Bonjour! We went from visiting family in Zimbabwe to visiting friends in Senegal. On the two-day flight trip from Harare to Dakar, we spent one night in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Because we spent one night in Ethiopia, I have counted it as a country visited but will wait until a future visit to make a post.) I assumed traveling within the continent would be much quicker than flying from America to southern Africa, but alas, it took two days. That speaks to both the massiveness of the continent and the flight options available.

Dakar is a fast-paced, bustling city on the coast. There were tons of vehicles packed in the streets and tons of people walking alongside. We were there in Harmattan Season, so there was a layer of dust lingering above the city that gave it a pretty haze during the sunset. Harmattan Season is not to be played with, though; beware of cold-like symptoms. We went to the African Monument Renaissance Museum, the statue of the family – you can’t miss it, and learned the history of its origin and contributions from the African diaspora. One thing that stuck with me is that they consider all persons in the African diaspora as “residents” for the resident and nonresident entrance fee. It truly made me feel welcomed as a Black American. From the top, you can see the western-most point of the continent. This location made it a convenient hub for colonizers to come and ship off enslaved Africans to the Americas.

We learned more about this tragic span of history when we took a trip to Goree Island. To get there, we took a 20-minute ferry. The island contains 28 former slave houses; the gravity of what occurred on that island was starkly contrasted by its physical beauty. We visited a slave house and the Door of No Return. To be reminded of the heinous conditions and treatment we endured is harsh but necessary. We took the rest of the trip on the island to visit the markets and roam the square. Senegalese food is a favorite back home, so we were absolutely excited to have the authentic dishes. They did not disappoint.

I can definitely see a return trip, if not a living situation, in Dakar, and next time I would have to visit the pink lake.

All photos taken with Nikon D5100.