Cape of Good Hope, Cape Peninsula, South Africa
5 Unexpected Things about Dakar, Senegal
By Rachael Cullins
Rachael Cullins of Girl, Guy, Globe shares some unexpected experiences while living in Dakar, Senegal as an expat.
The city of Dakar, Senegal is often called the “Paris of West Africa.” But don’t let the (nick)name fool you – I’ve been to Paris and I live in Dakar, and Dakar is no Paris. This crazy, fun, loud, dirty burg perched on the Atlantic Ocean has plenty of excitement and surprises for travelers – but the City of Lights it ain’t. Here are five unexpected things about Dakar that make it a destination all unto its own.
1. The absolute giganticness of the African Renaissance Monument
The stats help tell the tale of its size – 160 feet tall, bigger than the Statue of Liberty, the tallest monument in Africa – but they still don’t compare with seeing the monstrosity in person. The statue is perched on top of steps on top of a hill, and in a city with virtually no other tall structures, it stands out, to say the least. Climb to the top to get some fantastic breezes.
(to be continued)
Rachael Cullins of Girl, Guy, Globe shares some unexpected experiences while living in Dakar, Senegal as an expat.
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| Set on a hill overlooking the ocean, the huge African Renaissance Monument looms over the city |
1. The absolute giganticness of the African Renaissance Monument
The stats help tell the tale of its size – 160 feet tall, bigger than the Statue of Liberty, the tallest monument in Africa – but they still don’t compare with seeing the monstrosity in person. The statue is perched on top of steps on top of a hill, and in a city with virtually no other tall structures, it stands out, to say the least. Climb to the top to get some fantastic breezes.
(to be continued)
Trans Africa expedition 15
From the Ghanaian coast we headed inland up to the Akosombo Dam which has formed one of the largest man made lakes in the world. We enjoyed an interesting tour of the dam and then traveled to Kpalimé in Togo. We entered Togo on 3rd April and after spending a pleasant day in Kpalimé headed down to Lomé, the capital. Togo is regarded as the heartland of voodooism, so we decided to visit the famous fetish market in Lomé. The market was packed with bones, dried pieces of animals and other talismans - quite eerie! Some of the skulls looked as though they could have been human! We both agreed it would not be a good idea to upset anyone around the market, we didn't fancy having a spell placed over us.
Trans Africa expedition 14
We decided that we would just spend a few days in Abidjan and the Ivory Coast before traveling on to Ghana - we had heard many good things about Ghana. We checked out the center of Abidjan which seemed a modern city with all of the normal amenities. Our highlight was a pool side seafood buffet at the Ivoire Hotel - supposedly the best hotel in West Africa. It was great to sit by the pool side, lit by oil lanterns and listening to live music - sometimes you just need a little luxury in Africa!
On 28th March we caught a 6.30am bus from the Ghana State Transport Corp. bus terminal to Basua in Ghana. It felt very different traveling through the lush tropical countryside after so much time in the desert and sahel regions. Finally after a bureaucratic 4 hour border crossing we arrived at the beach town of Basua just after sunset. Basua seemed calm and relaxed especially after the hustle and bustle of Abidjan.
(to be continued)
Trans Africa expedition 13
The trek back out of the Dogon country was a nightmare. Our guide wanted to hire donkeys at a ridiculous rate so we refused and decided to walk. We had a 17km trek across sand in a temperature of more than 40 degrees Celsius. It took us an exhausting 4 hours to reach the main road and the town of Bankass. We arrived severely dehydrated, there were times during the trek that we wondered whether we would make it! In Bankass we separated from our guide and were independent again. We couldn't find a hostel, but we managed to borrow a piece of foam and sleep out behind a bar!
From Bankass we had another couple of days battle with Mali's transport system to get to the Border with Burkina Faso - Mali sure was a challenge to one's patience! After much deliberation we decided that the only way we were ever going to get to the border was to hire a taxi.
On 20th March we crossed the frontier between Mali and Burkina Faso at a remote border post. We only spent a few days in Burkina Faso, mostly in the capital Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso is situated in the never ending featureless sahel region, so we figured there wasn't really too much to see except the capital. We had a cool time in 'Ouaga', including spending the evening in a funky disco in the heart of town and getting a little carried away with the beer!
(to be continued)
Trans Africa expedition 12
The next day we were off to visit Djenné, the oldest and most impressive of the trading towns on the Trans-Saharan caravan routes. We arrived at the stand to catch a pickup at 9.00am and finally caught a ride at 2.00pm - apparently a reasonable wait in Mali! After four hours of a bumpy road sitting on hard wooden benches we finally arrived in Djenné. Mamoud led us directly to the house of another relative where we would spend the night. The Grand Mosque here was even more impressive than the one in Mopti and Mamoud explained how after the rainy season the local people repaired the mud structure.
Next was our highlight of Mali, a 3 day trek to the Dogon villages around the Bandiagara cliff. The Dogon people have lived in this area since 500 BC and have retained their original animalist culture. Their mythology is the source of an abundance of sacred wood carvings, sculptures, masks and ancestral figures.
First we had a 12km trek through scrub to the Dogon village of Teli. The village was built on the flat at the foot of the Bandiagara cliffs. Just above the village perching on the cliff face were the original houses that had been used to hide from enemies. We took a rest to avoid the heat of the midday sun and had some millet beer with the villagers. As normal we spent the night sleeping on a flat roof under the stars. Despite the blistering heat of the day the nights were surprisingly cold, and Paula and I had to huddle together to keep warm. The food was extremely basic but we managed to get some extra calories by downing large amounts of sickly sweet condensed milk!
(to be continued)
Trans Africa 11 - Niger
We hired a pirogue, dugout canoe, to visit the Bozo village down river. The pirogue was punted across the huge river by the young owner who proudly called himself 'Captain'. The Bozo village was very picturesque with the mud built houses, the mosque in the center on a hill and the palm trees. As we landed at the village we were swamped by excited children buzzing around us like bees around honey. We really couldn't imagine how the village could have been any more primitive. Just as we had finished our tour of the village and were climbing back aboard our pirogue, one of the children came running up to me with my wallet that I must of dropped. I checked the contents of my wallet and was amazed that not a penny was missing!
(to be continued)
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