Sometimes, when I drive across the desert in the middle of the night, with no other cars around, I start imagining: What if there were no civilization out there? No cities, no factories, no people? And then I think: No people or factories? Then who made this car? And this highway? And I get so confused I have to stick my head out the window into the driving rain—unless there’s lightning, because I could get struck on the head by a bolt.
-Jack Handy
-Jack Handy
We’re on our way out from Accrobaobab, and there’s only one traffic jam to contend with: an unhurried herd of zébu.
After all of our climbing, we’re pretty hungry. Lucky for us, the Bandia Game Reserve is located pretty much across the street from Accrobaobab. I have never done the safari, but I do know that this place makes for a great lunchtime stopping point. They’ve got a wood-fired oven that makes tasty pizzas, and you get to watch the wildlife wander about as you sit by the river and relax.
This place has loads more animals inside the reserve, but from our table we spy crocodiles, warthogs, birds and other wildlife.
The small animals are fairly tame in that they know when to expect mealtime handouts. We ordered up pizza and grilled meat as we sat and watched these guys make their way towards our table.
Oh and let’s not forget that there are monkeys in this reserve. Tons of them. Sure they look beautiful and human-like, but I’m not a big monkey fan. To me, they are thieves of the highest order, and in this case they are experts at sharing your dinner plate if you let them get anywhere near the table.
The monkeys also know the restaurant staff very well. All our waiter needed to do was take one warning step towards these mongrels before they’d shoot up the trees. Unfortunately for my brother, a big monkey managed to snag an entire slice of pizza off his plate before he could be stopped. I think this defeat will have an adverse effect on John’s Goals-Against Average.
After lunch and la guerre des singes, we set off for our next destination outside the city. Particularly if you’ve got someone visiting, it’s a good idea to combine all of your off-peninsula sight-seeing in one long trip. Passing through Rufisque traffic is fun- but the fun factors shifts to suck as soon as you’ve gotta make the trip more than twice. So this afternoon we are headed north to Lompoul, a crazy little patch of desert that isn’t located too far from the ocean.
And of course the road offers the usual sights of transportation gob-smackers. I cease to be interested by this kind of travel, but I also recognize that you don’t exactly see this in America.
We get to the village of Lompoul in the late afternoon (really, the town is just a road with a few establishments that mostly cater to tourists). In order to reach our encampment, we need to either have a “quatre-quatre” (4WD SUV) or await transport through the dunes. Our chauffeur for this trip drives a nice Peugeot sedan, so we all sit on the side of the road and wait for our shuttle service into the sand.
Lo and behold, our driver and hulking transportation arrive. The windshield is impressive, even for Senegal’s standards. Aw heck, who cares- grab your stuff and climb in the back!
It’s not the most comfortable ride, but it’s hilarious and a bit treacherous as we have to keep ducking to avoid the branches smacking the vehicle (and us).
After only about 10 minutes of knocking around the truck, we at last arrive at Le Camp du Desert. It’s a modest cluster of Mauritanian-style tents, complete with beds inside.
We opt for the VIP tent, which comes complete with a private shower and toilet. Of course, as soon as you stand up you can kind of see the camp beyond you- but I grew up with an outdoor shower- so this is actually kinda nice. Indoor WC, on the other hand, I think I still prefer that level of privacy.
There’s not a heck of a lot to do in the desert, but lucky for me I am not looking for an activity-filled afternoon. The camp staff rolls out a big mat for us to sit on, complete with pillows. They offer us a welcome drink and I promptly lay down for an afternoon snooze. Our chauffeur, in typical Senegalese fashion notes that there isn’t anything to do out here. I smile to myself and think, exactly– this is the reason why I wanted to get out of the city. It’s nice and peaceful out here.
After out nap we decide to do something before suppertime, so we take advantage of the sole activity offered by the camp: dromedary rides for three bucks a person. I’ve never ridden a camel, so it’s time to check that block and be done with it forever. The staff asks if we want a 15 or 30 minute ride. I tell him that we want 15 minutes at the very most. I don’t envision this being a pleasant excursion. Our chauffeur joins us for the ride, lest he complain about being bored off his ass in the tent.
T.E. Lawrence I am not. I feel like my camel is drunk, and I have no earthly idea how people went into battle atop of these creatures. I don’t think my brother is enjoying the bouncing around very much. “They should be paying us three dollars to do this!” he notes.
After our churn through the desert, we go for a walk and take about a hundred photos of sand. It’s really beautiful out here, and it makes me want to visit a real desert. Sans dromedary.
Later that night, the staff serves us up a nice candlelit dinner composed of evening apéro (punch made with headache-inducing rum), vegetable soup, bread, and a mouton dish (sheep, or whatever you wanna call it). We sat and chatted with the other camp guests before moving to a campfire just outside the tent. I’m not exactly a night owl these days, so after a little while I grab my headlamp and got ready for bed.
Sunrise comes and I wake up after one of the best nights of rest in this country. After a bit more walking around to take photos of sand (yes, it’s more interesting than it sounds), we again head into the meal tent. In the daylight you can see what we’ve got for a setup.
Behold a very typical Senegalese breakfast. Bread, some jam, powdered coffee (to include powdered milk) and butter. I brought apples and Clif bars along with me, but I do happily partake in the Nescafé.
Sunset last night was a bit obscured due to the dust in the air, but sunrise offered a look at the desert in a while different way. I felt like I was walking through a painting.
As I made my way back to camp after taking more photos, I saw that the camels were out and ready to take more victims guests for a ride. Lompoul is popular because it offers you something completely different within the borders of Senegal- and this snapshot I think captures this perfectly.
We make our way back to our crazy truck for one last ride in the desert. We’re headed south today down the coast, and we want to get an early start.
On this return trip we’re better prepared for the bumps, but we are also looking forward to climbing back into a proper car.
Ever since arriving in Senegal, I’ve been wanting to go and check out Lompoul. Now that my time is getting shorter, I’m glad that I had the chance to do it- and also to share the experience with my brother. I would say that a one night stay is more than sufficient, but it’s a trip worth taking nonetheless.
On to Joal!
