Blogs from Ziguinchor, Lower Casamance, Senegal, Africa

Inverno 2019/2020, Tropico del Cancro. Costa mediterrana del Marocco: fredda ed umida; costa atlantica nordafricana: ventosa e notti fredde; deserto del Sahara: di giorno un caldo atroce mentre di notte servono due coperte di lana; costa del senegambia: non male, ma l'acqua dell'oceano e' sempre terribilmente fredda; medio corso del fiume Gambia: clima quasi ottimale ma la vegetazione riarsa tutt'attorno conferma la cronica mancanza d'acqua durante la lunga stagione secca che si traduce anche in una pressoche' totale assenza di frutta sui banchi dei mercati della regione: qualche banana, mandarini dal Marocco e mele (mele!) dal Sudafrica, tutto a prezzi di livello quasi europeo. Questa parte di Africa, in inverno, rappresenta ben poco quello che idealmente intendiamo per "paradiso tropicale"; sempre meglio del lungo e buio inverno europeo comunque, ma per trovare qualcosa di piu' convinc ... read more

13-14 mars "Je suis allé en Casamance, j'en rêvais depuis longtemps à cause du mot romance" André Malraux Séparée du reste du Sénégal, la Casamance se trouve enclavée entre la Gambie au nord et la Guinée-Bissau au sud. À partir de Dakar, s’y rendre en taxi-brousse ou en autocar semble être une désagréable aventure de patience, causée principalement par une interminable attente (paraît- il) au poste frontalier de la Gambie. L'option préférée des voyageurs demeure donc le traversier qui, deux à trois fois par semaine, quitte Dakar pour rejoindre Ziguinchor (en Casamance) en une quinzaine d'heures de traversée sur l’Atlantique. Ayant prévu le coup depuis plus d'une semaine, j'ai (heureusement) un billet de croisière entre les mains, ce qui m'empêchera d'effectuer les suffocantes étapes de route terrestre jusqu'à Ziguinchor. … Comme planifié, je m'... read more

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. Salif’s friend Babaka met me at the port and took me to his house. Everything has been great as far as that is concerned. 5000 CFA per night and I buy most of the food, which he cooks. (Babaka is a pastry chef at a fancy resort hotel in Cap Skiring). I’m not sure where his parents are, but it’s sort of like Peter Pan and the Lost Boys here, except in this case Peter Pan is quite ... read more

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 transports locals from different spots thoughout the islands and small viliages off the river. They can fit 30 or people on these boats but you are in close quarters with the luggage and locals. Only the tourist pirogues have a roof to provide shade so I was at the mercy of the sun for the next 45 minutes. I ... read more

Alright, where was I... So, Monday we set out for Oussouye, a village not far from Ziguinchor and a common base for hiking/biking 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 information... needless to say it was hot, overwhelming, and generally unpleasant. Finally we decided to take an air conditioned minibus which we were assured was leaving "leegi leegi" (right away)... apparently "leegi leegi" can also mean two hours later. So, we were left to wait patiently in the stuffy car, windows open with begging children poking at us non-stop and portable store fronts enticing us with an array of ... read more