Fortunately we didn't mind because we've wanted to do some exploring and learn more about this crazy city we live in. We've talked before about the contrasts between the different parts of Abidjan. These pictures, taken through the vehicle window as we drove around, show some of those contrasts:
Downtown
With it's tall buildings and tree-lined streets, downtown is definitely one of the most modern-looking sections of Abidjan. Most embassies, government offices, airline agencies, and other businesses are located downtown, as well as lots of shopping areas.
Marcory
Each quartier (kar-tee-ay), or section of town, has its own name and is kind of like a mini-town in and of itself. Our section is called Marcory Residential, which part of the larger quartier called Marcory. This is one of the prettier streets in our neighborhood -- we love the greenery:
Here's one of our main grocery stores, which for some reason has an English name (Trade Center) and a penguin as its symbol: 
This is one of the malls in our section of town. It's got groceries (yes, most malls here seem to have a grocery store), electronics, sports equipment, clothes, jewelry, pizza/ice cream/hamburger joints, and the bookstore that makes us feel like we just stepped into Barnes & Noble:
Treichville
Stuck between downtown and Marcory is a quartier called Treichville. It's places like Treichville that make us stop and think, "This can't be the same city anymore." Treichville is sensory overload -- dirty, chaotic, and filled with row after row of tiny, crowded shops. Pretty much anything you need you can probably find in Treichville ... if you’re willing to spend all day looking.
Port
This is the outskirts of the port. Supposedly Abidjan has one of the biggest, busiest ports in all of Africa. We don't get to see the actual ocean very often because Abidjan sits on a lagoon, but the palm trees are still a nice feature!
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