The annual Dakar Rally covering some 10,000km in around three weeks across the Sahara and West Africa ending in Dakar had first made me aware of Senegal. Our truck arrived in Dakar on March 12 ending our 8000km (estimate) overland journey through nine countries in West Africa in 68 days. I shall always remember my stay in Senegal as I got lost in the bush in the middle of the night and caught the worst cold in my life. These mishaps have not ruined my holiday and I have sweet memories of sensual Dakar, St-Louis and the Island of Goree.
Day 65 (Friday, March 9): Tendaba, The Gambia –Mouit, Senegal (500km; 10hrs)
We left the Tendaba Camp at 6:45am and wasted over two and a half hours waiting for a ferry to cross the Gambia River. We were back on to Senegalese soil before 11am. After a brief stop at Kaolack for shopping and lunch, Mike drove without stop for almost eight hours in order to reach our last camp site at Zebra Barsome 30km south of St-Louis.
Around 5:30pm, Mike was suddenly stopped by a policeman. His international driving license was taken from him as the policeman said that some of us had our arms on the window which was against the law. He had to go to pay a fine at a police station before getting his license back. Mike said it was merely a pretext for a bribe. If he was willing to pay, he could get the license back immediately. But he would be leaving Dragoman at Dakar, he would not need his license and can simply apply for a new one in the UK later.
My hut, Zebra Bar
We arrived at Zebra Bar, a Swiss-run hotel cum camping ground in Mouit, a village next to the Parc National de la Langue de Barbarie. This park has an area of 20 square kilometers of estuaries islands, waterways and ocean-front sand spit. I decided to take the cheapest hut without toilet and shower for CFA7000 a night instead of staying in a tent. I still coughed badly and was in need of a firm and comfortable bed.
Day 66: Mouit- St-Louis – Mouit
I got up early and had a stroll along the beach. Then I met a fisherman and brought a dorado for CFA1000. It was the first time in my life to have a fish for breakfast and my friends all laughed at me! I wrapped it in tinfoil and had it steamed! It was fresh and most delicious!
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At 10am, we left in a pirogue for St-Louis. We paid CFA4000 for the two-hour ride. There are plenty of pelicans and birds on the slow-flowing Senegal River. Time passed by quickly and we arrived at the famous island of St-Louis at noon.We disembarked opposite the fire station at the southern end of the island.
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St-Louis, the oldest French settlement in West Africa and capital of Senegal and Mauritania until 1958, is a World Heritage Site and something of a world apart. The island is small (about 400m wide and just over 2 km long) and one can walk round the island in about an hour and a half. I walked to the centre of the island around Pont Faidherbe, passed by the Place de Lille, the Cathedral, Palais de Justice and Hotel de Ville. I went all the way to Point Nord. There are many colonial buildings with shuttered windows, balconies flaking with colourful paint and flowers. Some of these buildings have been renovated and are now used as hotels. I took a look at the Hotel du Palais, Hotel de la Poste, Hotel de la Residence and La Maison Rose and found these old buildings beautifully restored and enchanting. I also went to La Louisiane, a small hotel at the northernmost tip of the island which is lovely and tranquil.
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It was steaming hot. After exploring the island on foot for two hours, I took refuge in the quaint café/bar of Hotel du Palais sipping café au lait and had French pastry. Mike picked us up with the truck at 4pm. I was more than happy to return to the tranquil and cool Zebra Bar.
Day 67: Zebra Bar
The Parc National de la Langue de Barbarie is famous for its bird life. I joined Nicole, Barry and Angelito on a pirogue trip for CFA2500. We set off at 9am and saw plenty of pelicans, gulls, egrets and terns. Before returning to Zebra Bar, the boat dropped us at the sand-pit bordering the Atlantic Ocean. I spent half an hour on the deserted white-sand beach watching the waves.
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I spent the afternoon preparing my trip notes and had a wonderful group dinner at the restaurant.
