small withdrawal fee so be on the lookout for Eco bank to withdraw from when you’re there. This may also be dependent on your home bank though so keep that in mind.
I was mostly working remotely in Ghana, and the rest of the time was spent hanging with friends, so I don’t know if I’m the best to give advice on what to do, but here are a few things I did:
I went to Gallery 1957 and the Nubuke Foundation, one afternoon post work (being four hours behind time has both pros and cons- yes, I had to be up by latest 5am but it also meant that my day ended at 1pm 😊). Both experiences were free, and it was quite a relaxing afternoon appreciating beautiful art. To move around, I used Yango which was relatively cheaper as compared to Uber or Bolt.
While in Accra, make sure to take a chance to go to Adoma waterfall. We only did a short hike but the views on the way there were also to die for! The entrance to the falls is 50 cedis per person and we paid the guide (this is optional) a fee of 100 cedis to take us there as the walk to the falls can be a little steep.
Kwame Nkrumah museum- the fee for this is 100 cedis and there is a lot of history there on, surprise surprise, Kwame Nkrumah and the part he played not just in the country’s independence but his efforts in trying to unite the whole of Africa. The grounds are well maintained and offer such a peaceful stroll. After this, my tour guide for the day Jesse took me to the Independence Square, which is such a beautiful photo spot- make sure to go up and take a picture with the star at the top post enjoying the view- so beautiful!
My last Saturday, we went on a road trip to Akosombo. We were to start with a hike and end with a swim but a couple of snoozed alarms later, we played games and bantered, had the most amazing food (someone hold me back before I get on google flights) and went for a swim at Volta hotel. This was the perfect way to end an amazing trip- a trip planned to spend time with friends, ended with friends ❤️.
Moments that stood out:
Running a 7k with Sarah. On the day we were to do this run I would have given anything to run the following day instead, but I knew my accountability partner had her weekly goals to achieve. This reminded me a lot of something I read- community will cost you your convenience sometimes. Some days you want to lock yourself in your room and sleep under a weighted blanket for a week at least, but you show up for your people.
Having an 8-minutes in person with my favorite person- aka Sarah (I love you too mom). I should probably start by explaining what 8 minutes is. We found a video of Simon Sinek on the internet which said that when a friend is feeling down, all they need is 8 minutes. Sometimes you don’t need to talk, just to sit with them. Easy right? Depends on who you’re asking I would say, but cue Sarah and I who since 2023 get to see one another twice maybe thrice in one year on a very good year. We love to send one another long audios to make sure we’re all caught up with one another’s lives- also because there’s nothing like listening to yourself think as you send your best friend a 15-minute-long audio- yes, you read that right. In Abidjan on a Monday evening post having buns and sausages for dinner at a bench next to the bus stop, two friends finally had the chance to have an 8 minute in person. Crazy how your emotions will not give you a warning before they decide that it’s time to process stuff from months or years ago.
When I got to the Ghana border as I was being stamped out, the immigration officer commented on just how much I had traveled and I mentally high fived younger me- we did it bestie; better yet we are doing it bestie.
Making a new friend on the bus and reading the most amazing book- I found a thought-provoking excerpt that I have been reflecting on since that I think you may find insightful dear reader.
The food in both countries! Albeit having lots of pepper, as I am seated at the airport writing this, I am wondering how I am supposed to get back to my own cooking- no shade to myself. From Waakye, Atsieke, Jollof (now just to try Nigerian jollof and I will be ready to give the final verdict on which of the 4 Jollofs is better- Senegal, Gambia, Ghana or Nigeria- stay tuned for this😅), Fufu, Banku, and Apeprensa just to name a few. The food in both countries is a memory of its own.
Friendships; this time not my own friendship but the friendship of my friend Stevie with his own friends. Friends from university, from AIESEC, from friends through friends… seeing them laugh over memories from the past, banter, get together, be goofy, be present, alive, get to do life together- it was a reminder that this truly is what life is all about. Stephen Adomako, thank you for giving me a sneak peek into your life 😊
I’m finishing up this blog close to a week later. I want to say that I can explain but it would be a load of bullshit, and you deserve better 😂.
It is at this point dear reader, that I have to bid you goodbye, but before I do, I have to ask, am I the only one that gets a sort of post travel hangover and the week after keep thinking back to what I was doing a week back while I was traveling? Let me know in the comments so I confirm I’m normal yeah?
lifewithfelly 
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