I finally arrived in Dakar really late at night / early in the morning. They had checked my backpack because the flight was completely full, and it took FOOOORRRREVER for my backpack to come out in baggage claim.
In fact, I was the last one there. I went to ask where it was, and the lady told me it should be there. “It’s not, and no more bags are coming out.” “They usually wrap bags in red plastic when this happens. Look for that.”
OF COURSE. I should know my bag doesn’t look like my bag. That makes sense to assume it’s wrapped in red plastic and doesn’t look like my backpack at all. It had been there for who knows how long, and I was waiting like an idiot.
When I finally got out to taxi and then to my hotel (the airport is surprisingly far from the city), I passed out for a few hours before getting up to explore.
I started walking towards the train station and was surprised to find out you can’t go inside.
From there, I walked down to the port and caught the ferry over to Gorée Island. This was a major site in the slave trade and now has some museums and preserved areas.
I walked around the island, which is quite small. There’s a church and some memorials.
On the hilltop, there’s an old fort.
Some of the areas haven’t been preserved as well as others.
Back in Dakar city, I walked the other direction.
Hey, do you guys like onions?
I walked through this market, which was super hectic, and up to the grand mosque.
From here, I walked over to this independence monument on the coast.
Along the coast and back towards the main part of the city. I bought a pack of candied nuts, but the lady didn’t have enough change for my 100 franc coin (I think the smallest coin possible is 50) so I had to buy a bag of water, also. 100 francs for the water and the nuts= 17 cents U.S. A Deal!
I stopped by the cathedral, but they were having service.
This person is a rebel.
I really liked this guy’s hustle. At a red light, he’s going around to the cars selling little xmas trees and decorations for them.
I passed this restaurant and thought the name was funny.
Then, I read the tagline. It’s a mix-up of “finger licking” and “lip smacking”, but it just sounds really gross like this. “Lip licking.” Ew.
I walked around until late at night soaking up the city. It’s safe and has a great vibe. Got some late-night tea at a café like a local.
Then, it was back to my hotel. More laughs along the way. It’s been a while since I’ve had any of those famous French tacos from Lyon.
Dakar has a great vibe. Safe, friendly, no one hassling you on every corner to buy stuff or come into their shop “just to take a look, looking is free”. I wish I hadn’t lost 12+ hours from my flight being canceled and then the next one being delayed. The first day, I arrived just in time to sleep, rather than in the afternoon to explore.
The next morning, I was up early to head back to the airport.
This entry was posted in Africa, Dakar, Senegal