Côte d’Ivoire - The Lions on the Road: Cycling London to Cape Town - page 135

Shortly after resuming my cycling, a passing truck gave me a simple wake-up call
on the fragility of life. The truck was overloaded with bananas that spilled over its sides
almost dragging on the road. The vehicle came along side me and as it passed the banana
stalkshitmyarmalmostcausingmetoveerofftotheside.Imaintainedcontrolofbothmy
bike and my temper as the driver continued onward unaware of what he just did. Thank-
fully the road was deserted, so if I did fall, it would have just been me and the pavement.
I eventually arrived by 4:30 p.m. in President Félix Houphouët-Boigny's birthplace
ofYamoussoukro.IfoundtheBasilica ofOurLadyofPeace, anexact replica ofSt.Peter's
in Rome in the middle of the jungle. As I turned onto the road that led me to this white
elephant, I had a sudden fear that I was in fact on a landing strip for aircraft- the road was
thatwideandcompletelyvoidoftraffic(exceptforme.)Theroaditselfwasquitestunning.
It was immaculately paved and adorned with turn-of-the-century lampposts on either side.
The basilica was quite controversial because the president stated that he built it
with his own money. However many people (foreign and local) felt that he used the state's
money to build it. The president asked the Vatican to have Pope John Paul II make a visit
and bless the basilica. At first, the Vatican refused but relented on condition that the pres-
ident first builds a dispensary for the poor among other things. When the conditions were
met, Pope John Paul II arrived in the country to officially bless it on September 10 th , 1990.