Outdoors

Cutting through the crystal blue water, gliding along almost effortlessly, it was hard to believe I was in Dakar. Ten days ago, a new acquaintance took me along for my first foray in kayaking. We walked along the petite corniche, a seaside road that is peppered with upscale hotels, private gyms and clubs. This road is hidden below the surface streets, almost along the side of a mountain. (There is a reason why downtown is called the plateau.) We rented a two-person kayak, and very quickly I found myself on what seemed to be the open waters of the Atlantic. From one vantage point there was no land in sight; from another, the waves converged from differing directions crashing against the black rocky cliffs. The view of the skyline was even new for me. In total, it was another surreal experience that defines what it means to be here in West Africa. Throw out every dominating image you have in your head, because it’s surely only one small slice of the pie that is this continent.
From the kayak, I could also see the Isle de Madeleine, an uninhabited island about 3 kilometers off the coast that I had visited the previous weekend. A nature lover’s paradise that boasts tremendous, sprawling Baobab trees, and is a migratory home to hundreds of species of birds during the breeding season. A real treasure. The island also houses a cove which is like an inland lake that is turquoise blue and radiates in the perpetual sun of this land.

The evening previous to the kayaking, I participated in my first run with the HHH (Hash something something). It’s billed as a running group with a drinking problem, or a drinking group with a running problem. Apparently they exist as chapters all over the world. People get together to do a designated run set up by the course leader. Invariably the course is more like a scavenger hunt, as one can only continue running if little arrows written with chalk can be spotted to indicate your next direction. You typically run in a group, or in packs, and sometimes there are false arrows that mean you have to turn back to the main route. Once the right path is recognized, the leaders yell out “On On” and everyone echoes the chant and continues the chase. In the end, you gather, sing some songs that everyone except you knows, get initiated in some way or another if you’re a new member, and then drink the beverage of your choice. It was quite an experience, at times really cool, at times kinda cult-like. In the end, it’s a great way to meet new people, and that’s how I met Clara who took me kayaking.
Oh by the way, did I mention that all these excursions are happening in November, and the temperature is 85 degrees with full sun? Who said Africa is not for you?!