So…. major update seeing as how I’ve neglected the blog. My brother came to visit me a few weeks ago. My dad was supposed to come with him but something came up and he wasn’t able to make it. So we spent a few days in Dakar, doing the usual touristy things. I relished in the fact that we were staying in La Meridien Presidente - which meant hot water and air conditioning! I took showers in that hot water and relished every second of it. And air conditioning… actually too much of it.
Then we went up to St. Louis and spent a few days there, arguing about politics the entire time. Damn republican. He’s so committed to being republican that he doesn’t think through issues. He accepts what republicans say at face value. And I say republicans because I bet if a democrat was saying it, he’d doubt it in an instant. There are always underlying political motivations, everyone knows that. Still, I respect the fact that he’s at least up to date on current events. We had a great time in St. Louis. Nichole took us out to lunch and invited us to hang out with the Peace Corps and other American students at the university. We all hung out at a local bar and drank. I haven’t done that in awhile. By the end of the night we had all had a few drinks, but at the everyone decided to finish a bottle of vodka that GJ and I had brought. We passed it around till it was finished. I think it did everyone in, including myself. I also had done something to my hip the night before when I had been drinking. I ended up hobbling all day, but the alcohol made me forget it. The next morning, GJ and I were scheduled to go back to Dakar, but we were lured into eating pancakes at an American’s apartment. I couldn’t pass up pancakes. It’s been forever since I had pancakes. Or even thought of pancakes. Then we ended up listening to some comedian on GJ’s ipod, which delayed our departure by another couple of hours.
My overall impression of St. Louis wasn’t very positive. I wasn’t really a fan. I loved seeing all my friends up there but people were in general less friendly and more demanding. I was a little disappointed but it’s also a touristy city. But more than that, I kinda attribute it to being the North. A general negative feeling towards Senegal kinda developed then. I was just pretty unhappy in general for a spell. It’s been so hard dealing with the racism here. I’m not seen as a person but as white and rich. For awhile, I ignored it, but finally it just made me really angry. It’s so unjust because they think as a “tubaab” I have millions of dollars, I could afford to support everyone in my neighborhood and then some which is ridiculous. I don’t want to be seen for my skin. I want to be seen as a person, and I can barely express that, it’s not an easily understood concept. But I do understand why it’s there… it’s the legacy of colonialism.
When I went to drop my brother off at the airport for the second time (he missed his first flight), I lost my keys. I was so mad at myself. But I was indeed blessed that night. When I was trying to get to an ATM, I found the sweetest taxi driver. He offered to take me to an atm, and when the atm didn’t work, he took me to another without demanding that I increase the price. Further, he was still around when I went to go home from the airport after seeing GJ off. And it was at any price I suggested. This is quite shocking because taxi drivers have a reputation for trying to charge as much as possible in general, especially when you’re a tubaab like myself. So, I got his number in case I would ever need a ride, and sure enough when he dropped me off at my apartment I figured out I didn’t have my keys. He came back and took me everywhere: to the airport twice and to the two atm’s. What’s more, he didn’t charge me a cent. Then the next day, he called me to let me know he had asked his around to all the taxi men that had been in Yoff the night before to see if maybe I had dropped in the taxi on the way to the airport. Sadly, I never found them.
