So I have attempted to start a Google map of some of the places in and around Dakar that I frequent. Just to give you an idea of where I go and what I do. I don't know if that link will actually work, and this is my first attempt at a google map, so if it fails miserably let me know!
This weekend we took a hilariously dysfunctional day trip to Lac Rose, about 30 km outside Dakar. The lake is supposed to be a pretty intense pink because it is super saline and has crazy bacteria in it. However, it is the rainy season so the pink color (while visible to us when the sun was out) did not show up well in photos as the constant rain dilutes the lake more than usual. It also had flooded the beaches! Bummer. The coolest part for me was seeing the small-scale salt collectors at work. They dig salt off the bottom of the lake, pull it in pirogues to shore, and let it dry before bagging it and trucking it off for processing elsewhere. It was really nice to be out of the city for awhile, although I did get my first sunburn. Wearing cap sleeves was a poor choice! Talk about funny tan lines...
The drive to and from Lac Rose was also pretty trying. A lot of the roads were washed out/flooded and I was a little surprised our taxi made it through all the way. We ended up paying a ton (10,000 FCFA or about $20) for the drive, and I understood why as soon as we hit the suburbs. Our cab driver was great though, and even though the car broke down at one point and had to be pushed out of a sand pit by another taxi driver and a horde of children at another point, we made it fine. He also listened to a CD that was a mix of Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears' greatest hits. I think there was some Chingy too. That made the day so much better. I really should write about this in more detail, but I am a little sleepy and I need to go home now, so that will have to wait for another day.
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