Île de Gorée

I checked out of the Via Via this morning.  I liked the Via Via.  I would recommend it to anyone coming to Dakar.  It's very close to the 8 Palais DDD bus line which is pretty user friendly and goes to the very tip of Dakar.  And it's far enough away from the chaos of Dakar.  They have a restaurant with 1000 CFA beers, 1000 CFA water, and pretty good entrees for 4000 CFA-ish, less for spaghetti and more for steak.  There is a SocGen (SGBS) by the highway a straight 2 or 3 minute walk from the Via Via, and if you cross the highway, there is fast food--Steers, Pizza Inn, and Galitos.  Across the street is an internet cafe that only charges 300CFA for an hour but there in no good WiFi connection in the neighborhood.  For those coming into Dakar by plane, it's close to the airport--in fact, were I to come here again, I would walk it.  It's sure not a short walk but it's within the maximum distance a British Columbia hiker would be willing to go.  First timers should take a cab.  They have a very nice little library with books quickly digested (Grisham) and books that take a little more time (Dreiser).  They operate on a credit system where all your meals are just kept track of and you pay the whole thing at the end which makes it easy to deal with not having the proper currency at the beginning of the trip.  The beds are passably comfortable, and more importantly, they are mosquito netted--though except for the first couple of nights where there was one living in the bathroom, I didn't even see mosquitos in the room.  A wall mounted fan kept the air circulating and that was enough to make the late July sleeps bearable.  French speakers will find other French speaking guests easily.  English speakers are a little less common but there.  The staff is really into Senegalese wrestling and the TV will be turned to it on the weekends.

Anyway, I'll miss the Via Via.  I left and took the #8 to the stadium on a mercifully uncrowded bus.  Just past the stadium is Avenue Faidherbe which goes almost straight to the ferry to Île de Gorée--about a 1km walk.  I had my entire pack on my back and my laptop in my hands.  It was a grueling walk at 11:30.  At one point you go through a market and are surrounded by people which is a bit unsettling since a loaded person can't react easily to defend himself from pickpockets.

I found the ferries and paid 5000 CFA (US$10) for a roundtrip ticket.  My intention is to spend the night on the island.  I bought and chugged an Orange Fanta for a tad steep 500 CFA entered the waiting room where we were corralled like cattle.  A 50 minute wait!  It was pretty full.  About 10% of the people were white.  I didn't expect there to be so many people.  I hoped there would be a hotel.  A woman named Kenza struck up a conversation with me with the hopes of attracting me to her store on the top of the island.  (Is there anyone who speaks English for reasons other than to get tourist dollars?)  Finally the boat came and the crowd started moving to the door.  I lugged by stuff out. I was positively dripping with sweat.  Once outside, I heaved my pack up onto my back and got into one line for the boat.  But I noticed that there was no gangway--just a hop.  The other line had a gangway.  But the gangway line statyed long and the non-gangway line cleared up.  So I risked it and hopped--backpack on back, laptop in hand--onto the deck.  I almost fell backwards, but the crewman caught me.  So I was on board and I got a nice spot near the portside bow where I could watch the island come into view.

We passed by the port. As I always do, I looked for COSCO containers, but there weren't any.  It's a 20 minute trip out the island.  When the boat got there, it lined up against the jetty and again I had to hop out.  This time neither line had a gangway.  I headed up to the beach and saw the first of only 2 hotels on the island--the Hostellerie de Chevalier de Boufflers.  It's visible from the beach.  I went up and in.  It looked more like a restaurant but I went in and asked "ou se trouve la reception?" It was the reception and the guy figured out pretty quickly that his English was better than my French. I asked for a room--he consulted his book and said they are all filled up.  I had the feeling that they wouldn't have been all booked up if I wanted 2 nights, but I just wanted one night.

So I went to the other one--the Auberge Keur Beer.  I was a bit nervous now.  What would I do if there was nothing?  The guy asked if I had a reservation.  I said I didn't.  He seemed shocked that people show "comme ça" without reservations.  He got out the phone and made some phone call and I didn't get what he was doing.  Finally, he said they had a room for 18000 CFA (plus 1500 CFA for an optional breakfast).  He sent me up to look at it.  The toilet and shower are unattached.  The room itself is nice.  It has a ceiling fan, mini-fridge, writing desk, and 2 beds.  The view sort of sucks, but that's OK.  Once there, the guy seemed to take a liking to me.  He told me where their restaurant was and recommended it.  The funny thing was that I paid, but still hadn't filled out the usual form.  Oh well.  No problem.

I went out and found myself at the Ann Sabran.  I ordered a Flag and a 1.5 liter of water.  They were out of the small bottles of beer so he asked me if a big bottle would do.  I smiled and said "oui oui".  The museums close from noon to 14:30, so I had some time to kill.  Merchants selling statues, masks, jewelry, paintings, rattles, sunglasses, hats, and shirts went by.  I turned them all away since I'm already fully loaded and can do shopping without finding something to throw away--especially after acquiring such things at the mosquito net and coils.  A white family was eating and eventually left.  A set of locals came by--the girls looking sexy in their swimwear.

