L’lle de Goree

With me flying out in the evening it was recommended I go to the L’lle de Goree.  I was up for it and got a cab to the dock.  The island is known for its art and has pictures lining the various walk ways.  The World War II fortifications are now homes and galleries.  The Island has nice view.  Then decide to walk back to the house.  I enjoyed cake with the head of the Peace Corp Senegal.  He was running the Mali office but a couple of regime issues there has the office closed for moment.  

 Then checking on my flight out I see a message that my flight is canceled.  I call Delta Airlines and am put on hold, being told there is just a 6 hour wait.  After just one hour on hold I get someone.  The flight from JFK to Denver has been canceled due to hurricane Sandy.  My flight from Dakar to JFK has been rerouted to Atlanta.  This is great as I setup a flight from Atlanta to Denver.  As this simple change took 20 minutes to make I can see why they have a long hold time.  I still get to fly home, but don’t get to see an old friend in the New York area.

  I find out later if the cancel flight was an over reaction to Sandy.  The pair of guy that I was setup with to get me to the airport also gets my stuff through and me through customs and immigration.  They were great.

Art Cannon

10/28/12

9.5 Kilometers walking

Bike in box

Sunny hot.

Love & Kisses

Steve

Dakar

Off to the peace corp. for a box.  As I get to the general location that the Peace Corp. Office.  I find that I lost the map I was given.  My memory got to the bus transit point near the office.  I start asking around and get lucky and find someone that knows the location.  I was at the wrong bus transit point.  I am lead five blocks and find the office.  The bike mechanic there had just put together the bikes for this year’s volunteers and had a few boxes still.  We squeezed the bike in to the box and then a cab ride back to the house.  In the afternoon my host offers to get a better malaria blood test at the only ISO lab in the region.  The test results I get latter in the evening are that I never had malaria and there is no sign of malaria.  The malaria cure I took also work as a preventative.  So at least they were not a total waste.  We had dinner at the further point west.  Watching the cross waves meet had me thinking this would be a rough place to sea kayak. 

Picture from ipod

Dakar

10/27/12

15.3 Kilometers, 1:10 Moving Time, Max Speed 30.5 k, Moving Average 13.0 k, 

 Stop Time 1:12 Overall Average Speed 6.4 k,   Start 10:00 end 12:00 Accent 62 meters.

Sunny hot.

Love & Kisses

Steve

Dakar

Yea the board is the road

 Today is Tabaski holiday.  All the rams that were hanging around are invited for diner. Everyone is dressed in there bests.  I take a short cut up the coast.  The paved road turns to dirt and then there is the board across the stream.  If the bike goes off then it gets very ugly.  I keep the bike straight and upright.  A bit of sand for a kilometer and then pavement again.  The road into Dakar has little traffic as head into the city and I am happy for that.  Two western couples cheer me on as I head up an on ramp to a highway.  I have good directions and find the house easily.

Yoff

10/26/12

54.6 Kilometers, 3.23 Moving Time, Max Speed 34.6 k, Moving Average 16.1 k, 

 Stop Time 1:02 Overall Average Speed 12.3 k,   Start 11:00 end 15:30 Accent 221 meters.

Sunny hot.

Love & Kisses

Steve

Danger!! so what is it I should watch for?

Toubab Dialao 2

 I spend the day reading and wandering the art hotel Sobo Bade.  I swim in the ocean for the first time in Africa.

Toubab Dialao

10/25/12

Hot sunny with north wind.

Love & Kisses

Toubab Dialao

 In the morning I search for a bakery takes a little time then I am back on the road riding south.  I feel light headed as I ride.  Senegal’s roads are good, but every time I try to pickup the pace it does not feel good so I just keep a steady pace.  In Thies I get a good meal (Pizza) and this revives me so I push on to Toubab Dialao.  As evening falls I find the art hotel in Toubab Dialao.  The ceiling fan does not cool me and the bed is soaked with sweat in the morning.

Toubab Dialao

10/24/12

 172 Kilometers, 8:28 Moving Time, Max Speed 37.1 k, Moving Average 20.4 k,

 Stop Time 2:58 Overall Average Speed 15.1 k,   Start 08:00 end 18:30 Accent 224 meters.

Hot sunny with north wind.

Love & Kisses

Steve

I scratch my back and fingers go through the shirt.
Sun has rotted the shirt

Louga

 At the hospital after finding the waiting room I need to pay 50 cents.  Then after I am weighed and temperature taken I am sent to wait for the doctor.  After 20 minutes my turn arrives and the doctor speaks English.  After a couple of questions he has the orderly take me to the pharmacy to buy a hypodermic needle for a dollar.  Then I am drop of at the lab.  The lab tech takes my hypodermic needle an discards everything but the needle, which he uses to prick my finger so that I can put a drop of blood on the slide he has. 

 Then wait another 20 minutes to get a slip of paper saying positive.  I am directed back to the doctor to get a prescription to treat Malaria.  Hospital pharmacy does have these pills.  So I go to one in town.  Malaria, maybe I should have been taking the Anti Malaria pills I had. Normally it takes 10??? days to show symptoms from infection.  That would have put it in the middle of Mauritania.  Did not think there was any risk there.  I head back to the hotel to check out.  I do not like this parting as I have been sick and not really had a chance to talk to Cindy and say goodbye.

  So much is left unsaid as we leave the room with check out time arriving.  I am cycling on today.  From what I read some Malaria can be worst every other day.  I am not felling great but I ride on.  After wandering through town I am on the right road and cycling not at a great pace as I feel it if I try to push.  So going at a steady pace I make it to Louga.  Tomorrow is a longer ride I hope I am up for it.  As I take the malaria pills in the evening I hope it is working as I wake up sweating in the night.

Louga

10/23/12

78.8 Kilometers, 3:56 Moving Time, Max Speed 33.3 k, Moving Average 20.0 k, 

 Stop Time 1:02 Overall Average Speed 15.8 k,   Start 12:30 end 16:30 Accent 158 meters.

Hot sunny with north wind.

Love & Kisses

Steve

Fever

I spend the day in bed with a high fever and head ache.  I find out in the evening that I can get checked for Malaria at a hospital two blocks away.  I don’t feel up to that so I will wait for tomorrow

St Louis

10/22/12

Love & Kisses

Steve

St Louis 3

 Kids floated on the river with there water jug rafts.  Tour town looking at the brightly colored boats.  There is a religious leader picture painted everywhere.  It is interesting that in Islam images should not be made of people or animals to avoid worshiping them.  But religious leaders images are okay to have?

St Louis

10/21/12

Love & Kisses

Steve

My desert water bottle collection