Missed my earlier posts about Senegal? Click here to read more about my time there.

Day 3 In Senegal

We kick off day 3 with another breakfast at Melo Patisserie around the corner. While I do highly recommend it, after a few breakfasts there in a row, it seems like too much food, and a bit pricey. This is something that confuses me about Senegal. It’s a relatively poor country. So when breakfast is $15 USD or more, and budget hotels are over $50 USD/night I can’t quite comprehend the high prices against the general state of the Economy.

Almadies

After breakfast we Yango it over to Almadies. I’ve started using Yango as a verb and I’m proud of it. I’m just frustrated because Julie is doing the Yango-ing because I can’t get the app to work on my phone. Pro Tip: you need a local number/SIM card for a start, which I have, but can’t figure out why I’m not getting the confirmation text. Towards the end of our week in Dakar, I figure out that you also need a WiFi connection, and then I’ll become a master Yango-er!

We decide to check out another market, Marché Artisanal de Soumbédioune. It’s right near a beach, and has a blend of stalls with souvenir stuff, and hand-made crafts. The vendors are a little persistent, trying to get us to check out their shop. When I say “a little” I mean, a lot. In some cases, it’s frustrating because neither of us wants to buy a big wooden statue. It always seems to be the person selling wooden statues that tries the hardest to get our attention.

Nope, not the wooden statues – this vendor is at the start of the small market

Despite the annoyance, this market is the complete opposite of Marche Tilene. It’s small, not too many people are here, but the ones that are look more like tourists than locals. I’ve been looking for postcards but, strangely, it’s been hard to find them, as well as t-shirts that say “Senegal.” This market finally has some postcards, but they look like they’re from the 1970s! The guy wants like $2 per card. I get him down to 50 cents per card. Negotiating here is pretty straightforward. They give a price, then you give yours, then they ask what your absolute highest price is, and it goes from there. I’ve found if I start with 50% less than I want to pay and bargain up to my number, and then prepare to walk away, it works. As with any country, negotiating is a horrible blend of feeling like you got a good price, and wondering if you should have just paid them more. (Later in our trip, when we get to some markets made for locals, I learn I’ve been correct in my assumptions of the value of things.)

One of the vendors here is a tailor and he makes some gorgeous stuff. Handbags, clothing, stuffed animals, and more. As a craftsperson myself, I can see this is great quality. The tailor’s name is Lamine. I get some fabric and commission him to make me a jacket.

Now is a good time to mention that Julie has the most awesome travel wardrobe.  I basically want all her clothes and the jacket I’ve commissioned is based on hers, which she has to leave with Lamine, in exchange for an African fabric one he’s loaning her while he sews my jacket over the next few days. That looks great on her, too!

Another vendor here seems to be a “protector of tourists.” He’s a tall man, very kind, and he insists that Julie and I follow him to the back of the market and out to the beach. We’re suddenly transported into what feels like a tiny village, those long boats on the beach, and a small nature-made esplanade that lets us walk further towards the ocean. Our guide points ahead and says we’re on the Western-most point of Senegal. He points in one direction and says “America is over there” then moves his arm in a different direction and informs us that Europe is just over the water in that direction! I wave to both continents before we head back to the market, and leave.

It’s worth mentioning that there are a bunch of yellow cabs sitting around and Julie and I walk over to discuss their prices. This ends up in a fight between drivers, one claiming we are his clients, and that nice “tourist protector” man comes out to protect us while we get another Yango and head off. The yellow cabs seem really run down, and I’m not sure about their pricing, so, pro tip: stick to Yango if you need taxis while in Dakar.

Monument De La Renaissance

If you’ve ever done even five minutes of research about Senegal, you will have come across it’s most famous monument. I saw it driving into Dakar my first morning, and my heart lept with the fascination and familiarity of it. In a place I’ve never been, and know little about, the monument, in that moment, seems like a friend I’m eager to visit. Our hotel is a five-minute walk from it, so we head over.

We walk up the long staircase, take many photos, and go all the way to the top. The statue is enormous, and the different angles are impressive. And, from the top we can see out over the whole of Dakar. There appears to be a ticket office and a way to walk up the statue, but it’s closed due to Ramadan hours. We walk to the back of the statue and that’s when I learn we missed a Holi festival! They’re just shutting things down, but everyone is covered in colored powder. I’m bummed because this is something I’ve always wanted to do! Oh well, I know it will happen in future.

