PLACES VISITED: 3) Saint-Louis, 4) Gundiol, 5) Kebemer, 6) Tambacounda SENEGAL, 1) Bhoundou Fourdou (Border), 2) Athiabali, 3) Koundara GUINEA.
OVERNIGHTS (Bush Camps unless otherwise specified): Camping Zebra Bar, Mouit, 25km south of Saint-Louis, most western African point (x2), 7km south of Boulel, 6km north of Medina Gounas SENEGAL, 15km east of Gaoual GUINEA.
BLOG TRAILER: This blog is all about our adventures in Senegal - when I think if this country, I think of all those friendly faces, people waving at the truck, kids running alongside, the ladies colourful head scarfs, cuban style music. I also think of the many hundreds, even thousands of melons everywhere. It is also a poor country, with very basic facilities and lots of rubbish everywhere. The capital Saint-Louis reminds me of the French Quarter in New Orleans and is set out like the Isle De La Cite of Paris. Our camping site near Saint-Louis on the beach of Mouit was the best to date, laid out like a beach resort but with tents and plenty of horn bill birds to wake you up. Further inland, Senegal switched our desert dune scene into more like the postcard
Africa, with red sand, windswept trees, termite mounds and lots of dry grass. Senegal was mainly a crossing for us with plenty of rest along the way after the Sahara desert conditions. Still hot and dry but with cool nights and mornings. Senegal. Land of melons and smiley faces. I didn’t think that a political borer could change a landscape so much like the one between Senegal and Guinea. Suddenly there was thick bush and even low ridges (mountains). What stayed the same was the dry heat, thatched hut villages and colourful female outfits. This post has a special feature on the best of our camping facilities in Saint-Louis with photos to show you how luxurious our life gets...
REFLECTION: On the 20th of December 2015 and Day 38 of my trip, my dad would have turned 90 and have celebrated the launch of Ungowa with us. Nevertheless, I think he did and I will dedicate my film “Ungowa Africa 2016” next year to him...
DAY 36, Fri 18DEC15, 44km, Mouit to Saint-Louis to Mouit SENEGAL. Slept in to 9am. Unreal but a slightly heavy head from the Zebra Bar. Saint-Louis (Pop 172,000) is the capital of Senegal and was founded in 1659 as the first French settlement in Africa (got UNESCO registration in 2000 for this reason). The old town is on a long thin island (approx 3km long) and reminds you of the Isle De La City in Paris. The old town itself is set out matrix style and looks like the French quarter of New Orleans - buildings have stores below and residences above. So much so that the largest Jazz festival in Africa is held here each May! My first impression of Senegal and this town is just how friendly everyone is.
Everyone is black African - not an Arab in sight! People are still well-dressed, especially the women with very colourful long-flowing garments and head scarfs. They carry everything around on their heads and even the young girls practice with one hand attached. 90% of the population is still Muslim with the rest mostly being Catholic. Everyone here speaks more French. To get to the island old town you walk across the 507m “Pont Faidherbe” a metallic arch bridge designed by Gustav Eiffel and assembled here in 1897, having been pre-fabricated and shipped over from France - it was originally intended to cross the Danube. Roberto, Riza and I crossed this bridge yesterday to get our booze and crossed it today at around 11am. “Place Faidherbe” is the main square and central point complete with a huge Governor’s Palace overlooking the statue of the French Generale who colonised most of Africa and the first Catholic Cathedral built in 1828.
While at the statue a second bridge caught our eye with streams of colourful locals travelling across so we followed. What a stroke of luck. This bridge led to another island with hundreds of fishing boats, fish markets and mountains of water melons! Later we found out it is called “Guet N’Dar”. We were mesmerised by all the bright coloured clothing. People lived in ramshackle brick homes. We got to the Atlantic side of the island where we were mobbed by scores of black African children wanting to take photos with us. What a dream.
Roberto even dribbled soccer balls with the local kids - they gave him a run for his money! We enjoyed it immensely and a definite highlight of our visit. We then walked the length of the island passed the “Grand Mosque” and ended up at “Pointe Nord”, a recommended restaurant in Lonely Planet serving up Senegalese specialties like “tieboudienne” which is like Paella, a tiny grain rice dish with thick sun-dried tomato sauce topped with fried fish pieces and vegies. Unfortunately they did not have any left so we went across the road to “La Saigonese” run by a 60yr old lady from Vietnam who has been living here for 15yrs, built the restaurant and adjacent home and has another 4 restaurants in Belgium. What a dynamo. We had our tieboudienne and the local “Flag” beer. Very tasty dish (see photo).
From here we walked back down the length of the island passing the liquor store we visited yesterday which was CLOSED! Everything in Saint-Loius shuts from Noon to 3pm because of the heat. We did manage to find a small supermarket where we bought cold drinks and some ongoing supplies. We made the truck by 2:45pm when it was my turn for truck minding duty until our departure at 3:30pm. I bought another “stripey bag” since the one on truck ripped from all the ins and outs. I resolved just to leave it in from now on and just take what I need. It was a hot day and I welcomed the cold shower back at camp and appreciated even better the cold beer which followed at our very own “Zebra Bar”. Blogging and beer to the sound of African music with a setting sun over your shoulder is bliss. This is the life.
