Getting to St. Louis is half the fun?

---

I decided the first place to visit after Dakar would be to the colonial city of St. Louis in the north on the coast.

First, I want to teach you a little about transport in most parts of Africa including Senegal. Often there is no chance to take comfortable buses from city to city. My options are instead you can take a local bus, which stops every few minutes to pickup and let off people. This can make even traveling a short distance seem to take forever. The faster version is a bush taxi or what they call "sep-plus" in Senegal. It is a smaller model station wagon that transports 7 passengers and a driver. If you do not get the front seat, and are tall like me, it will be a tight squeeze. Also, these vehicles are well past their prime and look like they have come straight from the junkyard back home. However, the owners of these cars keep them running forever and can fix them with little or no parts.

I went to the car park in Dakar and was mobbed by boys and men trying to show me the way to the shared taxis to St. Louis so I will give them a tip for their help. You then have to wait for the vehicle to fillup to capacity before it will leave for its destination, which can take 2 hours or so. I can be pestered by the locals for money or I can sit in the hot car waiting for departure. I had one look at the vehicle and thought I must be crazy to come to West Africa to travel a great distance by local transport through about 6 countries.

It was a 4 hour journey to St. Louis and I was stuffed in the back seat with 2 other men enjoying the heat with little cover from the sun. I once again feel the culture shock that will ease in my future weeks and as I travel more in these bus taxis. It is now a10 days later as I write this and I am now already more relaxed with the travel by bush taxi.

Ok, let me tell you about St. Louis. It is the oldest French settelement in West Africa that is full of crumbling 18th and 19th century European architecture. Things are much more relaxed than Dakar and I am instantly at ease to be there as there is a wonderful breeze at dusk and during the evening. I found a simple hotel on the Senegal River and I am just across from the Atantic Ocean. The colonial part of town is nothing so special when compared to the colonial cities of Latin America, but still a pleasure to wander in the old city and observe the everyday life of the people.

The first night I met a friendly Italian guy who is taking his motorcycle through West Africa and has been to St. Louis a few times before so he has friends there. Lucky for me, he invites me to a dinner of mutton and onions cooked over an open fire at his local friend's place. The Sengalese host is a talented artist who has had his art displayed in France, but lives a very simple life on limited funds. I am touched that he would open his home to me and cook me a delicious dinner and ask for nothing but friendship.

My first full day in St. Louis I travel down to the river and walk along the edge of the long fising villiage taking in their daily life. Unfortunately, I got a late start and I'm doing this in the heat of the day. I have to take a break and get some water as my body has still not adjusted to the heat and humidity felt from 10 to around 5pm. On the way back I enjoy the cool breeze on the Atlantic side with the beach practically deserted. My 2 nights in St. Louis are enjoyable but I want to see a bit more of the region before I head south to Casamance.

---