Quest for 243

A global nomad's pursuit to see all 195 countries, 39 territories, & 9 de-facto nations

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Month: August 2019

Senegal

August 18, 2019

Traveling from Dakar to Saint-Louis,
Senegal, in a Cramped “Sept Place” Taxi

I woke up late again today and couldn’t get on the last bus from Dakar to Saint-Louis. So I ended up having the adventure of riding more than 4½ hours in a jammed “sept place” (seven-seat) shared taxi to reach the first French settlement in West Africa, which today is Senegal’s sixth-most-populous city.

Checked out at 1:59 p.m. and grabbed a taxi (CFA 3,000; $5.18) to Liberte 5 bus station, where I learned the last Senegal Dem Dikk bus of the day to Saint-Louis (at 3 p.m.) was sold out. Damnit! Now I had to take another cab to the Gare Routière des Baux Maraichers “bush taxi” depot in eastern Dakar to find alternate transportation.

Upon arrival at 3:33 p.m., I found organized chaos. The lot is full of old beaten-up vans and seven-seat Peugeot station wagons known as “sept place,” a common form of intercity transportation in Senegal. It didn’t take too long to locate a sept place bound for Saint Louis. These vehicles don’t run on any schedule. Rather they depart once full.

Senegal

August 14, 2019

Dakar Day #3: Crippled by
Hypersomnolence; Never Left Hotel

I was completely sidelined by severe fatigue today, sleeping 18 hours for the second consecutive day. I didn’t get out of bed until sunset, meaning I lost this entire day and didn’t get any sightseeing done.

I had planned to visit Goree Island today, but that will have to wait until after I return from Saint-Louis (where I’m traveling to tomorrow). It sucks to have lost the entire day today due to my sleep disorders.

Senegal

August 13, 2019

Dakar Day #2: Slept 17½ Hours But Managed
to Get Out to Begin Exploring the Capital

I was hobbled by my sleep disorder today during my second day in Senegal’s capital, sleeping nearly 18 hours. But despite feeling terrible, I dragged myself out of the hotel for a nice 5½-mile walk, seeing a good deal in just a couple hours.

Set out at 5:40 for a 5½-mile walk around central and southern Dakar. First I walked half an hour (1.65 miles) south to Cap Manuel, the southernmost point of Dakar. It overlooks Goree Island, famous as the last African stop for many slaves loaded onto ships for transport to the Americas.

Senegal

August 9, 2019

Dakar Day #1: Getting Situated in Senegal’s Capital

Had a delicious lunch and headed out for some groceries and a brief look around during my first day in Senegal’s capital, but otherwise took it easy and took care of a bunch of tasks. I’ll begin sightseeing in earnest tomorrow.

Got up at 11 a.m. Watched TiVo on my phone. Gawd it sucks to be hungry and not have any food. Today was a day to relax, get situated, and make sightseeing plans. I was still sleepy after arriving late last night from Barcelona, Spain, via Lisbon, Portugal. I came to Senegal after finishing a 17-night Caribbean and trans-Atlantic cruise aboard Costa Pacifica.

Aviation, Portugal, Senegal

August 8, 2019

Flying LIS-DSS on a TAP Airbus A321neo
Senegal: My 128th Country

Greetings from Senegal, my 128th country! I flew here from Lisbon, Portugal, (LIS) on TAP Air Portugal. This flight put me over 1.5 million miles flown! To be precise: 1,501,728.

I arrived at LIS at 1:56 p.m. after flying there from Barcelona (BCN) at the conclusion of my 17-night Costa Pacifica Caribbean and trans-Atlantic cruise from La Romana, Dominican Republic. So glad I have a United Airlines/Star Alliance lounge membership! I had a seven-hour layover at LIS before my connecting flight to Senegal. I headed to the TAP Premium Lounge.

Aviation, Portugal, Senegal, Spain

August 7, 2019

Flying BCN-LIS on a TAP Airbus A320

I’m on my way to Senegal! With Uber unavailable in Barcelona, I took a city bus and then Aerobus to BCN airport, where flew on a TAP Air Portugal Airbus A320 to Lisbon (LIS).

Earlier today I disembarked Costa Pacifica after a 17-night Caribbean and trans-Atlantic cruise from La Romana, Dominican Republic. I had planned on taking an Uber from the Port of Barcelona to BCN airport, but was stunned to find out Uber is no longer available in Barcelona. Instead I took the Cruise Bus out of the port, and was dropped off about 10:15 a.m.

Now I needed to find a way to the airport by mass transit, since I assumed a taxi would be too expensive. I checked Google Maps on my phone. Going by subway would take forever; Google Maps suggested taking Bus D20 and then the Aerobus instead.

© 2019 Lucas Wall

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