Dakar is like many other cities…teeming with life…and pollution… and continually expanding. If you look on a map, you’ll see that to the west of the city is a long sandy coast, and to the east, a tight bottleneck which connects the Cap Vert peninsula to the mainland. What started off as a tiny settlement in the south of the Cap Vert Peninsula, Dakar now spreads almost across the entire triangle. Not surprisingly, the constant development has come at a cost – overcrowding, depletion of natural resources, and heavy pollution. The current president has been in power since 2000 (and was just re-elected a couple of weeks ago to serve another term) and has initiated an incredible amount improvement projects throughout the city ie. widening roadways, waste management programs, etc. Never-the-less, plans are actually being considered/made to move the capital to a new location – one that can accommodate the growth in size and population that Dakar’s peninsula setting just doesn’t permit.
After a week of fighting people and traffic to visit shop after shop and negotiating prices, we’ve gathered many of the items we’ll be needing to start our life in Niaguis – house wares, basic tools, motorcycle helmets, etc. Some things we’re hoping to still find and others we’ll have to learn to live without…did you know there is no such thing as measuring spoons here in Senegal?? Apparently I now have free license to be a ‘dump’ cook mama!
Today is Jeremy’s birthday (now 3 yrs) so we had planned to spend the afternoon yesterday at a local theme park (essentially a permanent carnival of second rate rides) . Apparently, it is considered ‘off season’ right now and it is only open on the weekends due to the ‘cold’ – I suppose it has been a chilly 20-25C some days this week.
Tonight we’ll be busy sorting and packing all of our belongings and supplies and getting ready for our trip South. We were supposed to have taken a ferry from Dakar to Ziguinchor (a city about 15 km from Niaguis) yesterday but found out earlier this week that the boat is out of commission for some much needed repairs. Looks like we’ll now be driving to Niaguis tomorrow morning instead, which should be quite the adventure! Pray that we have no difficulty crossing Gambia or any encounters with rebels.
Below are a few pictures of our time in St Louis and the Parc Nationale des Oiseaux de Djoudj. We'll post some pictures of Dakar when we get settled.
Me being mauled by the cutest little monkey in a small village outside the park
A 'Varan' lizard in the park
Just a few of the hundreds of adult pelicans
Hundreds of young pelicans awaiting their parents return with breakfast
1 comment:
It's good to hear from you guys! I'm glad everything is going well and that you are meeting lots of new animals. You're making me really want to join you! Glad to hear that you can cook in peace and not worry about others nagging you about not measuring:) You got motorcycle helmets? I can't see you on a motorcycle. That monkey is so cute! How are the cats liking the other animals? I hope you didn't freeze in that 20* weather. We had a snow fall twice last week.
I hope Jeremy had a great birthday and that you made it safely to the south. Take care and God bless!
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