From Dakar to Casamance

Being back in Dakar was as we expected it to be - loud, dusty, chaotic. But at the same time, our hotel felt so welcoming and familiar to us. It was lovely to see the same people that worked there again. We explored a few local streets that we hadn't seen last time we were in Dakar, and spent time eating amazing ice cream in the local Gelato shop (a favourite of ours), but generally we just had a couple of lazy days.

It struck me how different the people are in in the city than in the more rural areas. In Dakar, they see Europeans and other westerners all the time. We are nothing new to them, and understandably we appear to be just another wealthy tourist if you like. Whilst people you specifically encounter are friendly, more often than not there is something more transactional about it all and the competition for your money is significant. In the rural towns and villages, the slower pace of life seems to encourage genuine interest in engaging on a human level. They still want a bit of your cash, but the pressure isn't there and it's much easier to to appreciate the Senegalese people.

Our driver Monsiour Ndour

It's probably no different to any other culture really - the cities are always more impersonal and transactional, and the villages and small towns the opposite. As we travel it will be important for us to experience both so that we get to understand each country better.

We had only really returned to Dakar in order to catch a twice weekly 16hr ferry from the city port. The Ferry connects the southern Cassamance region of Senegal with the capital. We were dropped at the port by our hotel driver Monsiour Ndour; a lovely man who was always full of smiles for us despite the language difficulties.

The ferry terminal is fairly organised with a series of checks on identification and ticket which was reassuring given how unstructured things can be. We had booked a 2 berth private cabin (37,000WAF each - approx £50) which meant we were allowed to keep our backpacks with us. If you're in a shared cabin or sleeping on deck/in a chair then you have to 'check-in' your luggage before boarding, but the fare is considerably less. Whilst it is possible to travel the length of the country even cheaper, by sept-place (7 seater shared taxi) or even buses, the journey is long and you either have to drive around The Gambia, or go through. With border controls and comfort on our minds we thought the overnight ferry would be a good option and a chance to travel overnight and approach the south via the Cassamance river. We were told that boarding started at 3pm and that we should be there around that time, but we didn't actually board until nearly 7pm, though we were able to wait inside the ferry terminal and there was free WiFi so it wasn't too bad.

After boarding we found our way to our cabin - it was better than we expected; small and a bit overworn, but fine. There was hot water in the shower and the loo flushed, so I was happy. There was no way to lock the door, so Gaz went for a wander to ask for a key. He returned victorious with 2 bathroom towels, a roll of toilet paper and a key! He had to leave his passport as a hold, but returning the key at the end of our journey would release it.

We spent a while on deck waiting to leave, and watched the sky turn a deep orange as the sun set over the city. It was truy beautiful. We noticed the locals were buying warm rolls from the bar on deck, so we tentatively approached and managed to buy two rolls filled with beef and potato. They were surprisingly tasty and just what we needed to fill our empty tummies. We had a fairly good night and woke to find ourselves on the Cassamance river heading upstream to our destination of Ziguinchor.

We docked at about 12:30 and within a few minutes we had disembarked. Leaving the ferry terminal and entering the town, we were immediately bombarded by people who wanted to either give us directions or take us to our accommodation. Even when we said no, several times we had guys trying to lead us to their car. I just kept repeating the phrase "Non. On va a pied" (no, we go by foot) and they all seemed to accept that. We only had to walk about 1km to our accommodation, but in blistering 37C heat it was harder than it should have been with our packs. We had left Dakar on a very balmy 24C day, and woken in a sauna.

Ziguinchor is known as the gateway to Cassamance and as such is the last major town with embassies and banks etc... We stayed in Ker Adja, a nice affordable shared house with private room and bathroom about 500m from the main part of town. The facilities were good, but the smell from the sewers was unbearable. We kept the bathroom door closed and the room vented and in doing so we made it work. That's the key in Africa - work with what you have. It can be trying at times because you just want things to work, or function in the way you're used to or be at a higher standard than you can find, but it's just not the way here. Gaz is still trying to get his head around the lack of maintenance that takes place. It is true that many people are poor and don't have much, but when they do invest, build or make something, they don't maintain it, and in the intense heat, that means that things don't last. Wooden benches made from wooden slats lashed together with twine, are left to fall apart instead of the twine being replaced when it perishes. Painted walls outside a nice looking shop are left to blister and peel.

We wandered the streets of the town during our stay there, exploring and searching for a restaurant that might be open on a Sunday. The food wherever we have been in Senegal has been good. On the Monday we bought provisions from a small grocery store so that we could self-cater at the house. While waiting for the shop to open after the midday break, we were approached by one of the female tradespeople selling locally harvested cashews and peanuts. The women are more tricky to deal with - if you buy from one, they all want the business and approach you, and they don't hide their disdain if you don't buy anything. This particular lady wanted 5000 WAF/ £7.50 for a packet of cashew nuts. I said no, and explained that I only had 2100WAF on me. I was willing to buy some, but not at that price. The lady clearly didn't believe me (though it was actually true and I showed her), and she looked at Gaz like he was a piece of crap. Eventually she wandered away, swapped the cashews for a smaller pack and came back and accepted the deal. But before she walked away she gave Gaz another evil look. Perhaps she assumed that he was holding the purse strings, I don't know. It's hard - you want to help the local economy at all levels, but it isn't always straight forward.

We had planned to transfer to Cap Skirring on the South West coast by sept-place or local bus; it was cheap and whilst it can take hours waiting for the car or bus to fill up before it leaves, it would get us there fairly easily. But in the end we actually negotiated with a taxi driver to take us the 40 miles and deliver us on the main road. A short walk later and we arrived.

Thankfully our lodgings turned out to be the best place we've stayed in Senegal; from the dreamily comfortable giant bed, to the hot water in the bathroom, the balcony, air con, comfortable shared lounge, well stocked shared kitchen, clean and lovely decor and the owner who was really warm and welcoming. We are a short stroll from the beach which we intend to make good use of and hopefully we will get to see more of the area while we are here.