Ile de Madeleine

Thursday, November 9, 2006

Today, I managed to do my first touristy thing in Dakar, and it proved to be well worth it. I headed to Ile de Madeleine just off the western coast of Dakar with three other PCVs. I had been meaning to go there for a long time now, but just managed to get there today.

I met the other Volunteers at the park office on the mainland after work. I walked there from the garden and managed to get my self lost in the University complex. I had never really been deep inside of it, so that in and of itself made the day worthwhile.

Once at the office, we got in a pirogue and took a 20 minute ride out to the island. We had a pick-nick lunch that we brought ate it when we arrived.

After lunch, we swam some and then explored the island. While it is not a huge island, it has a lot of character and can be tricky to navigate due to its rockiness.

We stayed at the island for about 3 hours and I realized that despite having little shade, that amount of time was not enough. It was so strange to be one of four people on this island and then look across the water at the 2 million inhabitants of Dakar. It was so quiet and peaceful there that made it difficult for me to comprehend where I was.

I highly recommend that you click on the link a few posts down and view the photos of my trip to the island. Words do not give the beauty found on the island justice.