Phare Des Mamelles

Now that I’m more caught up on jet lag, we decide to try the beautiful sounding restaurant near our hotel, Phare Des Mamelles.

The area we’re staying in is called “Les Mamelles.” In English, that’s basically “the breasts.” That’s because there are two big hills in this area, and from above, they apparently are like two breasts. The Monument De La Rennaissance is atop one, and this restaurant is atop the other.

We definitely could have walked up, but there’s a shuttle and it’s leaving immediately, so we jump on. I’m glad we did because, rude of me, but we beat out some other people to the top so we get a fabulous table with a wonderful view of the ocean. The menu is great, and we both order Zebu. I’m eager to try what I think is local game meat, but it turns out to be beef. Ooops. But, it’s delicious! And, we have wine. And, there’s some live music. It’s a perfect evening, complete with excellent sunset, and a great ending to a relaxing day.

Exploring Plateau 

Today we plan to go to Goree Island, but when we arrive at the dock, we learn the main museum there is closed today. We’re approached by several guides, and decide we should do some online research later to get a reliable guide, and we’re definitely going tomorrow.

Since we’re already in the neighborhood, we end up spending the morning in the Plateau neighborhood. We meander the streets and when I spot some local police, Julie indulges me and helps me get my self-proscribed cop photo. Then we grab lunch and coffee at Kotao Coffee (which both looks great and has yummy food!) and spot a photo shoot for some advertisement which ends up popping up on my Facebook feed the next day!

In one of the nearby souvenir shops we explore I discover a deck of playing cards that rocks my world. Until preceisely this moment, I’ve never thought about the faces that have appeared on every Jack, Queen, King and Joker in every playing card deck I’ve ever seen. This deck of cards makes me realize that every face of every deck has been white. I immediately buy this superb deck and feel humbled by my discovery.

Discovering More Of Ouakam

We head back to the hotel and I explore Oukam for a bit on my own. The Ouakam neighborhood has a few different sides, and, up to now, we’ve only explored the monument and the Moroccan restaurant. So, today, I head in via another direction and discover beautiful sand-covered streets. The effect is somewhere between walking on a beach, and walking in the desert, if the desert were full of low-rise apartments. I’ve never seen anything like these sand-covered streets, and this is where that “Oh, all this sand around me is from the Sahara!” thought gets me really excited.

For part of the walk, I make a cat friend who ambles along the streets with me, until I reach a market where I presume she had a dinner reservation as I didn’t see her after that. I continued onward and happened upon a mosque. I was alone, and unclear of the rules for women to enter and as there were only men all around, decided to take some photos of the outside and continue my walk. On another street, I meet a horse, have a conversation with his owner, and take some photos. This neighborhood is so ecclectic and often feels like I’m somewhere in the past. It’s got such a unique blend of sand, old buildings, creativity and, my favorite, pop-up barber shops, which are a thing here. Hard to get a photo, because, unless they’re empty, no one inside wants to be photographed.

My cat escort for part of my walk

The horse found me very amusing

An Authentic Dinner

One of our most special dinners ends up being at Chez Mami. To get here, we walked through an entirely different part of Oukam which offers a laid back coffee shop vibe. The restaurant is quite small, and Julie and I are granted the table at the entrance with a view of the street. I chuckle because there’s a sign across the way that says “Les Mamelles” and my immature mind feels like I’m being bombarded by breasts. That aside, the neighborhood is chill, our hosts are lovely. There’s no menu, and they show us the chicken dish they’ve prepared and we eagerly accept. It turns out to be very authentic Senegalese food and absolutely delicious.

We end up very surprised when we request the bill. Apparently, it’s their opening night after having just moved to this new location. So, there is no charge for the food. What? I am completely stunned, and honored. I insist on taking their photo, and let them know I’ll be giving them positive reviews everywhere, and mentioning them in my blog. So, if you go to Dakar, you MUST eat here!

With that, we head back to our hotel. Tomorrow we have an early start because we’re going to Goree Island! (For real this time…)