So, the following week, Laura and Jenna came down because we decided to go traveling out to Eastern Senegal. We set off hoping to take the train on wednesday and excited about going to Kedougou, with Tambacounda as a stopover destination. When we got to the train station, we ran into an American that was looking to sell a ticket for 3 passengers (and there were 3 of us), it worked out too perfectly. It was an American I had never met, but he was a nice guy, and attending UCAD in another department. Well, we ended up wasting an entire day waiting for a mode of transport that would never arrive. So as soon as we found out the train wasn’t coming, we got a refund and headed for the dreaded gare routiere (or the garage in french - it’s where you can find transportation going to all areas of Senegal). It’s the most horrendous place. If Senegal were to ever extensively regulate something… the gare should be it. It’s the most obnoxious place and the minute your taxi begins to arrive (note: I said begins to arrive because they wait outside along the road to the gare) these people start off asking where you’re going, and then run after your car… well it’s not really after, it’s more like alongside with a hand on the front passenger side window constantly asking where we are going. I absolutely hate it when my taxi driver tells them because he has no right. I don’t even know what the heck they are doing there, I never pay them any money so I can’t figure out their purpose. But they lead/follow me in the direction of the destination I’m looking for and then demand to be paid for “helping.” Like I’m going to pay someone for annoying the crap out of me. And I tell them this, and then they go off on me like I insulted their profession. But they’re professional aggressive annoyers.
We then took off for Tambacounda and I took dramamine, which knocked me out almost entirely. It saves me from a painfully long drive, even if we are in the most comfortable seats in the sept place. I also just have to say I hate turkish toilets. They were the only available toilets during the drive. They were made for men. You know for once I actually have penis envy and I know now why Freud thought women had it: they didn’t have toilets. It actually all makes sense because a guy can take a leak, no problem. Point and shoot and you’re done with it. A girl on the other hand has issues, especially if I’m wearing pants (which I almost always am). I’m trying to juggle not getting my pants on the nasty floor while having to take off at least one pant leg and manage squatting while not touching the nasty walls and then manage to pee at just the right speed so that it doesn’t have a minor mist spray all over surrounding areas. I’m almost never successful at accomplishing any of these goals, but I do try.
So moving on, we made it to Tamba and we found a very rundown cheap hotel accommodation. Though, if you ask me we might as well have just paid for a mattress and slept outside. Luckily, the drammamine had me knocked out for the time being so I slept straight through the suffocating heat, but I sure as heck woke up drenched in sweat. Not a warm and fuzzy feeling, I can assure you. So, we got up and took off for Kedougou. We arrived in the early afternoon and had lunch at a local Senegalese place. Mafee was their plat du jour, and I was fine with that. Of course as soon as the planted water in front of me, I downed it and Jenna and Laura looked at me like I was nuts. But I figure if the locals can drink it then why can’t I? They stuck with purified water most of the trip and I guess that was good for me too but I think it’s unnnecessary, unless I was drinking river water which is questionable.
We remained in Kedougou for a day, trying to figure out how we were going to get out to the waterfalls. The campement that we stayed in was much nicer and well-kempt than the last one. It was still suffocatingly hot, but only an air conditioner could fix that, but that was out of the question. Of our options to get out to the waterfalls: 1) Take a bike. It’s a 3 hour ride, but considering my physical condition, more like a 5 hour ride. 2) Negotiate and take a sept place. Well that was a waste of time, they wanted more than a 4 x 4. You would think they would try to compete for money, but it’s not at all what went through his head. He figured because we were tubaabs we would have more than enough money to afford that and they have to tap into it. There is no realistic negotiation. 3) 4 x 4, which cost less than the sept place, but still expensive for our standards. 4) Walk there, which would take all day. Jenna wanted to take a bike, and I could see the reasoning for it. It was cheapest alternative short of walking, but faster than walking. But I was concerned we’d get a flat tire - considering the shape of bikes in the area - there was a pretty high chance of it happening. And I don’t know how to change a tire on a bike or even where we could find spare, we’d be out among villages. But then Laura’s health really just didn’t permit the bike idea, so we decided to take a 4 x 4. We thought we’d share the cost with another traveler, a cute Spanish woman, but she never came back so we took off without her. The road was really bad, and the ride was really tough. I was sitting there wondering to myself how we would have made it on bikes, or in a sept place.
At the campement we ran into some Japanese volunteers. I discovered that Japan has its own version of the Peace Corps, which is pretty sweet. Our most common language however, was wolof, so we conversed in wolof with french here and there. Unfortunately, my limited knowledge of wolof made it difficult to follow the conversation. But who would have imagined… Americans and Japanese conversing in an African language.
