I have no idea what I was expecting from Senegal. The experiences I had left me delighted and wanting more.

Getting Ready To Go

Since I was a kid, I loved Drakkar Noir, the men’s cologne. I think I somehow linked Dakar and Drakkar in my mind, and have always wanted to go to this city. I seem to have built it up as an exotic destination based on the cologne that has nothing to do with it, LOL.

As an adult, wanting to learn more about the world we live in, my main curiosity in Dakar is to see Goree Island, and learn more about the heinous slave trade. Other than that, I’m not sure what to expect from Senegal. The few blog posts I’ve read leave me with a mixed feeling about Dakar. It sounds safe, but I’m not sure how much there is to do, and it doesn’t sound like the city itself offers major desired tourist destinations. Thankfully, I didn’t let any of that deter me from going, or I’d have missed out on a real gem.

This trip will also be a little different because I’m not traveling solo! I’ll be meeting my friend Julie. We met, virtually, in 2020, when I was running my podcast, The Inspired Nomads, and have talked about meeting in real life ever since. It’s finally happening! While I’m mostly excited, I’m also nervous. Will we get along? Will it be ok for me to have some alone time? Will we have similar interests? Happily, things are about to work out great.

Arrival In Senegal

The direct flight to Dakar is about seven hours, kind of like going to Europe! What surprises me about it is that I’m one of only a few white people on board, and most of the passengers are so tall I don’t know how they have enough room in Economy! I’m surprised that the crew on this Delta flight is not terribly concerned about service. There are no snacks provided, and no beverages brought out in between meal services. I learn later, from a Facebook group I’m in, that this route is where Delta sends employees to punish them for poor performance. I don’t know if that’s true, but there was definitely something off.

On the positive side, my seat mate is so kind and swaps his window seat with me as we land so I can get a view of Senegal and take photos. It was hazy, so not the best photos, but I loved the descent!

Driving Into Dakar

Safety is a major concern when I travel, and I’ve asked my hotel (I stayed at The Lighthouse Hotel the first week) to book a car to pick me up at the airport. I request the driver’s name and contact info in advance. He ends up calling me before my flight. I speak fluent French, but with his accent, and the loud airport noise behind me, I can’t understand a thing! So I ask him to text me. Despite the communication challenge, he picks me up at the Dakar airport on time. We get on the highway, and I’m very nervous as he fishes around for a device by his gear shift, while driving fast and taking his eyes off the road, to connect his music. I repeatedly ask if I can help, hoping to get his eyes back on the road. It ends up ok, but I’m not too pleased about how distracted he is.

As my nerves calm, I take in the sights from my window. The phrase, “I’m not in Kansas anymore” is highly relevant. My heart skips a beat or two as I acknowledge, “this place is different.” The piles of sand on the streets, the market we pass that’s on the verge of opening, women and men carrying huge packages on their heads, and the colors. These bright, bold, delightful colors are one of the sites that will captivate me the entire time I’m in this impossibly fascinating African nation. It’s so different here than in Southern Africa, and Mauritius, the only other parts of the continent I’ve so far visited.

The other thing I notice is the construction. To my eye, it looks like a lot of buildings are started, but not finished. There are open square sections, like a giant tic-tac-toe board, that might be apartments some day, but not today. The thing is, the construction looks, well, like the building might fall over, much of the time. Except the corporate office buildings look more stable. I silently wonder to myself whether my hotel will be ok.

Meetings And Greetings

I soon arrive at the Lighthouse Hotel. Julie got there last night, so, when I pull up the strange driveway (it’s a gravelly, unpaved road, across from one of those unfinished apartment buildings) and head to reception, Julie is there to meet me! Julie is fresh from other parts of Africa, and wearing a lovely skirt from her travels. I’m instantly relieved as I feel like I’m greeting an old friend.

I check into my room, except it turns out the reason the price was so low is that the bathroom is outside the room. Nope, not for me. So, I immediately upgrade to a room with bathroom, across from Julie’s. They’re kind enough to give me a discount off the usual rate since I’ll be there a week. Not only that, I had actually booked two weeks, not knowing what our plans would be, and they let me end my stay early without penalty! I Love the hotel staff. And, they offer a free laundry service! Both Julie and I have our laundry done while there. We each lose a couple of undergarments, and that turns out to happen because they air dry the laundry on top of a building across the street, and it just flies off someplace! I hope that whomever got my underwear enjoys them.

After freshening up, we head to Melo’s Patisserie aux Mamelles. They have a wide selection of breakfast and lunch options. In fact, the menu is a little overwhelming after no Sleep on my flight, but I pick some eggs and salmon and fuel up for the day.

Malaria Concerns

I’m not sure why I waited to look into this, but the day before my flight to Senegal, I learn there’s a high malaria risk. So, I scrambled to get some anti-malarial pills, and some Deet before traveling. I gave up on taking the tablets fairly quickly because it was pretty windy and I recall seeing 2 mosquitoes the entire time. I used the Deet every day, and it was enough.

First Explorations

Julie and I head into the sunny day to explore Dakar, and, to find an ATM so we can get some West African francs, because cash is often preferred over credit cards. Julie found out that Yango is the main taxi app, and she gets us a car to the Plateau area. While hotels are not inexpensive, the taxis, luckily, are a bargain. This is something that surprises me about Senegal; it’s a relatively poor country, but hotel and food costs are high. On the subject of costs – it’s been a while since I’ve split costs with a fellow traveler. Julie has a genius solution – we use the Splitwise app, log our expenses, and it’s a delightfully easy Money experience.

We walk around the streets of the Plateau neighborhood and find an ATM. In the midst of walking around looking for banks, a man on the street tells us he has a stall at a nearby market and we should check it out. As we walk around I’m in awe of the colors, the clothes, taking everything in.

Marche Kermel

Inside the market we find food, and herbs, and I buy some tea. Then we head outside and there’s the man from earlier. He insists that we visit his stall. Though it’s lovely, I have no interest in any of his products. The experience of leaving his booth is like pulling taffy out of one’s hair – slow, messy, and leaves me feeling like I won and lost a battle at the same time. Julie and I head around a different part of the market and see some bracelets we like. In the blink of an eye, two benches show up for us to sit and look at the merchandise, and we’ve been adopted by a man, let’s call him Sammy, that wants to help us negotiate.

Speaking fluent French is a definite asset in Senegal. Even though their accent is a big adjustment for me, I feel like I’m getting better deals in French than I would have in English. $40 and half an hour later, I have three bracelets, an African shirt (the only thing I’m not sure I really want), a Senegal hat, a couple of great bags made from African fabrics, and a yard of fabric to later make my own creations. I look like a walking piece of Africa. (See crazy photo Julie took below!)

I’m also exhausted. Sammy gives us his card and tells us he can be our tour guide if we like. Julie and I make our way back to an area where we can grab another Yango. Along the way we end up walking behind some women with beautiful outfits, so I snap some photos before we get our Yango back to the hotel. Later we’ll have an early meal and I’ll pass out, very content with my first day in Dakar.