yopougon: it's...complicated
okay, so i’m back. mostly. i’m still unpacking, and honestly, my brain feels like a slightly damp sponge. yopougon, abidjan, côte d'ivoire… it’s a place that just gets under your skin, you know? not in a good way, necessarily. more like a persistent, slightly itchy feeling you can’t quite scratch. i just checked and it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the temperature is 26.44 degrees celsius, humidity is 82%, and the pressure is 1013. it’s… a lot.
seriously, the map is the best way to visualize this. it’s basically a sprawling, chaotic mess of streets and waterways, all hugging the ébrié lagoon. it’s not pretty, not in the postcard kind of way, but it’s… real. someone told me that the lagoon is a bit of a problem with pollution, but hey, that’s just local gossip, right? i don’t really know. i mostly just tried to avoid looking at it too closely.
this place started as, like, actual farms, apparently. then abidjan became the big deal, and everyone just… moved in. it’s insane how quickly it grew. it’s all flat, which is kind of unsettling, and there are these little open-air restaurants called maquis everywhere. they’re where everyone eats, you know? it’s loud, it’s smoky, and the food is… well, it’s attiéké and alloco and grilled fish. it’s filling, i guess. i tried the alloco - fried plantains - and it was… an experience. let’s just leave it at that.
and the neighbors! if you get bored, abidjan is just a short drive away. attécoubé, le plateau, adjame, adiopodoumé, treichville, présidence… it’s a whole network of places, all crammed together. it’s overwhelming, honestly. i mostly just wandered around and got lost. several times.
there are some attractions, i guess. the Félix houphouët-boigny stadium is pretty big, and st. paul’s cathedral is… well, it’s a cathedral. the houphouët-boigny bridge is there, and the palais présidentiel. and marché de treichville is a thing. it’s a massive market, and it’s… intense. i saw things i can’t unsee.
people here are just… busy. constantly moving, shouting, selling things. it’s not unfriendly, exactly, but it’s not exactly welcoming either. it’s just… there. and it doesn’t really care if you’re there or not. i think that’s the biggest thing about yopougon. it doesn’t care.
and, you know, the usual stuff. limited data on notable people. just… a lot of people. and a lot of noise. and a lot of humidity. it’s a place that sticks with you, i think. not in a good way, but in a way that makes you realize you’ve seen something real. something messy. something… complicated.
seriously, don't expect a relaxing vacation. bring bug spray. and maybe a strong drink. and a good map. and a willingness to get lost. and a high tolerance for chaos. and maybe don't look at the lagoon too closely.
You might also be interested in:
- https://topiclo.com/post/ludhiana-hot-crowded-and-surprisingly-not-that-touristy
- https://topiclo.com/post/turkish-coast-through-a-gritty-lens-and-too-much-caffeine
- https://topiclo.com/post/aleppo-honestly-its-complicated
- https://topiclo.com/post/medina-dust-prayers-and-a-serious-case-of-jet-lag
- https://topiclo.com