Day 68: Mouit– Dakar (300km; 6hrs)
Christian, Mary and I had to prepare a breakfast. As I still had a cold, I had to stay away leaving them to do the scrambled eggs and fresh fruit salad. We set off after 8:30am and saw lots of camels near the village. The journey took much longer than we had expected and we finally arrived at Hotel Baraka in the centre of Dakar at 2:30pm.
I was hungry and went with Barb, Anne-Marie, Angelito, Nicole and Barry to a nice restaurant called Andaloss nearby. I had vermicelli with shrimp and vegetables for lunch. It was the best lunch I had on this whole trip!
In the evening we had a group dinner in Andaloss again. This time, I had a Moroccan dish, tagine with fish. After dinner, we first had a drink in the hotel bar and then went to another pub for a beer. This was the only time I joined the group to have a drink in the pub.
Day 69 (Tuesday, March 13): End of the 69-day Doula-Dakar overland journey
I find Dakar, capital of Senegal with a population of 2 million enchanting and vibrant with many beautiful colonial and art deco buildings. I got up early as usual and went for a morning walk. I arrived at the Marche Sandaga, a local market selling all sorts of vegetables, fish, meat, fruits in addition to clothes, shoes, dresses etc. Then I walked along the main road Av G Pompidou which leads to the Place of L’Independence. I rushed back to the hotel so that I could have breakfast and say good-bye to Mary and others.
The island first settled by the Portuguese in the mid-fifteenth century had changed hands many times between the French and the English. The French got control over it in 1678. It now has a population of about 1000 with many beautiful old stone houses still standing. The thing I like most is the island is car-free!The Island of Goree is a tiny island 900 metres long and 350 metres wide located 2km from Dakar. Barb, Anne-Marie and Angelito took the 10am ferry to the island of Goree. I decided to rest and spend two nights on the island and took the 12:30pm ferry with Christian. The crossing only takes 20 minutes. I managed to say good-bye to Barb, Anne-Marie and Angelito at the pier on Goree.
I took a basic room for CFA18000 a night at the old Hostellerie du Chevalier de Boufflers. My room in an old stone house the door of which opens directly to a back lane is cool and atmospheric! I escaped the hot sun by staying in my cool room till 3pm. Then I ran into Barry and Nicole in one of the restaurants by the pier. Christian joined us at 4pm and I had a dinner with them before they took the 6pm ferry back to Dakar. (Christian left that evening while Nicole and Barry returned to the island for the second time the following day!)
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The island is very quiet once the tourists have gone. I walked up to the castle to watch sunset. Dakar across the water looked golden. I was tired and went to bed at 8pm. My cold seemed to get worse and my nose was blocked. I could not breathe properly and was coughing the whole night. I must go to see a doctor and take an x-ray when I get home.
Day 70 (March 14): St-Louis
I got up early and went to the castle again to see sunrise. The place was deserted and the air fresh. I watched many fishermen in their boats fishing around the island. Sometimes, the boats had divers in front or behind the boat. I had a nice continental breakfast at the hotel and spent hours writing up my travel notes. As I did not feel well, I retired to my room around 1pm. When the sun was no longer too hot, I ventured out to visit the History Museum close to my hotel. All the explanations are in French and I did not bother to read the text.
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I walked with Nicole and Barry to the ferry pier and saw them off at 4:30pm. Then I visited the House of the Slaves which is very tiny compared to those at Cape Coast and Elmina in Ghana.I decided I must go out to get some food. When I walked past a restaurant outside my room, I saw old Barry and Nicole! What a small world! I ordered and had to wait for an hour for a grilled fish. I gathered the owner had to find a fisherman first to buy a fish! As I did not have a good appetite, I took another hour to finish my fish. Anyway, I felt better after my lunch.
Day 71 (March 15): Dakar
I did not sleep well, felt sick and took the 8am ferry back to Dakar. If there were a flight to Dubai the same day, I would have departed. But there was no Emirates flight and I had to wait till March 16.