DAY 37, Sat 19DEC15, 0km, Mouit SENEGAL (Run1). I was back. I ran a whole 10km today and clocked up Senegal as my 58th running country! I was so relieved since we only have three more sleeps in Senegal including today! My foot did not hurt but I could feel a tenderness there and overcompensated with my other foot to the point where it started to hurt! Nevertheless it only wept a bit and did not open back up - the strapping worked and it was a good idea to run in my boots instead of the ASICS since the former gives the wound more space whereas the later scrunches the foot together more, pressing more on the wound. Roberto and Dave came with me since they figured I would go slower. Andy turned around at the 2.5km mark. We ran past the towns of Mouit and Gundiol - everyone was out in their Sunday best (even though it was Saturday). Kids ran alongside, girls giggled and a lot of the young guys whistled and yelled.
It was a great opportunity to see the town up close. It was a bot overcast today and it was a rest day and cleaning day. We all got assigned specific jobs to clean the whole truck and its kitchen. Jacob and I were assigned the job of filling up all the jerry cans. Others cleaned the cabin, others all the kitchen pots and pans, others the kitchen area itself etc. We then had loads of time to clean our clothes and I decided to clean my sleeping back, pillow and mattress since we would be bush camping for the next 7 days! This campsite was easily the best equipped. Lots of toilets and showers and a big laundry area. It is also located on an island that sits between the mainland and another island further west into the Atlantic - it has a long beach line and is run by a Swiss couple. It has a bar and also offers snacks and meals. Very well set up. The only criticism is that the WiFi is shit.
Hardly works and when 5 people are on it, it collapses. I wrote this blog inside a nice lounge area. In the late arvo, Dan let me copy several of his movies and I watched “8 Seconds”, over two big cold beers - the true story of “Lane Waters”, the greatest ever Texan bull-rider - it was as Texan as they come. Tonight Grant cooked up his favourite beef stew with macaroni, veggies and mushroom soup powder! Grant, Roberto, Vit, Dan and I talked about cars and the follow of youth as we gobbled down the stew with our new-found Rose, purchased in Saint-Louis (12, one litre plastic bottles to be exact!). Wine and beer are widely available throughout Senegal but I am not sure we will find wine in the middle of the country. I finished today with another movie. It was a good day and I was ready for the bush...
STOP PRESS: As we are not going to Dakar (the most Western point of all Africa), this makes Mouit our most Western African destination!
DAY 38, Sun 20DEC15, 315km, Mouit to Bush Camp 7km south of Boulel SENEGAL. Our journey into the Senegalese interior and the start of a long line of bush camping began at 8:30am. Blue skies and a brisk cool morning were there to launch us. Around 11am we reached the one road town of Kebemer where tonight’s cook group faced a major challenge shopping for lunch, dinner and brekkie. Despite the many small kids begging outside our truck, this seemed like a happy town with loads of people just “hanging around” the only gas station in town! By the time we had lunch the temperature had reached 35C.
Landscape consisted of red dirt, Acacia trees and small salt shrubs. We also saw our first grass-hut villages with locals who tend goats and grow corn as their main staples. We also spotted many “Zebus”, a type of cow with a hump just behind it head - this animal was introduced in this area since it is more resilient to insect bytes, parasites and dirty water. After all Senegal is officially at the start of the Malaria zone. Our bush camp was pretty ordinary, not far from the road. Andi did want me running on the road this arvo since there are two towns within my 5km radius and we may be flooded with locals - she suggested the morning which means a 6am start for me in the dark with first light at 7am and sunrise at 7:22am according to my GPS watch. I slept in the truck on the ground so I could save time pitching tent.
DAY 39, Mon 21DEC15, 307km, Bush Camp 7km south of Boulel to Bush Camp, 6km north of Medina Gounas via Tambacounda SENEGAL (Run2). It was pitch black when the iPhone went off at 5:45am - just before “the mobile mosque” went past - yes, a car with a loud speaker driving down this road to call local villages to 6am prayers. Unbelievable - even out here. My head lamp was at half power but good enough to enable me to find the road. Thank goodness it was straight. I could just see the shoulder - good for the occasional truck. It was weird running in pitch black with only the stars to keep you company. Once I hit 5km, the sky began to light up and I got back just before sunrise. It was a cool 16C and I should have taken a long sleeve. I felt it later on the truck. Back of my lungs were stiff - I hope I do not get a cold.
As we travelled through the centre of the country the landscape became very bushy with taller, bigger and greener trees and dotted with straw-hut villages and melon fields. As we passed through the larger villages, full of people, markets and commotion, we always get many waves and yells. Here comes the big yellow truck! Our lunch and cook group stop in Tambacounda was highly successful. Plenty of fruit and veggies, even fish and I found the town’s only booze shop - “if it exists, I will find it”!
