Camel-riding, bird-watching, and plenty of time in a Korean tour bus

I rode a camel this weekend.

I should really just end my blog post there...what else is there to say? But I know that would not be an acceptable explanation for my mom, so I'll back up a few steps.

This weekend marked the last formal excursion for our program, the last time all fifty-some of us would be traveling together in Senegal. Interestingly, the odd Korean tour bus which had originally arrived to pick me up from the airport was again used for the trip. As I pushed back the gold tasseled brocade curtains, I couldn't help but remember the last time I had been traveling on this bus, eagerly – if a little apprehensively - taking in my first glimpses of Dakar's suburbs. How three months change things...

We arrived at our first destination, the village of Lampoul, around four hours north of Dakar. From this village, we climbed in the pickup trucks that would take us to our logement. We sped offroad through what looked to be the quintessential African savannah – sans animals – to what was to be our campsite. The campsite was comprised of a gaggle of large tents for sleeping and a larger canopied area with tables and cushions for eating. After claiming our tents and mattresses, I got my first glimpse of the desert.

It was incredible. Out of the various ecosystems I studied in middle school, I would have never expected to rate the desert as a favorite. But being out on the dunes as the sun was beginning to set, studying the wind's patterns in the sand and feeling the rapidly cooling night air as we explored barefoot the little peaks and valleys was utterly amazing. When the sun set, a few of us escaped the drumming of the fire circle and went out to the dunes and laid on the sand, completely overwhelmed by the multitude and apparent closeness of the stars. And the next morning, a few early risers and I went out to watch the sun rise over the desert, reveling in the cold crispness of the air.

Ah, and the camel riding....My valiant camel-riding (and Cape Verde) partner and I experienced the most interesting, and potentially most worrisome, ten minutes of our life as we were led out on the desert with our dear camel friend who was actually quite tall and quite terrifying. Once I was able to suppress the feeling that I was going to fall off – or lose my shoes – it was an enjoyable experience.

On Saturday morning, we reluctantly departed our campsite to continue on our way to Saint Louis. Originally, we were supposed to go bird-watching that morning at Djoudj, but due to a late departure (Senegal-style), and a motorcade accident which blocked the street - and gave us a glimpse of Karim Wade, the president's non-Wolof speaking son – we changed plans and headed to Saint Louis instead. Except, it's Senegal, and there's always a jafe-jafe, a problem. In this case, President Wade was inaugurating the bridge that connects the island of Saint Louis from the mainland, and that bridge was consequently closed. So, we did the next best thing, which was stop at a hotel just outside of the city, drink some Coca and Fanta, and swim in their pool for three hours.

After a long wait in traffic, we finally made it to Saint Louis, the former colonial capital and World Heritage Site, and ate some much needed yassa. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the city and boutiques, which is completely beautiful and so different from Dakar. It honestly seems like you have been transported to a European city which has somehow been permitted to crumble and detriorate a little. In the evening, my friends and I went to a bar which overlooked the river and its sparklingly modern, newly inaugurated bridge, and later went to the evening's free outdoor concert which was, like all things Senegal, three parts interesting/fun and one part uncomfortable/underwhelming.

The next morning, after having received very little sleep, the majority of us headed to the Parc National des Oiseaux du Djourdj, a beautiful park near the Mauritanian border. On our way, we saw what may be my favorite part of Senegal with its Fulani villages, roaming cattle, and wheat fields. At the park we took a boat tour of the park, which is situated on the Senegal River. It was so beautiful there, and so different than the country that is at the outskirts of Dakar. We saw many species of birds, some wild boar, and what looked to be a giant, swimming komoto dragon, but my favorite by far were the pelicans. It was their time of year to lay their eggs, thus we saw literally hundreds of these giant birds.

When we finished our tour, we ate lunch, and then boarded the buses to begin our trek back to Dakar, which, although long was fairly comfortable – which may be due to my Senegalese bus conditioning. In any case, I arrived back around 11, exhausted and with a pile of homework that still awaits my attention.