Casamance is the region of Senegal below The Gambia. It is known for it's long sweeping beautiful beaches, it's mangrove river deltas, lush green vegetation and relaxed way of life. It is all of those things and more.
Cap Skirring is the main 'go-to' town for tourists. It's a lively little town on the coast just north of the Guinea-Bissau border. If you speak to anyone from Senegal, they will recommend you visit this area. Cap Skirring itself is a small town very much like any other - the shops and restaurants line the main street leading to the small airport, and there is a supermarket and small bank with an ATM, so it's a serviceable place.
We had booked accommodation with a shared kitchen, so on day 2 we decided to walk 1km to the little supermarket. Unfortunately we didn't expect it to be as hot as it was and with little to no shade, the walk there was ok, but the walk back weighed down with our week's provisions was a real chore. I just got way too hot. That 1km felt like 3km in the heat. I am just not built for hiking at high temperatures. Plenty of stops and plenty of fluids make anything achievable though and we made it back without any medical emergencies lol. At least now we had food!
There was a little corrugated iron shack opposite our lodgings and we quickly established that they had a delivery of fresh french baguettes every day, were a reliable source for bottled water and local eggs. The owner slept on a mattress in the back, which meant the little shop was open most of the time. We were pleased to be able to give him the business and he showed his gratitude in smiles and warm greetings.
We were only about 300m from the beach and at night when the village was silent, you could hear the waves crashing on the shore from our balcony.
Our first visit to the beach was a memorable experience, not least because it was pretty incredible to look at, going on for miles, flanked by palm trees. But the famous horned cows of Cap Skirring were in residence. Some were relaxing on the firm sand close to the water line, but others were further back, or grazing at the edge of the beach. It was strange to see them so content for hours in an environment you wouldn't expect them to enjoy. I expected someone to come along and round them up at the end of the day, but it didn't seem to happen. One by one they shifted position or ambled up the beach as the tide came closer. At one point a bunch of young children came down the beach and shouted and herded the cows, but then after chasing them in circles for a while, they ran away laughing. I don't think they were actually trying to herd them, more just amusing themselves on their way down the beach.
I have left the Casamance still none the wiser about who owns and manages the beach cattle.
But the cows are not the only peculiarity of the region. Goats and their kids wander aimlessly down streets and through wasteland, happily following their noses for something to do. Again, they don't seem to be owned by anyone and there are so many, it must be impossible to keep track of which goat belongs to who.
We also saw pigs walking down the quiet village roads on their own as well. several times. And let's not try to contain chickens and roosters - certainly free range in these parts.
Do all these animals just escape? Like, a lot? Or are they just community animals - you just grab the goat nearest you? I dunno. Coming from a culture of controlled ownership of anything and everything, where from a young age we're taught to write our names in our jumpers in case your school friend nicks it, it's quite alien to see livestock wandering free with no markings.
The taxis are not impatient here. They wait for the cow to move out off the road rather than beep at it. But then, people are simply just chilled here. It's not just the taxis. Everyone is friendly and wanting to chat.
As we sat on the beach that day, everyone that passed us said hello and many asked if we were English and said welcome to Senegal etc... Very much like rural England, people acknowledge each other and share one or two words of idle small talk. "Good morning" "Very hot today" "Enjoy your day" etc... So it was perfectly natural for a chap to wander up and say hello and strike up a conversation with me while Gaz was listening to something on his phone with his eyes closed. The chap introduced himself as Jeremy and we started to chat. He was a nice enough guy, but when he didn't pick up on social cues that the conversation was over, I started to get concerned. After a small period of silence Jeremy asked me if Gaz was my husband. (eye roll), so I explained yes he was my husband. I then apologised for being rude but was going to listen to my music now, so I put my headphones in and looked away. Jeremy did not leave, but continued to try to speak to me. At one point he even tried to listen to one of my headphones. I tried many attempts to end the conversation and break out of the situation, but to no avail, Jeremy was persistent. Eventually he simply asked for my address and phone number. I asked why he wanted them, and he said it was so he could chat to me later. I promptly said No, Goodbye, very firmly. Whilst Jeremy didn't leave for another 10 minutes, he knew I'd had enough and spent several minutes trying to apologise, and several more just stood there looking out to sea like a castaway. It was all very awkward.lol
That evening, I was talking to another traveller staying in our lodgings who was amused about my experience and explained that it's to do with the sex tourism thing. She herself had been propositioned by young men so many times, she would just get cross with them straight away. Basically, there is high unemployment, so young men keep themselves fit and try to pick up white European ladies for fun times and sexy fun times, on the principle that they will get money from the lady when she leaves to go home. Basically they are prostituting themselves. The Gambia is the centre for this, but Senegal has it all going on as well. There's quite a bit written about it online, but it would appear the attention I've received is less about my good looks, charm and witty repartee and more about my potential desperation and possible bank balance. ho hum.
A different world it is most definitely.
Fantastic stuff....)