Chasing Summer –

November 2-3,

Two days in Dakar can be too much or not enough depending on what you’d like to do.

There are some interesting things to see, but they are spread out, and negotiating a taxi price can be challenging. On Saturday, everything is open, so I decided to go on a walk close to the port.

By 7am when we arrived at our berth it was already 31 Celsius, so I knew I wanted to get off as soon as I was allowed so that I could return in time to avoid the hottest part of the day.

I must admit I took too many pictures of the sunrise. It was spectacular and such a busy area.

As the Odyssey made her way into the port, it passed Goree Island. It is a World Heritage Site and highly recommended to visit. I had gone there years ago when I lived in Kinshasa and came to Dakar for a teacher’s conference, so I don’t plan on going back.

It is a sad and somber piece of human history. It is the most famous sorting and processing center for the slave trade. The holding rooms and other buildings are practically untouched, and visitors are walking on the same paving stones that those unfortunate souls trod upon.

By 9 a.m., we were allowed off the boat, and my friends, Angela and Steve, and I quickly got off the ship to begin our walk. The port, while it’s not a cruise terminal, was easy to navigate, and within 5 minutes, we were on the streets.

There are taxis and young men everywhere trying to get people to take a tour in the taxi or walk you wherever you need to go. While everyone is super friendly, it can get a bit irritating when they won’t take your polite no for an answer. Some would follow us for blocks, hoping we’d change our minds.

Ah, it was good to be back in Africa. Our first main stop was the Marche Kermel. The official language here is French, so it was the Kermel market. It is a building from 1860, but the original building burnt down and was rebuilt in 1994. There were plenty of food and different souvenirs available.

I did have to remember my bargaining skills when buying a couple of magnets. The prices start off ridiculous, and I mean not even the realm of possibility, making it hard to even know where to start. For two magnets, the man wanted 20 euros. Angela and I laughed. Even in expensive European countries, I wouldn’t spend 10 euros on a magnet. One or two euros max.

Finally, he offered me three for 5 euros when I was walking away, and I was okay with that.

We made our way a few blocks more to the Place de l’Independance. It is a park area between the Chambre de Commerce and the Ministere des Affaires Etrangers.

The fountain in the center has changed. It used to be a fountain with a lion (the national animal of Senegal), but now it is the Senegalese flag.

Here we also met a man selling T-shirts. At first, he said he would only take local currency, which we responded we didn’t have and wouldn’t be getting. The price began at the equivalent of $20 a T-shirt. I didn’t actually want one and I don’t think Steve or Angela were that keen on them anyway, but by the time we made it across the park to the street to cross the price was two for $10.

We went a few more blocks to Marche Sandaga. This is the largest market in Dakar. The market is a three-story building without air conditioning and difficult to find the entrance. Outside, there are many vendors selling everything.

Here there are also more people, more traffic, and more chaos. Several men kept walking along with us like they were going to show us something, and even though we said no several times, they wouldn’t give up. Eventually, I ignored them and pretended like they weren’t there.

When we turned to leave the area, several said we were going the wrong way. Yes, we were going away from the shops. Sorry, I’m not sorry. Man, it was amazing how much we were left alone once away from the market.

Our last main stop was Hotel de Ville. I didn’t read what this was before we went, so we were imagining a hotel where we could stop for a drink and use the bathroom. No, we were wrong. It is Dakar’s city hall.

As we returned to the Odyssey, we passed several large groups of fellow travelers. One person even detached from the large group to return to the boat with us. He said it’s too hot and I agree that 11:00a.m. is too late to start out.

On day two, I wanted to see some things farther away from the port, so Paul, Angela, Steve, and I decided to hire a taxi to take us around.

After eating breakfast and watching the sunrise, we headed down the gangway to a waiting taxi. Paul took the lead in arranging the price while I was telling them some of the things that we wanted to see. For a tour of the city for the four of us, we paid $50 USD.

He brought us through town to see several things that we saw yesterday, but also some random spots like a large tree in the road and the presidential palace.

We also went by several government buildings that are well-guarded and maintained. It is good to be in charge in Africa. For security purposes the taxi could not stop in front of several buildings

We also saw the Church of Dakar that was having service.

On our tour, we stopped by another market that is much more of a tourist market, Marche Soumbedioune. After a quick look through a couple of the streets of vendors that were open, we headed out again.

We stopped by the Massalikoul Djinane Mosque for pictures of the huge mosque. It is the largest mosque in Western Africa and covers an area of over 10,000 square meters. It opened in 2019.

We also stopped by to see the Mosque of Divinity on the sea shore.

The main site of the day is the African Resistance Monument. It is a giant 52-meter bronze sculpture sitting atop a 100-meter hill. It opened officially in 2010.

It caused quite a controversy as it cost 27 million USD to build by a North Korean company, and President Wade (under his term this statue was created) claimed property rights and demanded 35% of all profits.

What profits you might ask? Well it is featured in almost all advertising for Dakar, there is an elevator that ascends to the man figure’s hat that requires tickets, as well as several administrative sections below.

We came back to port along the coast where we drove by some sights and I did my best to get pictures as we whizzed by.

It was hot but great to be back for a quick visit to Africa. I bought some wax cotton cloth to use as a blanket, and when I’m done sailing, it might become a water-resistant jacket.

So bye for now, Senegal, we are off to Cape Verde, the real westernmost point of Africa.