SENEGAL

Starting to be the real Africa?
The Africa that we know seems to be coming alive as we reach into Senegal. As we cross the border from Mauritania, things seem to be a bit livelier. About 10 kilometers before the border we noticed a big change in vegetation for the greener.
We stayed in a make shift hotel on the border and decided to hit the border the next morning. As we got up in the morning, we packed up and waited at the border. The border was riddled with trucks and people from all walks of life, as we passed on the small ferry; we noticed a shift in the mood of people.

We got to the border on the other side of the river and were ushered away from what seemed to be the Customs to a small restaurant/bar. After exchanging money, I had a beer at this café that seemed to double as a prostitute place and then scurried on out to meet the bus and the plethora of kids around there.
As we drove down the highway (note that highways now are sometimes tarmac and sometimes dirt), we got into St. Louis, which was one of the first French colonies in Africa and one of the oldest. We ended up staying at a place called Zebra Bar which was in the local national park.
Going back to St. Louis, I noticed how much the city had deteriorated which swamps of trash everywhere, in the middle of market places. The streets were bustling and someone was always willing to give you a Bon Jour!!!!
The people were still very friendly and were always willing to talk and share any information they had. Even if they did not speak English, they made an honest attempt to help and communicate with you…
I went on an excursion to see some birds and beautiful beaches one morning and that was a relief to escape the campground and the bustling city life. The quiet countryside reminded me of our bush camps while traveling through the Western Sahara with very little noise or pollution.
We spent two more days driving east and stayed at bush camps until we entered into what I have deemed as the wild west of Western Africa GUINEA…and the ROAD GOES ON….