Ant was just about to leave taking the truck all the way to Bamako by himself. I took him out for lunch at Andaloss. Both of us had vermicelli which is most delicious. After he left, I had a three-hour walk to along the Bd de la Republic to see Place Washington and then followed the Av Jean XXII to Place Soweto to see the National Assembly and IFAN Museum. Then I followed Av Pasteur all the way to the Palais du Justice to reach Cap Manuel. Corniche Est is charming and I was stopped by a lady who persuaded me to take the plat du jour which was fish, vegetable and rice. Though I was not hungry, I wanted to support this enterprising woman. African women are all hard working and I believe my small sum can help her raise her family and kids! Though I paid the normal sum of CFA1000, I told her to give me a tiny portion just to try. She is jolly and cheerful and there were a dozen men mainly taxi drivers who sat at her stall chatting and laughing! The sauce is tasty though the fish was not too fresh. I took it as my dinner and almost finished the portion!
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Then I went into Hotel Savana which looks posh with a commanding view and a big swimming pool. I returned to Le Plateau passing by the embassy of Belgium, Great Britain and Germany and many beautiful colonial buildings and residences. This part of Dakar is a world apart from the rest of the city! I got back to my hotel in the shabby downtown before 5pm and spent the whole evening on the internet and selected photos for my website.
Day 72 (Friday, March 16): Last day of my West African trip
I had a decent sleep and felt better. But, I still had a running nose and felt unwell. I spent my last morning in Dakar by exploring the city on foot for almost three hours. I walked to the famous Marche Kermel close to the Place de l’Independence. The small market is surrounded by many handicraft stalls. Inside the market, stalls are arranged in rows from the centre with prawns, squid, and all types of fish in the innermost two rows of stalls. The fruits and vegetables stalls are in the third and fourth rows close to the exits. It is tiny when compared with Marche Sandaga and more pricy. Big fresh prawns are sold for CFA12000 a kilo. Not cheap!
I then walked along Av G Pompidou and then turned west after the Marche Sandaga to reach the Route de la Corniche Ouest. Then I walked up Av el Hadj Malick SY and followed the Av BlaiseDiagne all the way back to the Marche Sandaga. I was back in my hotel around 10:30am. I checked out before 1pm and had a set lunch at the up-scale Le Cosy, a nice restaurant near the Kermel Marche. I had a 3-course meal with salad, grilled fish with vegetables and a desert for CFA7500. I spent the remaining CFA5000 for a taxi to the airport at 2:30pm. I arrived at the airport in good shape and with CFA1000 in my pocket – only enough to get me a small bottle of water!
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My plane left Dakar on time at 6:30pm and I arrived the following morning in Dubai after 8am. Unfortunately, the plane to Hong Kong was delayed by over an hour and a half and touched down at the Hong Kong airport just before 11pm on March 17. I was excited to be back in Hong Kong and was excited when Wai Leuk, my nephew opened the door and welcomd me back to my sweet home! He treated me with wanton soup – something I missed since leaving Hong Kong on November 26, 2011!
Remarks
I am glad to complete my 112-day journey (i.e. from November, 26 2011 to March 17, 2012) which took me to 14 countries and ended in Dakar.
I had a restful time in Senegal spending three nights in a national park, three nights in Zebra Bar (near St-Louis), two nights on the island of Goree and another two nights in Dakar. I have not done much: Senegal’s appeal lies with its relaxing and sensual atmosphere. Dakar surrounded by sea is vibrant, charming and cosmopolitan with many good restaurants, tea-houses and colonial buildings. I have seen many gorgeous, slender and well-dressed Senegalese ladies. The island of Goree and St-Louis are both world apart with its own unique charm, character and atmosphere.
Senegal is rich in tourism resources as there is so much to offer. I hope more English-speaking tourists will find their way to this lovely country. Foreign investment in the country has however been retarded by its unfriendly business environment. The government must adopt appropriate policies to attract foreign investment and tourists thus providing more job opportunities to stamp the flow of illegal economic migrants to Europe.
I like Senegal and may return one day on my way to Mali and other parts of West Africa. I would love to see the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary which is said to be the world’s third most important bird reserve with 100,000 flamingos and 10,000 white pelicans.