We visited Banco Nature Reserve early in the morning, just a short drive from the centre of hectic Abidjan.
Sansom our young guide walked us slowly through the narrow paths and slightly slippery inclines and declines (we’d had a couple of short, sharp downpours on the two previous evenings). We were surrounded by gigantic lush trees.
Sansom suddenly disappeared into the dense forest and came back with these beautiful red fruit he called tomato coucou.
Inside each were 3 large black seeds which were sweet tasting, like strawberry liquorish. After walking for a while and taking a sip of water the strong, distinctive taste returned.
Sansom also showed us this tree which had stone fruit growing along its bark which I didn’t even know was possible. Here’s the younger fruit nearer the ground.
The larger fruit near the top.
The fruit was extremely heavy and as hard as stone. Apparently elephants are the only animals that can digest them, eating them whole and passing out the hard shell.
Sansom showed us a muddy pond bubbling away with ugly catfish, so called because of their copious thick whiskers.
Sansom threw them large chunks of bread which they fought over and heaved themselves inelegantly onto the bank to gobble up. Nightmares are made of this.
People from the villages around Banco washing clothes in the river and drying them on the surrounding banks.
We’d really enjoyed our stay in Abidjan, staying longer than expected to sort out an extension to our Cote D’Ivoire visas and getting our Ghana visas.
We were pleased to get a 3-month extension for Cote D’Ivoire and a 1-month visa for Ghana.
At the Ghanaian embassy we bumped into Jason who we’d met at the Mauritania-Senegal border in mid-January. He was as thin as a whippet and had cycled the whole route we thought we’d done well to drive. He also told us he’d caught malaria on the way, but didn’t let that stop him.
The first reported case of Covid19 in Cote D’Ivoire was announced on the day we left for Ghana, so we were very relieved to get through the border, passing the infrared temperature to the forehead test despite feeling very hot and stressed.
The first two cases in Ghana were reported on the day we entered.
We’re keeping a close eye on news about Covid19 and having to rethink our trip now due to countries around us closing their borders.
Due South 
Hey my lovelies
Looks wonderful and away from the madness here. X
Beautiful places, but fair bit of madness here too. Hope you’re all doing OK & got plenty loo roll?
Hey stacks and stacks of loo roll – building a wall around the house with it! It’s nuts Here – my training college shut this eve – don’t know when it will open again and Megs stops school tomorrow. We are all well though and the fur babies are liking us being at home most of the time. Take care and keep washing those hands
X
Ps Zoe your hair looks fab – silver goddess
Looks like your having a great time in Côte d’Ivoire and good you got into Ghana because reports state here that they are closing borders to those coming from countries with 200 plus cases. Elsewhere, counties closing borders but mainly on East coast so far.
Cheers Mark, hope all good with you guys. We were both very relieved to get into Ghana by the skin of our teeth, but looks like this is as far as we’ll get as countries are understandably closing their borders. We still have visas for Cote D’Ivoire until 1st week June, so could spend some more time there, if they let us back in.
Look forward to catching up with you all asap. xxx