Guet NDar and Saint Louis, Senegal, Day 220

Today we explore Saint Louis and it’s near neighbor Guet NDar. We had planned to visit Saint Louis upon completion of our Dragoman trip and as Christi and I made our way north to Mauritanian border, but Adonis is pulling out all the stops to ensure the group sees as much of Senegal as possible in the last few days aboard the truck. And the truth is that it would have been impossible to cover as much of West Africa in the same time period as an independent traveler, so while Christi and I have had to make some compromises and there have been some personnel issues, by and large the trip has been a resounding success. Not, I hasten to add, to the extent that Christi and I will sign up for another Dragoman adventure any time soon, because basically we prefer independent travel.

Saint Louis is split between the mainland ( the modern, less interesting part) and an island in the middle of the Senegal River that is home to the Old Town. The island is joined to the mainland via the 500m-long Faidherbe bridge. Directly across from the bridge is the Hotel de la Poste where French aviators stayed en route to South America to deliver the mail (a distance of 4,800 miles in precariously small planes). Saint Louis is actually the oldest French settlement in West Africa and was the capital of the French colony of Senegal from 1673 until 1902 when the capital was moved to Dakar. Interestingly, from 1920 to 1957 Saint Louis also served as the capital of the neighboring French colony of Mauritania.

I must admit to being a little disappointed with Saint Louis. Despite its UNESCO world heritage status, Saint Louis is just another colonial city crumbling into history. There are the usual cafes and shops catering to tourists, but at least the ambience is more mellow than the chaos and madness of Accra and Bamako. Before Christi and I can begin to explore, though, I have to go grocery shopping yet again ahead of my final cooking rotation tomorrow night. My cooking partner this time is the diminutive Louise (of Thelma and Louise fame). One thing’s for sure, by the end of this trip I’ll definitively know how much food to buy to feed 20 people. With that final chore complete (aside that is from the daily torture of loading and unloading the damn bags from the truck) Christi and I wander the sandy, litter-strewn streets of Saint Louis, but there is not much grandeur left. The charm and mystique is as faded as the dull pastel colors of the buildings. The Hotel de la Poste is surprisingly unsympathetic to people who only want a quick snoop and have no intention of staying for lunch. We did, however, receive a personal guided tour off the premises!

The day perks up considerably when we cross a second bridge that connects Old Town Saint Louis to the upper part of the Langue de Barbarie peninsula. Directly opposite Old Town on the peninsula is the charasmatic fishing village of Guet NDar. Indeed, the channel between St. Louis and the peninsula is chock full of fishing boats, while the village, itself is much more vibrant, frantic, and authentic. What you see is what you get, which is ordinary Senegalese folks going about their daily lives. There are no requests for cadeau nor much interest in us at all to be frank. Still it’s fascinating to experience this authentic way of life. At one point I’m surrounded by a group of teenage girls who spontaneously start to pose for the camera. For just a moment a connection exists between us, a shared experience, that is so much more rewarding than staring at the crumbling architecture of Saint Louis.