The rebellion lives on....
Casamance or the southern part of Senegal is snug between Guinea and the Gambia and is the closest to paradise ive ever been. Well except for the fact a regional governer was shot and killed by rebels the day before i traveled through that part of the country. No worries guys! I made it back to Dakar in one health piece! Its kinda of exciting really, to think i was so close to the action and perhaps political change in Senegal.
The Casamance is known for its fruit trees, its many rivers, palm trees, and tourist attiring islands. The atmosphere reminded me of the carribean but a bit cooler temperature wise. The people of the south really have no problems. They accept you, they take life slowly and the hospitality is out of this world awesome. I went first to the town of kolda with a friend, Pape, from the university. It took us almost 22 hours to reach his home by bus but it was far worth it. I almost crossed the entire country and saw a variety of landscapes. Termite hills the size of mini-vans! Pape's family was a great group of people. I felt a part of the family as i cooked with them, went shopping in the market, and ate a hell of a lot of great senegalese cuisine. While i was in Kolda, we celebrated the new year by going out 'en boite' or to a dance club. I had a great time dancing to african tunes with senegalese of all shapes and sizes and Pape made sure i didnt have to do anything...
After four days in Kolda i went to the town of Ziguanchor. My former university roomate Banna was waiting for me and took me into her home for my two days there. Ziguanchor reminds me the Antilles, it had an island like feel due to the palm trees and the relaxed atmosphere. We took a tour of the town and stopped by the port on the Senegalese River. There is a momument dedicated to the Joola. In 2003 a ferry boat 'The Joola' sank off the coast of senegal on its way to dakar. Over a hundred people died who were mostly students from Cheik Anta Diop. Currently, there is a new boat in its place called 'The Willis' which makes the trajet between Dakar and Zinguanchor twice a week. Due to the feast of Tabaski, the boat was schedule to leave a day early making my stay a bit shorter than planned. The 17 hour cruise in the Willis was truly a great experience. The boat holds roughly 500 people and has all the luxury of a first class plane seat. You are free to roam around the boat, eat in its restaurante or drink at its bar. They show films and music clips throughout the trip and the captain points out geographic landmarks to the passangers. I met some crazy people on the boat including a reggae musician who kindly sang for me, a medicine teacher from dakar, two nuns, and two expat french people who loved to drink and tell nasty jokes. My voyage ended at the port in dakar early thursday morning. Now i recupe and say goodbye.
The Casamance is known for its fruit trees, its many rivers, palm trees, and tourist attiring islands. The atmosphere reminded me of the carribean but a bit cooler temperature wise. The people of the south really have no problems. They accept you, they take life slowly and the hospitality is out of this world awesome. I went first to the town of kolda with a friend, Pape, from the university. It took us almost 22 hours to reach his home by bus but it was far worth it. I almost crossed the entire country and saw a variety of landscapes. Termite hills the size of mini-vans! Pape's family was a great group of people. I felt a part of the family as i cooked with them, went shopping in the market, and ate a hell of a lot of great senegalese cuisine. While i was in Kolda, we celebrated the new year by going out 'en boite' or to a dance club. I had a great time dancing to african tunes with senegalese of all shapes and sizes and Pape made sure i didnt have to do anything...
After four days in Kolda i went to the town of Ziguanchor. My former university roomate Banna was waiting for me and took me into her home for my two days there. Ziguanchor reminds me the Antilles, it had an island like feel due to the palm trees and the relaxed atmosphere. We took a tour of the town and stopped by the port on the Senegalese River. There is a momument dedicated to the Joola. In 2003 a ferry boat 'The Joola' sank off the coast of senegal on its way to dakar. Over a hundred people died who were mostly students from Cheik Anta Diop. Currently, there is a new boat in its place called 'The Willis' which makes the trajet between Dakar and Zinguanchor twice a week. Due to the feast of Tabaski, the boat was schedule to leave a day early making my stay a bit shorter than planned. The 17 hour cruise in the Willis was truly a great experience. The boat holds roughly 500 people and has all the luxury of a first class plane seat. You are free to roam around the boat, eat in its restaurante or drink at its bar. They show films and music clips throughout the trip and the captain points out geographic landmarks to the passangers. I met some crazy people on the boat including a reggae musician who kindly sang for me, a medicine teacher from dakar, two nuns, and two expat french people who loved to drink and tell nasty jokes. My voyage ended at the port in dakar early thursday morning. Now i recupe and say goodbye.
posted by Tara at 4:31 AM
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