Despite our exhaustion we didn’t get a good night. Lots of noise, talking and dogs barking.
It was interesting to see our location in daylight. We are beside water. It sounds like the sea, but it is actually the Senegal river. The sea is a short distance away, beyond a sandbank.
We are camped under trees, surrounded by holes in the ground. We wonder what lives inside and later learn that they are home to crabs. There are many birds, including toucans.
Zebrabar
I start the day with setting about doing the washing, by hand. There is no machine here. I suspect the days of finding such a luxury are gone for a while. Dennis cooks breakfast and starts writing yesterday’s blog. You could say it was quite an eventful day yesterday.
We spend the morning having a conference regarding future plans. The route we are going to try and take, which visas we will need and what accommodation we can find in or near Dakar. Dennis and I have to get our Carnet de Passage stamped at the Customs Office within 3 days of entering Senegal. Adam doesn’t have a Carnet. He has been issued with a Laissez-passer and has to get this stamped at a different office. He has been given 10 days to do this.
While we are in conference Adam suddenly jumped up and asks if we had left Poki’s back door open. Very dangerous. We saw a monkey and think it has got in and taken something. I thought perhaps we had left some food out. We ran over and the monkey scarpered rapidly. What it had been rummaging through was our garbage bag. I think it was eating the banana skins. The rubbish was scattered everywhere.
In Dakar we want to visit several embassies to get accurate visa information, find a good supermarket to restock and also find a garage to change the oil in both Landrovers, and replace some bearings in Poki. So, we may be in Dakar for a few days.
There are a variety of other overlanders here, including several hardy cyclists. Two Italians, a German/Swiss couple and a single French girl. Very brave cycling alone through Mauritania and hoping to get to South Africa.
We have a discussion with a lovely Spanish couple, Angela and Alberto, driving a large Mercedes camper, and who are also hoping to get to South Africa and ship their truck to Montevideo. Meeting other travelers is our best way of gaining information.
After lunch we explore Zebrabar. A viewing tower has been erected so we venture up and survey the surroundings. After taking some photos we wander around the camp and across a wooden bridge. The sand is covered in hundreds of small crabs, which disappear into holes as we pass. We are actually in another bird sanctuary, Parc National de Lange de Barbarie. There are many types of herons and water birds.
We were camped next to the bungalow which Adam rented for a couple of nights. As he has now moved out and this location was noisy, we have moved to the other side of the property. Hopefully tonight will be quieter. It is going to be another pasta dinner this evening.
Visits: 86