Senegal
Early start to the day meant just enough time for a quick breakfast at the hotel. Bread was fresh, meat and cheese were basic, but it worked-- and the bread pleased the gourmet chef in the group, Jay. Then off to Goree Island to start the day's tour of Dakar-- where we caught a gaggle of United employees doing their own guided tour of Goree Island.
As one of several centers of the slave trade, Goree Island has a considerable history of one of the most ugly periods of humanity. It's also a place where people currently live and work, so it's a mix of both modern life and history... and honestly, it overall felt quite sobering to go. Our tour was punctuated by the visit of a big crowd of VIPs, apparently ambassadors from several neighboring African countries, in addition to sharing our departure with the local football team from Goree Island, on the way to a championship game later in the afternoon.
Back on the mainland, the tour of Dakar showed a market or two, the independence plaza (Place de l'independance), the Monument to African Resistance, and the beach-front Mosque de la Divinite. And of course, goat sellers everywhere, for the upcoming Eid al-Adha festival. Having been to Africa a few times, Dakar definitely had its own character, with one particularly bustling street market and one more artist-focused market, the latter being much more laid back in its own way (and compared to the bustle elsewhere!). Our guide, Pape, was superb-- half the group staying longer called him back for another tour the next day!
Dinner a solid one back on the local waterfront, then an evening walk past the US embassy and to the western-most point on continental Africa. Would have liked to explore the beach area a bit more, but was getting just a bit too dark to do so without tripping over our own feet in the dark.