Everything you need to know before you go to Ivory Coast

‘Um, sweetheart, I just read something about a yellow fever vaccination. Do I really need that?’ I asked my best friend about half an hour ago. ‘Wait a minute, Kiek. HAVEN'T YOU GOTTEN THAT YET?!’ Roos nearly has a heart attack. In a few days, I'm getting on a plane to Ivory Coast to finally visit my expat friend after three years, and now there's suddenly stress. ‘Kiek, without that shot, you can't even enter the whole country! Do you have an ebola stamp?’ Uh. Ebola. Stamp? No? Not even… Okay, I suddenly feel like a huge idiot. Yellow booklet? How was I supposed to know.

I'm being instructed to take action immediately. The woman on the phone at the GGD sounds worried. ‘When are you going exactly? Tuesday already? Oh dear, we are really very full.’ I feel the red stress spots rising in my neck. Nice going, Kiek, that you always arrange everything last minute. So I roar and I blabber and I sob and thank god I can go to the GGD in an hour and I'm going to get a SHOT on this lovely sunny day. Call me a baby, but I just ordered an alcoholic drink while typing this on the terrace, just to be bold. Just a random free Thursday in my life, nice, huh?

Anyway, I actually wanted to write about everything you need to know before going to Ivory Coast, but let me start with myself: make sure you have the right vaccinations, curd head. Then some other essential info to know before you fly that way:

1. In Ivory Coast, you need a visa. I'm just saying it right away: that can be quite a hassle, so make sure you arrange it right after booking your ticket, saves a lot of stress later (and I thought I had everything well arranged…).

2. Check if your passport is valid for at least six months, another little thing.

3. Ivory Coast is eight times larger than the Netherlands.

4. Good to know before you go: Tai National Park is one of the last remaining virgin rainforests in West Africa, with trees over fifty (!) meters high, hanging vines, cute streams, pygmy hippos, and chimpanzees. You understand where you're going for those awesome photos.

5. Also one to remember: in the coastal town of Grand-Bassam, you see elegant Parisian townhouses and dilapidated colonial architecture, which has earned a spot on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

6. People seem to be crazy about football there.

7. Everyone mainly speaks French.

8. Abidjan is also known as the ‘Manhattan of Africa’ with its shiny skyscrapers and chic restaurants. Ha. Guess where I'm going!

9. The average annual income in Ivory Coast is 3600 dollars.

10. Did you know that the largest church in the world is in Ivory Coast? The basilica in the capital Yamoussoukro can accommodate eighteen thousand worshippers and is larger than St. Peter's in Vatican City.

Oehlala, Ivory Coast. First, let me get that damn shot and then, Roos, I'm coming for you. Soon many more updates on how and what. Bye bye!