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

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Category: Senegal

Senegal

October 14, 2019

Senegal Day #7: My Attempt to Ride Dakar’s New Commuter Train Fails as It’s Still Under Construction

Being a transit geek, I was so excited to ride Dakar’s new commuter rail this evening on my last day in Senegal. I had read some articles online indicating the line had opened in mid-January. So you can imagine my despair when I found out the railway is still under construction!

After returning to Dakar from Goree Island, I walked one-fifth of a mile from the port to the central train station, but to my great surprise found it surrounded by barricades and very much still under renovation. I had read the first segment of the Dakar Regional Express Train to the eastern suburb of Diamniadio opened in January. But apparently, I would later read after today’s misadventure, that was only the first test run, not the beginning of passenger service.

Senegal

Senegal Day #7: Visiting Humanity’s Shameful
Past at Goree Island World Heritage Site

It’s my final day in Senegal. I spent this afternoon visiting a tragic reminder of the slave trade. Many “merchants” built houses here on Goree Island – just a couple miles off the westernmost part of continental Africa – in which they would live and work in the upper story and store their human cargo on the lower floor. Slaves-to-be awaited their transportation across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.

This island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was an important slave-trading station during the 1700s and 1800s. It’s well known for the infamous “Doorway to Nowhere” in the Slave House – which President Barack Obama visited in 2013 – that opens directly from the holding cells to the sea, where captives would be brought out to ocean-going vessels in small boats.

“The Island of Goree is an exceptional testimony to one of the greatest tragedies in the history of human societies: the slave trade,” according to UNESCO. “The various elements of this ‘memory island’ – fortresses, buildings, streets, squares, etc. – recount, each in its own way, the history of Goree which, from the 15th to the 19th century, was the largest slave-trading center of the African coast.”

Senegal

October 12, 2019

Senegal Day #6: Bus from Saint-Louis to Dakar

Today marks 15 months as a global nomad! I rode a Senegal Dem Dikk bus 4 hours 53 minutes from Saint-Louis to back to the capital of Dakar. The trip went smoothly, although we made a few too many stops, seemingly letting passengers off at any place they desired rather than just servicing official bus depots.

Picked up my bags from the hotel at 2:22 and had a taxi ride of about 2½ miles (F1,000; $1.72) to the bus depot to begin my journey back to Dakar. Arrived at the depot at 2:34. Wow, what a “bus station” for a city of 178,000! It’s just a sandy lot with two buses parked, an abandoned tractor, goats, and lots of garbage.

Senegal

October 9, 2019

Senegal Day #5: Evening in Saint-Louis Wandering Through Guet N’Dar & the Historic Center

I’ve been to Africa five times before, but the sights I saw today in western Saint-Louis were still eye-popping: all the colorful fishing boats, carts drawn by horse and donkey, animals everywhere, horrendous piles of garbage, most streets that are all sand, and on and on.

It all amounts to a photographer’s paradise, with the itch to shoot every few seconds.

Senegal

October 8, 2019

Senegal Day #5: Starting to Explore the
UNESCO World Heritage City of Saint-Louis

This afternoon I got out to wander around Saint-Louis, a UNESCO World Heritage city established in 1659 by French traders on an uninhabited island called Ndar. It was the first permanent French settlement in Senegal. I then set out for the Mauritanian border, seeking to visit a new country.

Saint-Louis, population 178,000, was the first French settlement in West Africa. The city center is located on an island in the Senegal River. The island is connected to the mainland by the Pont Faidherbe, designed by Gustav Eiffel for the Danube River in Europe but moved to Senegal in 1897.

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.

© 2019 Lucas Wall

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