Dakar, Senegal April 21st

Today we arrived in Dakar on the western coast of Africa.
Or excursion took us on a ferry ride to the island Goree Island. It is know for being the place where slaves were sorted, held, sold and distributed for their final destination. The small building, Maison des Esclaves, held literally hundreds of slaves and there was a 'Door of No Return' where the slaves would exit for the purchasing ship.
The streets were lined with brightly painted buildings and winding cobblestone streets. These were lined with shops and very aggressive merchants selling all the hand crafted goods. Scott wanted a soccer / football jersey and the price started at $65 US and finally ended up at $20.
We then had a great grilled seafood lunch at a local restaurant and again sampled the local beer. Since it is Sunday, the locals were walking their goats through the square in front of our restaurant to bath them in the ocean.
Once we took the ferry back to the mainland, we took a tour of the capital city, past the Presidential Palace where he was in residence due to the 2 flags flying. Our last stop was the Monument of the African Renaissance. It is a huge bronze statue 164 feet high and celebrates the African independence and beginning of self government. We also visited a sand painting gallery to see how paintings are colored with glue and naturally colored sands. We did buy a refrigerator magnet that was painted with sand.Read more