After breakfast, we left early towards the Senegal border not knowing what to expect or what we would see. Wow.
As we headed south, the Mauritania that we had gotten used to ... open spaces, sand everywhere, flat, sparsely populated, camels ... slowly faded away.
Taller trees started sprouting from the sand ... the light colored sand slowly gave way to darker sand and soil ... and then we reached the Senegal River that separates Senegal and Mauritania ... and all of a sudden, we were in Africa. Wet lands as far as the eye can see, birds everywhere, green grasses, green trees ... I had forgotten what green plants looked like : )
We decided to follow the river on a dirt road for 40 kms to reach a less travelled, less crowded, and with a bridge (not a ferry like in the main border) border of Diama.
The sights were spectacular ... and more impactful to us because of all of the time we had just spent in the desert in Mauritania and Western Sahara. It felt like the world had come back to life ... all of a sudden, all at once ... the universe's design of how things should fit together (flora, fauna, terrain) all of a sudden made perfect sense ... we live in a beautiful world indeed.
The dirt road was challenging ... ruts, sand, deep crevasses, holes ... it is clear that this road is impassable during the rainy season ... our motorcycles bottom out a few times ... skid plates worked well : )
During the ride next to the river, we saw people fishing in canoes, drying fish by the side of the road, big white birds enjoying the wetlands ... reminded me of the Okavango Delta and some places in East Africa.
We managed to cross both sides of the border in record time (1.5 hours) with the help of Golum our fixer. Fixers are worth every penny. He knew everybody ... and got us in an out of everything ... immigration, customs, insurance ... Golum is also a new father ... a 2 month old little girl.
The ride to Saint Louis inside Senegal was a joy ... finally, we were in the "real" Africa ... crowded, chaotic, lush, hot, dusty ... what a change from yesterday.
Our hotel is the Hotel de la Poste ... a landmark in the French-speaking world ... built in 1850 as a residence and then converted to a hotel in the early 1900s when Saint Louis became a key stop for French airmail routes linking Europe, Africa, and South America in the 1930s. This hotel and its bar/lounge is where pilots, engineers, and administrators would hang out. The hotel has posters from that era. A big deal for French travelers we spoke to. Apparently, Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Le Petit Prince) used to stay here.
It was 95 degrees and humid when we arrived. We parked the motorcycle in the lobby and went to have a great fish and shrimp lunch by the sea, and a great cappuccino after. Love the French : )
The geography is interesting ... going straight west from the mainland, you run into a canal made by the Senegal River on its way to the ocean ... then over a bridge to the island of Saint Louis (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) ... and as you keep going west, another canal and another bridge to a thin sandy peninsula.
The city is definitely French influenced ... reminds me of New Orleans or French Guyana ... buildings throughout slowly decaying ... very picturesque, unique ... and the people seem happier than in Mauritania ... my guess is that, as social animals, we just enjoy being around people ... and you get that here.
We went to see the ocean ... the fishing boats ... and walked a few neighborhoods ... narrow streets, kids playing football everywhere and reminding me that Senegal is Africa's Champion!
Tomorrow, we head to Dakar.
South Mauritania ... taller trees slowly coming up
Entering the dirt road that parallels the Senegal River (the border between Senegal and Mauritania)
Sand, a few ruts, drops, holes made it interesting
Canoe fisherman in the river
River fish being dried for sale
Made to Diama ... the not-so-crowded border ... and the fun begins
Border processing .. lost of steps as usual
Our fixer Gulam on the moped leading us through the 500m no-man's land between borders
Made it to Saint Louis in Senegal ... the "real" Africa
Crowded and full of energy
Crossing the bridge to the isle of Saint Louis, a UNESCO world heritage site
The famous Hotel de la Poste, our stay for the night
Parked our bikes in the lobby
Decaying old buildings everywhere
A nice fish and shrimp lunch by the river
The bar at the Hotel de la Poste
Kids playing football on the beach
Brightly decorated fishing boats everywhere
A view of the inside canal ... hundreds of fishing boats
Yaye Ngall Diop ... a famous artist, entrepreneur, woman's advocate ... and yes, lots trash everywhere
The cool coffee house to hang out after dark