After walking around for a while looking for it, I decided the logical thing to do is to go into a restaurant and ask the owner - it worked - he walked me to the store. Picked up 8 one litre bottles of the same Rose I got in Saint-Louis - I was safe - enough supplies for Guinea and even Mali (if we go there) - both “dry” countries. Our camp site was only a few kilometres outside the “Nikolo-Koba National Park” which we would drive through tomorrow on our way to the Senegal-Guinea border. We camped inside a quarry so it was not so pretty. There were termite mounds everywhere so our firewood was hollow and we needed twice the amount cook! Our cook group put together a veggie curry that was guaranteed to blow the bowls off everyone the following morning… (Panorama below is of Koundara GUINEA).
DAY 40, Tue 22DEC15, 224km, Bush Camp 6km north of Medina Gounas SENEGAL to Bush Camp 15km east of Gaoual via Athiabali and Koundara GUINEA (Run1). I slept on the truck to get up 6am for cook group. Dan almost stepped on me in the middle of the night! Before we knew it we were driving through Medina Gounas at 8am with the light of the rising sun in the faces of the many smiling locals - it is a poor town - huts and shacks everywhere but somehow those clothes remain bright and clean. The Senegal exit stamp only took 30min.
The national park followed which is actually no 
mans land for about 30km. The national park was full of trees mixed with grasslands. It was also damper and cooler. We also saw families of monkeys on the ground. The park had jungle sounds in it. It took 60min to get the Guinea entry stamp in the town of Bhoundou Fourdou. Here we were - in Guinea - one of the three “Ebola” countries that we would visit. Jacob was brave enough to buy his first food from a street lady - doughnuts! I will be watching him closely! The first few villages in Guinea looked much like those in SENEGAL. Grass huts, one main road full of stalls and people sitting under trees. At lunch at Athiabali, we saw our first mountain range since the Atlas ranges in Morocco - not high - more like a ridge. A few minutes later and we were in Koundara, where we stopped to change money and visit the market for 90min.
This is where, Riza blew bubbles at the children and surrounded herself with tons of them! The markets were a surprise. A sea of colour in both food and clothing. Lots of veggies and even French-style baguettes. Despite the harsh hot and dusty conditions, there is still plenty to eat and variety plus. Kids everywhere, all in a beige, safari-style school uniform. Less French spoken here. I think people are friendlier and more curious. More people were OK at having their photos taken. I was glad to be on the road again to get some air to cool us down. The landscape then started to really thicken up into real bush. We then ascended into the only highland area of the country. Topped out at only 282m. Then a sight to behold. Hundreds if not thousands of mushroom shaped termite mounds.
Stopped for a closer inspection and photos! We also noticed many more amongst burnt-out bush - guessed this must be the only way to get rid of the little critters! Camp was on hard red dusty ground surrounded by bush. This meant covering poo with a pile of rocks since the ground is too hard to produce a hole. My evening run involved 150m of descent and ascent, the first steady hill since Morocco. It was also my first run in Guinea which is now the 60th country I have run in and the 65th visited! We ate early today so I decided to watch a movie to end the day. Our sojourn in Guinea had begun..
The photos you see below are those of our best campsite, so far, in Mouit, near Saint-Louis SENEGAL:
PS: A LITTLE ABOUT SENEGAL:
Senegal (Pop 14m) is the most western of all African countries and probably the most stable and French at the moment. It was first inhabited as part of the “Empire of Ghana” in the 8th Century so most of its people are Black Africans of Muslim faith but there are 4 main factions with “the Wolof” being the dominant one. The capital is Saint-Louis (Pop 172,000) and the largest city is Dakar (Pop 2.9m) of the car rally fame. Senegal was occupied by two other African kingdoms until the Portuguese, British, Dutch and French jostled over it and in 1659, the French won. Independence came in 1960 and there was a lot of civil unrest in the 1980’s as the various Muslim factions sorted each other out. Finally in 2000 there were democratic elections for President with a party system in place much like France. 40% of the Senegalese population is under 14 and music is very much a part of the culture. Cuban and hip-hop dominate. Many liken it to the Bahamas.
PPS: CAMP FACILITIES:
Most of our camping sites to date have been reasonable. Most are usually clean, tiled and functional. The floors are usually dirty because people walk in with thongs that have sand or dirt underneath so you learn to change using your thongs as a makeshift floor! Many of the toilets did not flush properly but you could always flush them with a bucket of water. We never got stinky or dirty toilets and showers - the only downside was not having enough of them. About 3 or 4 places so far, only had two toilets and two showers - not great when there are 21 people! One place had a separate laundry room with extra large sinks for washing clothes.
Some even had a washing machine. Clean is what you make of it - do not expect it to be there already - you have to devise your own techniques to create a clean environment around you. It certainly is not for everyone. Most places are more like out-houses than regular bathrooms so get ready for the “dunnie” experience and eight more months of it!!!
PPPS: INTERESTING FACT ON AFRICA:
“Ungowa” is apparently from the Swahili language which is a fusion of African, Arabic and Portuguese! Before being conquered by the Portuguese, the so-called "Swahili Sultans” living in modern-day Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique, were quite fancy, living in stone houses and traded with China and India.
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