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Dakar to Thies

I’ve had a great couple of days. Leaving Dakar was fine, apart from the motorway esque road I needed to take. There was a big shoulder though and plenty of slower vehicles (horses and carts!)

I was invited in for tea by some agriculture company workers. They had a little bag of charcoal and a small metal tea pot. They showed me the sorts of things they grew… bananas, carrots, fish.

I had lunch at a petrol station. There were a few seats and a table at the back, where people waited for repairs, washing, a great place to have lunch, in the shade, lots of people coming and going. The security guard seemed concerned for me and gave me his name and number if I needed anything! Thanks Mamadow from Rufisque!

I emerged from the never ending Dakar suburbs. The guide book said they were not safe, they seemed fine to me! Much more pleasant than downtown Dakar where I’d cycled the day before. In Dakar I managed to get myself mixed up in a protest. About 150 people all marching down the road towards me, banging on cars and buses, chanting, blowing horns, and followed by some very mean looking riot police! Turned out that I had nothing to worry about, just some regular protests by university students against rising tuition fees! Some things are universal!

I realised yesterday that I needed a long sleeved shirt to cover up from in the sun. I bought a t shirt from a shop in Sebikhoutane. The owner was a bit confused when i asked him to cut it down the front like a shirt… But it’s now great for wearing over other things and keeping cool on the bike.

I spent last night with a lovely family who invited me in who lived behind the clothes shop. I had dinner with them. Learnt about drinking water from bags, eating a strange cous cous and milk concoction from a bag scooped from a freezer (very nice) and learnt to eat macaroni and beef with my hands! I think I had three dinners yesterday evening, they seemed very keen on feeding me… I think perhaps that it was actually 4 now I think about it(rice and spicy sauce, macaroni and beef, chicken and chips, and cous cous and beef…)

I left this morning and cycled to Thies. Its a great town, really chilled out. I’m sat in a place called Big Faim (hungry in French) where I’ve just had a huge burger and fries!

I’ll leave in a bit and see where I end up. Am very tempted to get a room here in town though… I’ll think about it!

So far Senegal has been amazing, the people are so friendly, if a little confused about what I’m doing here on a bicycle.

4 replies on “Dakar to Thies”

Just checked your blog and a nice surprise to find this. Glad you’re enjoying it and have been taken in by a family! Not to mention the four dinners! xxx

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