http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Senegal , Lower Casamance en-us Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:19:41 +0000 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:19:41 +0000 I visited another town today to see a fetish ldquoAnimistrdquo traditional spirit tree. Although the town was only 10 KM down the road the people spoke a different dialect which Simon said he couldnrsquot understand. Itrsquos a very hot and nice day on the beach. The kids in the village Irsquom staying in seem to like me I gave them saluting lessons. They get along well although the http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Cap-Skirring/blog-410347.html So these couple days on the beach are turning out quite nicely as the beach is beautiful and deserted. Plus mango season is on This means I can have my fill of mangoes while trying not to get hit by them as they fall from the trees Babakarsquos friend Simon is very helpful and has shown me all around and introduced me to many of his friends and ldquofamilyrdquo. I canrsquot seen to av http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Cap-Skirring/blog-409990.html Unfortunately my camera that I bought in Dakar later erased all my pictures I took over the next two months. Eventually I got a new card and have some pictures from the end of my trip but pics are scarce for the next several entries. Sorry A couple of interesting days in the capital of the Casamance. Salifrsquos friend Babaka met me at the port and took me to his house. Everything has been gr http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Ziguinchor/blog-409261.html After almost 4 weeks in Senegal I knew it was time to move to Mali even though I left feeling that I could have stayed in the Casamance region another month. I found Casamance to be amazing and the people to be very genuine. However my first 10 days in Northern Senegal I felt some of the strongest culture shock I have experienced in all of my travels. Some days the smells foreign language b http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/blog-360740.html I am writing this blog early Friday night and have no plans to go out tonight. Most of my weekend nights have been on the very quiet side and me not being bothered by this in the least bit. I think I needed a break from the social life of going out in Chicago. Ok it has been a probably about 12 days since my last update and time to finish writing about my time in Senegal. I left the remote i http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Cap-Skirring/blog-347264.html Monday 3rd NovemberI spend a leisurely day floating around town and relaxing. Sitting on the verandah overlooking the Casamance river with a gently cooling breeze. It is just great. Did I say somewhere I love being on the bikeSpeaking of which the bike gets a big treat by way of a power wash and general check and tightening of bolts it needed it. And some other maintaince. Despite the Trans Gamb http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Ziguinchor/blog-344062.html I was ready to get out of Ziguinchor and see what I would find in the more remote parts of Casamance. I deceided to make my way to the island of Karabane. Distances were mostly short in Casamance so I arrived in Elinkane in less than 2 hours. After a simple lunch by the river I got by first experience of traveling by pirogue. This happens to be a long dugout wooden canoe with a motor that tr http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Ziguinchor/blog-343601.html I left Dakar on Halloween night with not even a small image in Senegal that reminded me of Halloween in Chicago. I am sure all of my friends are out these next two nights in costumes partying the night away. It wasn't so bad for me as I was taking an overnight Ferry to the southern region of Senegal called Casamance. The ferry was very modern and I traveled in comfort as I had a bed in 4 perso http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Ziguinchor/blog-342883.html Alright where was I...So Monday we set out for Oussouye a village not far from Ziguinchor and a common base for hikingbiking adventures in the region. Finding a means of transportation from Ziguinchor was not very fun. The instant we walked into the Gare Routiere road station a mob of aggressive drivers came upon us shouting prices pushing each other out of the way giving contradictory i http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Ziguinchor/blog-337046.html It's been quite awhile Normally I can't wait to update my blog but its been difficult with my broken key board. The reflective mood will strike me when I'm bored at home which would be the perfect opportunity to write in my blog to update later when I have internet... except that the t i and o keys aren't working. Those are three very important letters and it would take far too long to add them http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Ziguinchor/blog-335824.html and from there we hired a pirogue to a town composed of 4 or 5 families one of which called djendollar cause they were rich had a hostel. in two days I knew the whole tow it was as quiet as it gets the stars where everywhere and the river would show r sink the towns tiny beach... I mean you have should see it. really though. I will go back there one day and stay for a month cause it was http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Cap-Skirring/blog-305592.html and in karabane I stayed one day and if you see the pictures you will know what I mean for paradise cause I was getting close to it. still it was a bit too busy some too many whites too many hostels about 4 too much of a stoner feel to the area... there was a colonial church desolated among the trees to make up for it... http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Ziguinchor/blog-305591.html then I went to elinkin in a yaganyae a small truck filled and I mean FILLED with people pictures are available of the trip where I had to sit in the roof of it while two french guys were hanging in its back. I got hit by a few branches and one gave me a bruise in the arm that still lasts but thank god it wasnt in the head. elinkine is a nice town by the coast from where I left with the two fre http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Ziguinchor/blog-305587.html first I went to oussye a city in the middle of the jungle. its suppoused to be the capital of the department and the sorcerer of the region lives here a dude called atabo whose son I met cause wazs a good friend of pablo my friend in dakar got it everythign is green full of baobabs and fromagers huuuuge trees amazing ones. and therere mosquitos with malaria everywhere and you can breathe http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Ziguinchor/blog-305573.html Yoff was a little disappointing for us the beach was filthy and we were constantly hassled to sit in people's shade compounds on the beach. We left after one day and decided to pick up our passports with our Malian visas and head straight to Ile de Goree south of Dakar.Ile de Goree is a short 20 minute ferry from Dakar and is a world away from the big city. It is a tiny island that can be walk http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Cap-Skirring/blog-258897.html It's nice to have left the predatory 'bumsters' of the Gambia behind. Bumsters is the local Gambian name for the touts and would be guides that plague the Atlantic coast.Here in Ziguinchor it's much more relaxed. This is undoubtedly because Ziguinchor isn't a mass package tourism destination. The interior of the Gambia may be less of a hassle but I never got there as I spent days feeling unwell http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Lower-Casamance/Ziguinchor/blog-3477.html