So I figure I have until 2 May to appeal to your good graces and ask you to give me a dollar (click here!).  After that, I promise that the Jerry Lewis Telethon will be over, and I will find other creative ways to weave running into my blog entries, without asking you to break out a credit card.

I thought I’d take a page from my Falmouth Bike Path blog entry and bring my camera out on this morning’s run along the Petite Corniche (corniche: cliff road). While the excessive dust in the air kind of takes away from the beauty of sunrise that I normally experience, I think you will still enjoy the trip. Don’t worry, it’s a short four mile jaunt; I’m battling some unhappy toes on my left foot at the moment…

I heard someone at the embassy say yesterday “I think it’s going to rain” Ha ha. It hasn’t rained in months, and it’s too early for the rainy season to begin.  They were fooled by the dust.  

Well there is a lighthouse (and a goat, apparently) on the Petite Corniche, and this morning did kinda look like a Cape Cod day…

It’s just my opinion, but the overlooks are definitely worth squaring off against the cars on the curvy roads

I always pass by the bus depot, and consequently I encounter a number of these dilapidated beasts that don’t care that I am politely trying to share the road with them. BSTs (big scary trucks- or lorries) aren’t allowed in the city during daylight hours, so these are worst vehicles that are on the roads while I run. It brings a whole new definition to the comments of “courage” that I get from fellow runners.

 This is a boutique (this one is orange). They are everywhere, and are probably best described as Senegal’s version of a Kwik-E-Mart. You can get baguettes, magazines, sandals, drinks….it really varies with each one.

The white compound sitting atop the cliff? That’s the Presidential Palace.

Passing the Palace. Look closely along the wall. You have the richest residence in Senegal butting up against one of the poorest. Anyone else see this irony as they pass by each day?

Hey! I found the sun! So it did rise today. That’s Gorée Island below.

“No public urination. 3000 CFA fine” The first time I saw this (and it is written on many walls in the city) I thought, “Really, they have to write this?” Since then I understand why, as I have seen more than my share of men willing to demonstrate how closely they think that they resemble a tripod as I walk by.  And women in this country are worried about covering their knees. Sheesh.

Wrapping up my run. I am positive that this is a functioning taxi cab on the side of the road.

Toubabs say that this is supposedly the best restaurant in Dakar. I have also heard it is over-hyped. It is situated on a pier and looks expensive. It’s not on my list of place to sample. 

Back at the Place de L’Indépendance. All done.

So that is my usual running route while I stay in Plateau. I hope that you will go to the Team BT website and charge a buck on your credit card for the virtual tour (hey, you pay more for ATM fees!). If anything, I hope that you got a chance to see something different. Lord knows that the locals out on the road this morning certainly did: a white girl in bright purple crops dashing about and snapping photographs of seemingly commonplace items. 

Thanks for reading!