Rest

I'm pretty tired today.  Not as bad a last night when I went to the pharmacy, but pretty tired.  I slept fairly well, at least.  And the laundry I did last night was almost dry.

So I got up this morning, paid onther 12000 CFA to stay another day, and headed down to the American Embassy which is actually very close to the pharmacy I went to last night.  I went a block off the Place d'Independence to avoid the hustlers and vendors.

When I got to the embassy, there was a long line up of Senegalese.  I figured there must be a way to get faster service so I went to the front of the line where they had a sign saying that American citizens should show a passport or a photocopy to get immediate service.  So I waited in a shorter line for American citizens.  There were about 4 people in front of me in line--all of Senegalese origin, I think.

The receptionist came and we all put our passports into the slot and went and waited.  I wasn't sure where to wait, but after only about 4or 5 minutes, they called me in.  I had to empty my pockets and go through a metal detector.  Cell phones are banned for some reason.  Then I went through a door to a dispatcher who gave me a number, 608, and told me to follow the people in front of me.  They were going to a little room where there was a window over which it said 606.

Cool, so I waited there.  A woman was having an argument in French with the embassy guy behind the window.  I have no idea what it was about.  607.  A family went up.  They weren't too long.  608.  I went up.  I told the guy I'd like some more pages for my passport.  He gave me a form to fill out and lent me a pen.  I went and filled out the form and came back.  611 became 612, a man perhaps trying to get passports for his sons.  Then I turned in my form and the passport.  I'll go tomorrow morning to pick up my thicker passport.  :-)

On the way back, I took the street a block off Place d'Independence again.  But this time a guy found me.  He was selling boabab bonsais.  The boabab is some tree they have in Africa.  He kept quoting prices and I kept telling him "je n'ai aucune besoin de une plante" which may or may not be correct French.  He followed me for several blocks quoting smaller and smaller prices.  I said "je suis touriste.  Même si c'est gratuit, je n'ai aucune besoin".  Finally, he turned off and left me alone as I left the Place d'Independence range.

I returned home and went to sleep.  A short but hard rain came through.  It was kind of cool.

August 4, 2008 16:39 Senegal local time