Morning wander

This blog is based on observations & thoughts I jotted down after a walk I took in the Plateau area of Dakar the first week of December 2022. I didn't originally intend to write a blog so no pictures were taken of the experience, unfortunately. 

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I’m in a bit of a funk this week. Have some extra time on my hands so instead of hailing a taxi to my destination, I decide to walk. The shortest route is via some roads unknown, but I’m familiar with the area.

I go left out of my apartment building and head past “hardware street” on my way towards the Auchan supermarket. I cross the busy road which runs from the train station to Independence Square, now tastefully decorated with Christmas lights. After Auchan, I turn right. I’m only a street over from the route I take to eat at one of my favorite restaurants in Dakar - Farid - yet this feels like an adventure. Just a few blocks into my journey, it becomes apparent that I'm heading into a market area. I could venture another direction to avoid chaos, but I choose to stay put. I see small shops filled with a plethora of items – some are distributors while others allow for direct purchasing. There’s a lot of  traffic – barely moving – plus men pushing and pulling carts of goods – lotions, foodstuffs, perfume, insecticides – and the most impressive – logs of wood piled high (where it came from, who knows). At times I come up against an obstacle in my path and can't continue - things like delivery vans being loaded, people engaged in conversation, or storefronts that have expanded to selling goods streetside. Always keeping an eye out for erratic motorbikes, I find my way through traffic and cross to the other side. I'm not totally comfortable, but I walk with confidence and deep down am thankful for these distractions. Exploring, though a bit nerve-wracking, has rewards. The senses are awakened. The mind is enriched. In the end, one feels accomplished. 

After approximately 20 minutes, I reach a main road and turn right. Cars move a bit more freely, but the sidewalks are still busy. This is the outskirts of Sandaga market, best known for textiles, but you can get just about everything in the area if you search long enough – or ask someone local to guide you in the right direction. In fact, they’ll often take you. 

The World Cup is currently happening in Qatar, and the Senegalese are very happy that their team qualified. The first round was a bit intense, but the Lions made it through. That’s good for the nation but also for street vendors who are selling merchandise on every corner. This area is no different. In fact, I see the largest pop-up store yet – so many jersey options! But also, wrist bands, flags, banners etc. The excitement is contagious. I never watch soccer in the USA, but when in Senegal one can't help but cheer for the team. 

At a street corner, away from the hustle and bustle, I stop to look at Google maps on my phone. Thankfully, still heading in the right direction. A few blocks later, I reach my destination. Orca is a homegoods store with seven floors. When trying to outfit a new apartment (as my colleagues did earlier this year), Orca makes life easy, but it also feels out of place. And expensive (especially when thinking of people working in the market who are just eeking out enough money to live on). I head up a few flights of stairs and am then directed to an elevator. Along the way I pass sections devoted to the kitchen, the bathroom, the garden (a luxury for sure) and much to my surprise, a whole floor of Christmas decorations. I have to admit, I was totally in awe. They were beautiful, not tacky. And yet a part of me was cringing. Each year Christmas is becoming more commercialized in Senegal.   

I reach the top floor, roam the aisles until I find what I came for - a mattress cover - purchase it, and depart the store. Back into the crowds of people going about their day. So much happening around me. It’s invigorating, but I know when I reach my apartment, I will feel tired. Thankfully the humidity that oppresses the city for many months of the year has lifted. The breeze is strong today. Harmattan has started, the sands from the Sahara Desert are reaching Dakar.

I go back the way I came. The scenery the same except for traffic somehow seems worse. A taxi honks at me, “asking” if I want a ride. No thanks. Pretty sure that would only slow me down. I continue wandering through the maze of activity, at times breathing in exhaust fumes (which I’ll regret later), yet deep down feeling much gratitude for the experience of travel. To be immersed in other cultures. To learn by living. To witness things I would never see in my own country. 

In a few days I will take another flight from Dakar - my 6th if I recall correctly. Heading home for the holidays, to see a dear friend in California, and to spend some precious time with family and friends in Washington D.C. 

Pre-travel beach walk