Two thirty rolled around (ít's nice to have a watch again) and I paid my bill 3000 CFA (US$6) and headed for the museums.  One was sort of a little Senegalese history museum in a small little round fortress.  It was interesting but unimpressive.  Then I went across to the main museum of the island--the main draw--La Maison des Esclaves or the House of Slaves.  It is a restored building that may be representative of those used to house slaves awaiting the ships coming to Africa to take them across to the Americas.  A guy tried to latch onto me to give me a tour, but I resisted.  I just wanted to look myself.  He wasn't happy that I brushed him off, but he soon latched onto another set of tourists.  I have read Hugh Thomas's huge history of the slave trade, so I'm pretty far ahead of the usual tourist coming to the island.  Besides, I knew it would end with him wanting money.  So I looked myself.

After that, I returned to my room where the desk girl asked for name on a piece of paper.  Then a few minutes later she knocked at my door and gave me the usual sheet to fill out.  I'm wondering if she is in training and the guy training her waits until she is all done and then asks her what she did wrong.  It seems that way.

So now I'm in my room.  I smell meat grilling outside.  It's 5:30 and I'm just starting to get hungry. :-)

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I went out to the place recommended by the Auberge guy.  Chez TomTom.  It took a while to get service, and I was first "served" by a guy who turned out to be an antique mask dealer.  He wanted to sell me an antique mask.  However, everything in his stock was relatively large and not well suited at all to storage in a back pack for one with already full pack who is just at the beginning of his west Africa trip.

I ordered a salade de crudités thinking crudités was croutons, a curry chicken, and a large Flag.  The total would be 6500 CFA.  The problem with this place at this particular hour was that there so many flies.  At least 2 varieties--the normal housefly though in assorted sizes, and these bigger really ugly greenish iridescent flies with huge red eyes.  They were swarming so think and sometimes they fly right into your face.  I managed to keep them at bay while I ate my salad which had not croutons but a pile of shredded white stuff I still can't place.  I eventually finished it and put the plate onto the other corner of the table and that kept the flies away while they lapped up the contents of that plate.  Then the curry chicken came.  It was a bit smaller than I'd hoped but when I bit into it, it was divine!  This place does curry well.  While I was eating a guy came by and told me he wanted to sell me some stuff but he'd wait until after I ate.

So I finished and he came over.  The only thing I'm willing to buy at this stage would be a bracelet.  First he tried to sell me these rattle things.  They are actually very cool, but I don't want them.  Then he pulled out 3 bracelets--leather with wooden chips with something carved into the wood, and 2 necklaces.  He wanted to unload the necklaces--for my wife or mother.  I didn't really like either one.  He said "look look" and lit his lighter and put the necklace into the flame.  I didn't know what he was trying to demonstrate.  Maybe that they're not plastic?  I don't know.  Anyway, he want 25000 CFA (US$50) for one necklace.  I told him I didn't want a necklace.  OK 25000 for a necklace and a bracelet.  No, I don't want a necklace.  OK, 25000 for the necklace and 2 bracelets.  I don't want a necklace.  OK how much would you give me for the necklace?  I don't want the necklace.  Look, look (lights his lighter) real wood--20000 for the necklace--normalement (his English was peppered with French--BTW "cuir" means leather) and 2 bracelets...

It went on like this.  He tried swapping in the other necklace and I kept telling him I might be interested in one bracelet and nothing more.  OK 20000 for 2 bracelets.  No, I don't want two, I want one.  OK, 20000 for 3 bracelets.  No, I don't want three, I want one.  OK, 25000 for a necklace and 3 bracelets...

We went around in circles like this for about 5 minutes in which time I got my bill and paid my bill.  So I had 3500 CFA as change.  Finally he asked, OK how much you give for 2 bracelets?  I said I'd give 3000 CFA for one bracelet.  That's no price, he said, this is cuir--souvenir from island--10000 for 2 bracelets.  I told him 3000 was my final offer.  He said that's $6, €5--I can't take that price--6000 for one bracelet.  He was looking unhappy--merchant's trick.  OK, I said, I can do 3500.  This is cuir--souvenir from island--10000 for necklace and bracelet.  Sorry, I can't buy the necklace.  But it's good for your wife.  Bracelet for 3500, deal or no deal?  OK, 5000 for one bracelet--its cuir--souvenir of island.  OK, I agreed, 4000 for one bracelet.  How about a rattle--it's professional--make music--good for your kid.  I don't want one--4000 for the bracelet.  Give me 4500 for the bracelet.  OK.

So I got a neat bracelet for 4500.  That's about US$9.  I'm sure I got robbed, but I could see paying $9 for such a bracelet in the US.

August 2, 2008 22:00 Senegal local time