Sur La Piste du Bongo: May 2010

It only took 10 hours and 15 minutes, but the Trek has been completed. On Saturday the 1st, 5 of my friends (Ian, Thomas, Ankith, Chris, and Emily) and I woke up at 4:15 A.M and were out of the house by 5 A.M. By the time the sun rose, we were already 10 kilometers outside Ngaye Mekhe, following a bearing of 280. We wanted to avoid the factory from last year because it was a lengthy detour and we were trying to make good time. With our cloudy morning keeping us cool, the heat didn't become a factor until the early afternoon. As we skirted north of the factory, we ran into a really cool area that had canyons and even a pretty lake! Crossing through this area, we took a bunch of pictures, and then kept on going. Much like last year, we passed through the occasional village that left everyone dumbfounded. Invariably, each villager would ask us:
- TOUBAB, Fooy dem? (Where are you going?)
- Noungiy dem gej ba (We're going to the beach!)
- ...(insert confused look)...Foo jogge? (Where are you coming from?)
- Ngaye Mekhe lanu jogge! (We came from Ngaye!)
- Jambaar ngeen! (You are all very brave!)

Around 1 P.M, we hit our ending point from last year. Thinking the ocean was at most an hour away, we started getting pretty excited (it was, after all, only 1 inch on Google Map...). This is the only mistake we made on the day. As it turns out, the ocean was still two and a half hours away. As our energy level started to drain, our attitudes shifted and the walk suddenly became less fun. As we got closer and closer, the scenery changed completely and became quite lush. Palm trees, Mango trees, and watering holes were popping up everyone. As the villages became more frequent, each one we passed would tell us that the beach wasn't far, just over the next hill. But each little hill we climbed revealed yet another plain with a small hill in the distance, and no beach. With the sun now in full force, we were getting pretty weary, but there was nowhere to stop even if we had wanted to, so we pressed on. For a brief stretch of time, everyone could faintly hear the ocean but nobody said anything because we all thought we were getting delirious. But sure enough, after a few minutes, we all agreed that we could in fact hear the crashing waves of the Atlantic ocean teasing us on this final stretch. Finally, we passed a villager who assured us that the ocean was literally right behind a small forest in the distance. Exhausted, we kept on going. With the sand becoming as thick as I have ever seen it, walking became more tiring than ever. Every one of us had enough sand in our shoes to fill up a sandbox, and we had eaten nothing but peanuts all day. Walking to the edge of the little forest, the waves were getting incredibly loud, and it was clear that we were only maybe 500 yards out. As we tramped through the forest as quickly as our tired legs would allow, it seemed that there was no end in sight. Finally, Thomas (who was in the lead), let out a scream and started sprinting. A few seconds later, I saw it: the beautiful waves crashing onto an empty beach. We had done it, 36 kilometers through the desert in 10 hours and 15 minutes. Each one of us ripped our shoes off (which aproximately doubled the amount of sand on the beach), and sprinted into the ocean, diving in like little kids. For maybe twenty minutes, all we did was laugh and flop around in the ocean. After a few pictures were taken, we gathered our stuff and gingerly walked to the main beach, where our friends had a house waiting for us.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying beers and eating a mexican feast (thanks to everyone who helped cook and set the house up). Coming back to Ngaye the next day, I was sore and stiff, but very satisfied. Blisters and other ailments had prevented us from reaching the ocean last year, so completing the trek was essential to me. Also, the walk was made much easier by the fact that I had some very good friends with me on it. All in all, it was a great adventure. Now, I'm helping prepare my artisans for a big fair we're having at the end of the month. Abdoulaye Wade (El Presidente) and the minister of TOurism have organized a large fair to promote Senegal as a tourist destination. They also want to display the work of Senegalese artisans, which is where I come in. 5 artisans have been chosen from the Peace Corps Artisanal network to be present at the fair. We only have one table for the artisans, so space will be limited. For now, we are focusing on creating some marketing (brochures, pricing sheets, pictures, etc...) for the artisans to display at the fair. We're also shipping out another container of baskets on the 20th, so I will be pretty busy for the next few weeks. That's about it for now, will update people on the tourism fair later. For easier viewing, I'm putting all the pictures of the Trek at the bottom of this post. Enjoy them! Ba ci kanaam!