That night was miserable. Probably the most miserable night because it was so hot, I couldn’t even fall asleep. There just wasn’t enough cool air coming into the little hut and the mosquito net made it so much worse. Finally around 3 I had to go outside, I just felt so claustrophobic in the heat and tried to read and drank some water. I then started hearing animal noises and I was like what the hell is that. I mean there were definitely large animals around, but I had no idea what it could possibly be and then I freaked myself out and went back into the hut. I tried to sleep but Laura sat up and I was like we need to go sleep outside. So we walked out there looking for how we could do this when someone said something. I was so freaked out, I didn’t see anything, so I thought I imagined it, and then it came again. It turned out a guy was sleeping out where I had been trying to read, but he was in such an odd position I couldn’t see him. So he got up and helped us bring our mattress outside. I laid down and I was finally able to sleep. I actually woke up later chilly because I had been sweaty and the wind was blowing.
About four hours later, we woke up to people eating breakfast. I swear no privacy. And no sleep. So I got up and went got ready for the day. I found Jenna and she was pretty ticked off. Apparently we locked her in the room after we had taken the mattress outside. Oops. So she had crawled out through a window and tried to sleep between our legs on our mattress. Apparently a swift kick from Laura made her change her mind and she grabbed her mattress and had brought it outside.
After breakfast, we took off for the plateau. I actually woke up feeling very dehydrated, but the other girls were like we need to conserve the water for the trip. Consequently, I became even more dehydrated. And halfway up the plateau I had to demand that we all stop and let me rest, I was feeling nauseated and very dizzy. Of course the idiot guide thought it was because I was out of shape, mais c’etait pas le cas. After we made up to the plateau, we happened upon this field of mushrooms. But they’re not what you’re thinking; they were these huge cement-like mushrooms. They grew up to my waist and I could stand on them as though I was standing a cement road. And they were living. Imagine feeling a living thing that is made of cement! It didn’t seem possible. And there was an entire field of them. That was my favorite part of the plateau. The other part of it was a cave, and that was alright, but it was nothing to scream about. Then we walked down over to where the waterfall started, and the water was so fresh! I have never felt compelled to drink water, but when I saw it, the urge was uncontrollable. We filled up our bottles and drank the water as if we’d never drank water before. It was so pure and so cold! We climbed down a little ways to get down where we could feel the cool breeze emanating up from the falls. You couldn’t see the bottom, but you could hear it. I was excited to get there, but it was about an hour long walk to get there from where we were.
So then we descended the mountain and came upon a stream that flowed from the waterfall. We followed it all the way deep into this tropical area, that was shaded by many trees. As we stumbled our way over the rocks, the trees gave way to a tiny swimming pool of cool, fresh water coming from the waterfall. It was like finding heaven. If heaven existed, this place was it. You could dive off the rocks where the waterfall fell most heavily into an area deep enough where you couldn’t even touch the ground. We set out more water bottles that filled with refreshing cold water while we were playing in the lake. The water was freezing but I didn’t care.
When we came back a lot of new people were there, including the American we ran into at the train station! He had come with a big group of people that included Belgians, French, a German. We got into a game of asshole (without the drinking, malheureusement) and we just played into the night. Then, Laura and I pulled out our mattresses and were joined by Jenna and Caroline - a girl who had decided to walk the treacherous trail from Kedougou to the campement. I slept a little but sounder that night, but it was still suffocatingly hot, and we woke up to people coming in and having breakfast once more at o’ dark hundred. We got up and decided to take the big car back to the village (it was the cheapest option). It left late enough that it left us one more opportunity to go to the waterfalls again. So I took it and was a fish in the water. I just soaked it in… breaking probably every rule in the traveler book, but I couldn’t help it. It was so enticing.
