Sunday, July 17, 2005
Sedjou, Senegal
Leaving the Gambia with our official police escort, I felt giddy and happy to be on the road. Crossing the border into Senegal for only a small "fee" made everything feel blessed. Until we saw the military police posted on the Senegalese side hanging out in the shade of a mango tree with rocket launchers. Cassamance, the southern part of Senegal, has been site to a sometimes violent separatist movement from the northern government for the past few decades. One military post we passed on the way was reported to have been ambushed last month, four soldiers dead. For travelers though, the best thing to do is to prepare for the worst, but expect the best. As soon as we headed south, the road improved along with the scenery, and we drove past some of the most beautiful, lush and green country I have seen in West Africa. Working through my initial nervousness about using the bush as a toilet (the threat of setting off a landmine while peeing), some wrong turns that led us toward a muddy decrepit bush road, and an unexpected ferry ride across a river that our map didn't recognize, we pulled into Sedhiou, and the calmness and friendliness of the town overwhelmed us. So, true to our instinct, we stayed an extra day. The excuse? Sedhiou also happened to be a regional capital, with an active AIDS program. I am glad we are not on a tight schedule, because you cannot have one if you want to enjoy Africa.
Leaving the Gambia with our official police escort, I felt giddy and happy to be on the road. Crossing the border into Senegal for only a small "fee" made everything feel blessed. Until we saw the military police posted on the Senegalese side hanging out in the shade of a mango tree with rocket launchers. Cassamance, the southern part of Senegal, has been site to a sometimes violent separatist movement from the northern government for the past few decades. One military post we passed on the way was reported to have been ambushed last month, four soldiers dead. For travelers though, the best thing to do is to prepare for the worst, but expect the best. As soon as we headed south, the road improved along with the scenery, and we drove past some of the most beautiful, lush and green country I have seen in West Africa. Working through my initial nervousness about using the bush as a toilet (the threat of setting off a landmine while peeing), some wrong turns that led us toward a muddy decrepit bush road, and an unexpected ferry ride across a river that our map didn't recognize, we pulled into Sedhiou, and the calmness and friendliness of the town overwhelmed us. So, true to our instinct, we stayed an extra day. The excuse? Sedhiou also happened to be a regional capital, with an active AIDS program. I am glad we are not on a tight schedule, because you cannot have one if you want to enjoy Africa.
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