Our sleep last night was a bit restless. There was very heavy dew and we had slept without the fly, so the tent material was very wet and some water would come through (but not too much, so it was not a problem). When we woke up, there was quite a heavy fog covering the campsite.
We walked down to the beach to watch the sun rise up through the mist. While all the dew and the heavy humidity was quite a pain, it was a very nice morning to observe nature do its thing.
After packing up the campsite (we will need to move the campsite as it is too difficult to get in and out), we need to get the truck out of the campsite. First we need to use the shovels and sand mats to get the truck on firm ground. Then we need to struggle with a stump that is in the way, but an axe and saw make quick work of it. And we are finally on our way into Dakar.
We get into Dakar at 11:30 AM and go walk around the city. We first head for the market where the locals shop - Marche Sandaga. When we get there, it is one big hassle. All these guys want to lead us around and take us to this shop or that shop - and they are very aggressive. We very politely tell them we do not need their services, but they will not leave us alone. A couple even tell us that we are racist as we do not want them to "help" us!!! It was not a good start to our visit to Dakar.
So we decide to escape the and go look or a place to have lunch. We find a great spot - Keur N'Deye. The first good sign is that all the customers are locals and it is full. We get a table and enjoy a great and filling meal (that cost us $6.- for both of us). After lunch we walk towards the African arts museum and take a look at the Presidential Palace and the cathedral on the way. When we get to the museum, it is still closed for lunch, but they have an art exhibit which we decide to look at. And it is very good. They have some excellent work by a couple of local artists and we are thinking of picking up a piece.
We then head over to the museum, which has quite a good exhibit on West African handicrafts. It gives us a good feel for what pieces come from where (as many things sold in the markets come from other parts of Africa). After finishing with the museum, we head back to Place de l'Independence, where we will meet the truck. As we get back 30 minutes early, we decide to have a beer in a cafe overlooking the square. It turns out to be quite good fun - all the street vendors came by the window and showed us their wares. This way we could see what they had without having all the hassles - the cafe would not let them in unless we gave permission. It was a very good form of window shopping.
We got on the truck at 5:15 PM and headed out of Dakar to our new campsite. We get to the new campsite at around 6:45 PM and set up. It is much better than the last one and we can get in easily. We take it easy this evening, with Lars working on the computer before dinner.