The Road South from Dakar

They chose the road towards the ‘pays des megaliths’ where they could try to find the stone circles.  As far as Fatick the road was quite good. In many parts there were baobabs on both sides of the road, in the middle of fields and in the open as well. All was very green, it had rained quite a bit recently. Other roads were bordered with trees, obviously planted. In parts they made a canopy over the road. Then we got into salt pan country and the roads were rather bad, full of potholes. Some potholes were being patched, some not, so driving slowly and doing some slaloms around the holes. Then, we got to a part of good roads until we got to Kaolak.

In Kaolak it was market day and many of the town’s roads were flooded with the rains that had been falling the previous days. It took a while to pass through town and after that the road was good again. Nioro du Rip was another town that we had to pass through, and then we turned off into a country road into ‘megalith’ country. From that town on the tar seems to have been broken off the surface, so they had just leveled it with earth instead.

There was some wildlife to be seen by the roads too. A variety of birds, more of giant lizards than I would be comfortable with and all manner of insects.

 They found the turnoff and started the ‘piste’ driving. Soon enough they saw one set of stone circles. Nothing Stonehenge but still a mystery in this country where they have no written, oral or singing accounts of these stones. We moved on to the other place where stone circles have been reported with the help of GPS, asking the people and common sense. We did find them, a fenced place with signs of ‘national heritage’ but the keeper was not there.

Up to there they were followed by the town’s

children who were asking for money and then they could go into the site through the fence. She tried phoning the keeper and with a few phone calls she was told that someone was coming. It was hot, humid and getting late. They walked around the fence, saw quite a lot of stones set in circles but dutifully did not go in.

By the time the keys arrived, the kids were incapable to saying how much it cost, so they decided to push off and find a place to camp. In a village, they called on the ‘chef du village’ who called for an interpreter and they got permission to set camp in a groundnut field quite a way off the village.

It was very peaceful there except for the odd cattle that passed and people on horseback; and quite a variety of shongololos: big, small, brown, striped, yellow… They set up the small tent on a flattish part under a tree and the others just parked alongside they car.

Mariana was cooking that evening and made a beef à la king with rice. It was still daylight when they sat  down to food but they hurried the rest of it because some dark clouds were massing at the horizon. Quick rinse of the body and change into sleeping clothes and they only just had time to pop into the tent before the mother of a rain storm came crashing on them, complete with wind, thunder and lightening. They sat on the inflatable mattress as if on a raft drifting away at sea and waited for it to pass.

When it abated, they stretched along what dry part was left of the mattress and caught some sleep. The top of the mattress dried fast enough and they did get some sleep. It was cooler too.

 In the morning, they worked on the packing, dismantling of the tent while having the breakfast of biscuits and coffee. Some villagers came to check up on us and give their advice on the direction we should take to the border. Again, with the help of the GPS, asking around and common sense, they got to the one town they were looking for – Medina Sabak, and then got directions to the border post. On the way they passed numerous people working their fields ‘traditionally’: with short handled hoes, horses or oxen pulling ploughs. 

This border post is a little less chaotic than the other ones we have passed and papers were done slowly. The cars were surrounded by beggars and some peanut vendors; it was very hot and humid – the Gambia river was just down the road.