Two Days in Sénégal

 Yesterday:

Started off the day still tired, but better.  I think it’s the combination of heat and jet lag.  And we all discovered that the anti malarial preventative gives you vivid dreams and terrifying nightmares.  So that’s fun.  Anyway, our first stop was Joal-Fadiouth, the birthplace of Léopold Sedar Senghor.  Senghor was an accomplished poet who became the first president of Senegal, designed the flag, wrote the national anthem.  He was the George Washington of Senegal.  Our guide Etienne, was hilarious.  We also learned about Baobobs, which are fascinating, and also sacred here.  

Leopold’s father, Basile.  He had three houses, lots of acreage, businesses, and lots of cattle.  And five wives and 42 children.

Leopold

Baobob 

Next was Seashell Island, an island with a 50/50 Muslim and Catholic population 

This guy was selling souvenirs, and he was kind enough to let me take a picture.

Fadiouth Cemetery

We got to take a pirogue ride, very peaceful.  And no Crocodiles, lol.

After lunch, we had an “Parler alarbre.”  It’s a Senegalese tradition, we sat under the trees and discussed the trip, and Ali (one of our guides) talked about life here.

Katie bought us coconut milk and an opened coconut to try it raw right out of the shell.  It looks, tastes, and feels like a hard boiled egg white. Not my favorite.

Dinner was at the hotel, then off to bed.

Today:  

We left the hotel and headed to Thies.  Our first stop was Ahmadou Dnack Seck High school.

Cafeteria 

The garden

My “guide” Yacine

Next was a university, we sat in on part of a class for students working on their Masters in Tourism, toured the dorms and a classroom, then had lunch together.

Friday is laundry day

The gym

And we witnessed a hazing ritual.  The guy was smiling and laughing the whole time, so it wasn’t too concerning. For some reason, that picture won’t load.  After a long bus ride, we arrived in Dakar.  We got in the pool for awhile, then went to dinner next to the ocean.