Behold my last entry on my brother’s trip to Senegal. I figure that today is an excellent day to wrap this visit up, especially seeing as how le benjamin de la famille turns 30 years old today! Where the Hell has all the time gone? To me John’s still the little pain in the ass who fell asleep at night still wearing his first non-used goalie glove (it was teal- a hot color back then since the San Jose Sharks was the newest expansion team). So before I go completely off topic, I offer my brother champagne wishes, caviar dreams, and a swift kick in the ass for him to keep up all the great work on his current world-conquering projects.

 

So here we are, walking around in the midday Dakar sun so that John can experience the best that Senegal has to offer while on the overpopulated peninsula. Here we’ve got a nice view of the Mosque of the Divinity, the pirogues beached on the shore, and the ever-inspiring African Renaissance Monument all in the same shot. Oh and the brother.

I should probably back up and say that this day started with a run. I always say that I like to work out in the morning, because not only do you get it out of the way, but you never know where the day will take you. To wit: I think we probably walked about five miles in the soul-sucking sun, and consequently there was no way we would have had the energy to move after our action-packed day.

You know what’s great about not having a car in this country? You get to see a lot of stuff on foot. Like walking up, up and around one of the mamelles to so that we can reach the lighthouse. 



Seeing as how we kind of now come from a lighthouse keeper’s family (click here if you don’t believe me), we had to make the trek up to the top. Besides, the view from up here is pretty fantastic, and as you can see in the distance you get a cool glimpse of the westernmost point on continental Africa.



And on the other side of the lighthouse you can check out the African Renaissance Monument and enjoy the workmanship of the North Koreans.



After all that trekking around, we rewarded ourselves with sunset drinks, local-style (which means that Flag beer, peanuts, DEET – and sometimes breast milk – are a must).



More often than not, John is a teetotaler- but what he lacks in alcohol consumption he more than makes up for with ice cream. So our No Kidding last stop of the night was to the ice cream parlor to get some takeout. Mmmm.

I need to pause here. As I type this entry I’m also listening to the soccer match- the Africa Cup of Nations is going on right now, and Senegal really needs to win this match. Not only to stay in the tournament, but also because this country needs some good news this week. Come the end of the week, no one’s sure what’s going to unfold with respect to the upcoming elections. Allez les Lions!

Back to Dakar with John (and our new friend Emily seen on the right!). We hopped on the ferry and took a trip over to Gorée Island. Gorée is great because there is no motorized traffic, and it’s even better to visit on a holiday. The island was peaceful, and we got to explore the Slave House – a real must visit for anyone who has any appreciation for this significant part of world history.

On Gorée they’ve got a load of artists selling their stuff. Here we get a demonstration (in English!) of how these artists create the designs that you see in the background. They take sands from different parts of Africa and use glue made from the baobab to hold it together.

I love this demonstration, so I feel compelled to show you some of the steps.

What looks like a pile of sand on top of a board becomes a design once he shakes off the excess.

Despite its dilapidated state, the buildings and bright colors give this island loads of charm. (And no, I don’t think that kind of observation serves as evidence that I’ve been here too long.)

All of these old buildings were once colonial residences. You kind of feel like you’re stepping into a parallel, post-apocalyptic charming universe.

Well I think that just about wraps things up for John’s trip. Over the past two years, a lot of people have asked me, “Is your family going to come out and visit?” Up until now I haven’t really had any visitors come to Dakar, so I’m really grateful that I was able to share a slice of this continent with my favorite brother. While this adventure didn’t exactly help to fulfill our mission of visiting every rink in the NHL, I think that it was time well spent for the both of us. Besides, I’ll be home in a few months and then we can pick back up with our more “normal” adventures.

So far, the year has been pretty unforgettable- and I mean that in the best possible sense. Here’s hoping that this trend will continue.