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Writer's pictureAnna Cooper

A week in Warang, warm welcomes & a cheeky proposition


Auberge Keur Ely was a walled paradise owned by a Frenchman who lived in a house at the far end of the property. His family were visiting for a few days, and thankfully his daughter spoke really good English which took some of the challenges away from making ourselves understood. This came in very handy the first night!


We arrived by taxi at about 8pm with 2 big rucksacks and 3 bags of groceries. We hoisted everything up and made our way through the gate and were met by the owner and his family. There were several studio style apartments along one wall of the property and we were shown in and made comfortable. It was late and we'd been travelling for 14 hours, so we ate quickly, showered and got ready for bed. Unfortunately while Gaz was cleaning his teeth, I sat on the bed and within a few moments the bed collapsed. Gaz had a look and we found that the slats were not in great condition and didn't fit the bed properly. It was not going to be fixed that night, so we had to embarrassingly interrupt the owner and his family while they were eating and drinking on their terrace and explain the problem. They all descended on our apartment and after reviewing the situation, they kindly put us in another, smaller room for the night while they worked out what to do. We had a really good nights sleep and the following day were given an alternative apartment for the rest of our stay. The family were all very kind but having the owner's daughter on hand to explain everything was a real comfort.

The village of Warang was just completely different in feel and pace than the city of Dakar and The major town of Saint-Louis. Where Dakar was chaotic with people and vehicles everywhere and everyone selling and hawking their wares, the streets of Warang were largely quiet and empty. The people of Saint-Louis were familiar with European visitors and keen to sell trips or souvenirs, where the local people in Warang were more interested in who we were and where we were from. Each interaction in a shop or on the street was more relaxed and had a warmness to it.



I really liked this village and its people. On day 3 we needed bread and eggs, so we ventured out to explore the village. We walked up to the main road (much busier as it is a through road) and located the Boulangerie. It was run by 2 guys - one was managing the front of house, while the other was busy with the oven. I simply said hello and asked for 2 baguettes, and this prompted the server to ask us questions in French and attempt to speak a few words of English as

well. He was full of smiles and his colleague was helping him with the language and joining in from the bake room. We only exchanged a few small fragments of information, but we felt so welcome and it was clear we had made their day just by buying bread from them. We took photos amd waved goodbye. Such lovely people. Why can't buying bread in the UK make you feel like that? lol


We discovered the local supermarket and unlike Cape Verde, we were encouraged to take a large tray to carry the eggs, rather than a polythene bag. And along with a couple of snacks we started the walk back to our accommodation.

As we walked, people greeted us in the street and said hello in English. This had of course happened in Saint-Louis, but this time no-one was then offering us something for sale. In Warang, they just wanted to say hello and try out the odd phrase of English here or there. It therefore came as no surprise when a man fell in step with us and began to talk to us in English. He introduced himself as Alessane, a teacher of French at a senior school in the next village. He asked where we were staying and I pointed down the road and said the name of the place. He didn't recognise the name. He asked for our number and I asked him why he wanted it (British through and through), and he said he would take us for a drink if he had time, but made it clear that with teaching he may not have time. I guardedly took his number rather than give out mine, and we said our goodbyes.


As we walked away, Gaz was laughing and said "he doesn't want to take us a for a drink, he wants to take you for a drink!". As we walked and recounted what had just taken place, it became clear that Alessane had spoken only to me, asked for my number and directed the drink invitation to me as well. Erm... sorry Gaz, I think your girl just got chatted up in front of you! lol


The days passed and I didn't think anything more of it. Then one evening at about 7.30pm we were sat in our outdoor kitchen at the table. We had just finished eating and Gaz popped inside the apartment to nip to the loo. I was sitting on my own when who should appear at the entrance to our little place, but Alessane. He came in, sat down and joined us for a drink. He stayed chatting to us (with the help of his translator app on his phone) for about 1.5hrs. We talked about Senegal, its history, employment rates, the different towns and communities, travel, Boris Johnson's hair (of all things) and Winston Churchill. It was nice chatting to him. Alessane seemed a very genuine and friendly man. He asked if we could keep in touch and so at this point I gave him by mobile number. It was only after he left to go and get some dinner that Gaz and I laughed that Alessane had been able to find us. I guess it really is a small village.

Alessane then messaged me on WhatsApp over the next couple of days, initially just saying hello and then ultimately asking if he could be my boyfriend! He was even happy if Gaz was still in the picture as well!


So, yes Alessane is a nice guy, but there was also something to Gaz's suspicions. lol


We spent our time in Warang largely soaking up the chilled vibe. The sun was glorious, the beach was a short walk, and the large garden area and gorgeous swimming pool at the Auberge was great to relax in each day, and watch the lizards run up the walls. There were only a couple of other people staying, so our stay was generally pretty quiet. We did meet a lovely Flemmish lady called Esther who w

as travelling on her own for a couple of weeks before heading home to Belgium. It was nice to share our experiences with her. It's the first time we've been able to advise someone else travelling in Senegal, so that felt good.


Then, it was time to leave. Apart from the family dog that howled and barked every night at random times waking everyone up, I will miss this Auberge, the village of Warang and its people.

The beach at Warang

At 6am we jumped in a cab and 20 minutes later we were at the bus. Esther came with us and was luckily able to buy a ticket for the bus from the local office, as there was a spare seat. We had some drama with being allowed to board the bus using the photo of our booking and had to queue up in the office to get some further evidence that we'd booked and paid. But with that in hand, we were underway. The journey was short and the traffic was pretty good for Dakar, so by 8.40am we were saying goodbye to Esther and wishing her well, and jumping in a cab to get us to a familiar destination - the Hotel Saint-Louis Sun.


We pulled up and immediately were greeted with big smiles and a warm welcome from the staff. The hotel driver gave me a cuddle he was so happy to see us. Everyone had remembered our names, and we didn't even have to queue to check-in. The receptionist simply told us which room to take and we headed upstairs.


At 9.30am Gaz was back in bed and ready for a snooze - he'd travelled 200km, been in 2 taxis and 1 bus already that day and it was still earlier than he'd been awake in the last 10 days.

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