From Dakar to Saint-Louis

After buying as much wax print as I could carry in Dakar, I made the journey up to Saint-Louis, once the former capital of French West Africa and the home of Diogomaye Lo, Madame Tay’s principal Senegal-based tailor.

Image: Google Maps

Sign at the Pompiers Gare Routière, Dakar

A sept-place ready to go at the Pompiers Gare Routière, Dakar

It’s a long road up to Saint-Louis, and the easiest way to make the five hour journey is in a sept-place – old Peugeots with seven seats. So early one November morning I headed to the gare routiere, the bus station, called Pompiers to catch a sept-place up to Saint-Louis. The Pompiers station is always bustling, even early in the morning. Hundreds of people travelling all over Senegal converge on the one spot, plus even more people selling everything from balloons to mandarins, phone credit and coffee.  The journey to Saint-Louis is pretty smooth, with the Senegalese government constantly working to improve transport infrastructure in certain parts of the country, but is pretty long and arduous, not to mention dusty!

Soccer Balls, Sunglasses, Barbie Dolls

These guys know how to pack a boot

Waiting

The long road to Saint-Louis (photo from www.unetoubabadakar.com)

Finally in Saint-Louis (photo from www.unetoubabadakar.com)

NB: Last three photos supplied with permission from Aleyna who blogs at http://unetoubabadakar.com/ - a great read (in French) for anyone interest in life in Senegal as a 'toubab' (which means 'foreigner' in the local language Wolof)