We left around 3-4 and got in around 6 something into Kedougou. Since we were sitting in the back, we were covered in layers of dirt by the time we got out of there and back onto the road. And I had been so clean earlier, and my hair had even felt so clean I just let it down and let it dry that way. But by the end of the trip, it felt as though it hadn’t seen a shower in years. We got the campement in Kedougou and the first thing I did was shower, and loads of dirt were washed away. We had to leave the next morning at 4 something in the morning to make it to the Car Mouride (like a big touristy bus without air conditioning and with an additional two persons in each row). I myself got there late enough that I had to share a wooden slat that in the US would have sat one person, if it had been used at all (but it wouldn’t have been used, there are safety regulations). It was so hot, I thought I was going to pass out, I could barely breathe until we started to move. And then when we moved, it surprisingly cleared up the air and I felt cool enough to sleep. Not very comfortably, but at least we made it onto the car mouride and it was so efficient. We were there in the same time it would have taken a sept place.
Well, when I arrived, I woke up and reached for my glasses and they were gone! They were in my left pocket when I went to sleep, and then when I woke up they were gone. I tried searching everywhere, but I couldn’t see a thing, so I called Laura and Jenna back on the bus to help me search. We searched frantically everywhere, and the bus started taking off, and we were still looking! I was so pissed, and we yelled at the bus driver to stop and let us off. So we got kicked off the bus, and the bus took off. I was so pissed, I flicked off the guy looking out the window. He was the only one left on the bus. He yelled at me for flicking him off but he deserved it.
Pissed off, I mean in the worst mood ever, I went with the other girls to eat breakfast but ate nothing. I had to have Laura accompany me to the boutique because I couldn’t see a damned thing. I tripped over something in the road, and nearly ran into a bike. I was so pissed that they wouldn’t let me just stay on there and look some more (not that my looking would have helped any seeing as how I couldn’t see a damn thing). After grabbing breakfast, we went to the gare and found a cab going to Ziguinchor. While I was sitting there, I found some muffins someone was selling… my appetite for the bread and butter was nill and I was just so depressed. Then a guy walked up to our car, and put his hand through the door at me saying “Vouz laissez ces lunettes sur le car mouride” I took my glasses from him in utter shock. And he just tried to walk away, but I yelled at him to come back. I asked him where he found them, and I said thanks a million times over but he didn’t care, he just wanted to leave, so I watched him disappear in awe. The turned back to the chauffeur that I had been half flirting with and half toying with in an attempt to reduce the price of my friends’ luggage and told him the whole story, it was so unbelievable! Of course no one else really thought it was that big of deal, except maybe Laura. But I thought they were gone forever. Of course I still wonder to this day if the guy who returned my glasses to me was the same guy I flicked off as the car mouride was pulling away.
We arrived in Zig, and my time there was much like the times I had been on previously. I enjoy my stays there immensely. This go around, i finally made it out on a boat to some island. That was really relaxing, and we hung out with the lady we were supposed to rent a 4 x 4 with to get out to the waterfalls in Kedougou. She just so happened to be in the same campement we were staying in. Oh and there was a huge reseau outtage: the banks, the internet, and the cell phone networks all did not work for an extended period of time. It was really shocking and annoying. The woman we hung out with awesome though, she was wild and crazy, and the best part was she liked herself and she told me so. She wasn’t afraid to be herself and she certainly wasn’t afraid to have fun. I liked that.
We left thursday afternoon on the ferry, and finally made it back to Dakar. I’m always happy to return to my apartment. And that same day, we got a new roommate! A friend of Rebecca’s, Emilie. She’s great! She is from England and world of fun. Plus, I think she adds a very nice balance to our apartment. I think it’s going to be great having her around. Anyway, that’s the update for now! Oh and my computer’s a/c port went bust. Royal pain in the neck! I’m still waiting to hear back from the computer repair people. Hopefully they can fix it. If not, it’s going to be out of commission for 3 weeks at the least. I hope that’s not the case.
