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Crossing the Senegal River,
which is the border between Mauritania and Senegal,
means entering "black" Africa. The colourful dresses of
the women, the decorated overloaded busses and painted
shops give Senegal a total other atmosphere than the
previous countries.
The first town you reach is the former French colonial
capital Saint Louis.
The town is full of energy. Downtown fishermen fix nets
between bright painted wooden boats. Kids play football
among goats that seem to live in the streets. On the
main road women carrying buckets on their heads and high
piles of watermelons waiting for a customer. The rest
day in Saint Louis offers an excellent opportunity to
enjoy fresh fish, fruit juices and warm baguettes. Camp
is located at the beach and is the perfect place to swim
in the ocean and to relax.
Only 200 kilometres remain till your final
destination : Dakar.
These last kilometres you'll cycle through a complete
other and more lively environment. Along the road
centuries old baobab tries, sugar palms, acacias,
vultures and colourful birds. Shepherds with their
skinny cattle look surprised as you pass by. |
You will be surrounded by dozens of curious children if
you take a break to enjoy a soft drink from a roadside
stand. Finally you will reach Dakar, the most western
point of Africa. More precisely : you arrive at the
shores of Lac Rose.
The beautiful pink lake, a few kilometres out of the
Senegalese capital, is also the finish location of
rallies crossing the Sahara.
After 10 weeks of cycling you will enjoy the festive
dinner at the end and quench your thirsty throat with a
Senegalese beer. The satisfaction to complete
"Paris-Dakar" will be intense. You forget your sore
muscles, the tough stages in the Pyrenees, the climbs in
the Atlas Mountains, the wind on the flats and the heat
in the Sahara. You might relax a couple of days before
you leave Dakar with thousands of sweet memories. |
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