A Turtle Sanctuary...

On a Saturday trip out to Lac Rose (The Pink Lake), we stopped by this Turtle Sanctuary! The conservation efforts are to re-populate an area just north of Dakar, St. Louis. Here, they rehab and raise the turtles that are then relocated to St. Louis to be in their natural habitat.
They had turtles of all shapes, sizes, and ages!! From 1 yr old to one that is 102 yrs old! Also, for 10,000cfa (about $20), you could adopt a turtle and keep it fed for a year. And the tradition is to name that turtle after the sponsor! They had Bill Clinton...and Monica Lowinsky too!! HAHA!
Some fun turtle facts that we learned:
1) They can live over 100 years...2) Grow to about 80kg (over 160 lbs)...3) Males and females have different shaped shells ...4) Females can hold a males sperm up to 4 years, and make herself pregnant when she wants!...5) The females dig a hole for the eggs, and the temperature of the hole determines the sex of the babies!! (only a few degrees difference can change the sex)...6) You can tell the age of these land turtles by the rings on their shells...enjoy the pictures!


This was actually a Floridian water 'snapping turtle"...very fast with that chomper!

Just a lizard, commonly seen around Dakar...this one was smart and checking out the food hut!

This was a turtle that actually ate too much (which is why his shell is pointy!), so he is in rehab...and on a diet!

Corban, Laurie, and Justin with the Baobab tree in the back...the tree of Senegal, one that can live for thousands of years, and one that becomes huge!! The fruit on these trees is called Monkey Bread! (I'll have to do more reseach on that, and get back to you!)

The diagram of a female turtle

The entrance to the Turtle Sanctuary

The food storage hut...with LOTS of green beans (haricots verts)!

Would you like some hay to eat little guy?

You can tell how old a turtle is by the rings on his shell! I lost count on this one, but I

think he was about 40 yrs...

Good times seeing lots of turtles!

Now off to Lac Rose...

pictures...

Looking out the front window...The colorful bus is called a 'car rapide', and is an economical form of local transportation. (although, not good for non-locals like us to ride!) They literaly pass by our place about once every 2 minutes!!!

Another form of transportion...a horse drawn cart! These pass by at least every 10 minutes! They are generally used to transport goods to and fro...to the small stands and stores. The horses are smaller than most that you see in the states, and aparently very resilient to the heat and hard work.

This is me standing on the roof of our building. It was a bit hazy/smoggy that day, but you can usually see the buildings downtown!

So nice to have a home!!

After 30 days in the hotel, we finally obtained key to our apartment!! This all came together while Justin was away in The Gambia...and once again, many THANKS to Megan for all her help!

Friday April 24th was our last night in the hotel!! And as nice as it was, we were so happy to finally move on to something we could actually call home!

We are now living in Mermoz, which is a neighborhood in Dakar. We are about half way between the airport and downtown, which is nice! Depending on traffic, we can get downtown in about 15 to 20 minutes by taxi. We are also less than 1/4 mile from the ocean...which I LOVE! We can actually see it from our place (although distant) and have a really cool view from the top of our building! The Corniche is the road that runs north/south on the very west coast of the peninsula and we are only minutes from it! This makes traveling and running much more fun!!

The apartment is a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom spaceous place! Its bigger than anything we've lived in before, and is furnished. For the record, I'm not complaining...BUT, whoever picked out WHITE couches has no idea how dirty this place is!! We'll see how long they stay white...for now, we have inside and outside clothes! We also have a laundry room (separate from the apartment), complete with our own washer and dryer!!! YEAH!!!!! No more laundry in the hotel tub! HA! Its one of those...'don't know how much you love it, until you don't have it' sort of things!

Just outside our place are several fruit and vegetable stands...something else I LOVE! It is so fun to finally eat healthy again! However, we are also right next to a bakery/resturant...which has THE BEST pain du chocolate (croissant with chocolate inside). We go over there to get fresh bagettes just about every other day...at 150cfa each (about $0.30) - they are definitely worth it!! Just smelling all those decidant pastries is adding pounds! :)

We have made the most wonderful tomato, mozzerella, basil sandwiches...all from the local stands! YUM!!!

The first breakfast made in our new home...eggs, ham, bagette, and cantelope!

More pictures to come....

Africa 3-2010 to ... | Slideshow

Africa 3-2010 to ... Slideshow

Run around town!

On the morning of 4/24/2010...Megan and I went for a run, starting from her place in Point E...took pictures along the way...ENJOY!



"Chez Ass " Don't know exactly what it is,
but had to get a picture of the sign!

The busy street by the University...as you can see...there aren't always sidewalks!

A business of some sort...usually fresh bread or
sometimes a place to make copies!




































This was taken at 'Place du Souvenir' (place of rememberance), along the way, which is still under construction. Thankfully we got pictures before the guard came out and said 'pas de photos' (no photos)!!

We think someone actually lives in this little hut...

Along the Corniche... (yea for sidewalks!)

Muscle Beach!! Bench presses (notice the weights are concrete tire rims on a bar!), pull up bars, obstacles, etc. And this place is FULL of people in the evenings!!!

Ok...still getting you caught up! I'm writing about things that happened over a week ago, so I'm trying not to leave any fun details out!!

So the next morning after taking the taxi to Megan's, etc....we got up, had expresso, and headed out the door to go for a run. Mornings are a good time to go, because it gets really hot during the day! She wanted to try a new route, since she had someone else with her, so we cut through the University near her apartment, and over to 'the Corniche'...its a road that runs north/south along the western edge of Dakar. Its kind of like the Pacific Coast Highway of Dakar!! Run along the ocean, gets pretty breezy, but the scenery is fantastic! Megan also decided, since there were two of us, that it would be a great time to take her camera and shoot as we go!!

These are the pictures we took on our run!!!

Ended up doing about 3 miles...came back, ate breakfast (first time I've had cereal and a true cup of coffee since we left the States - YUM!), and cleaned up for the rest of our day....

Small hurdle...huge victory!

Just go out there and take a taxi....

So the morning of Wednesday 4/21, JUSTIN'S BIRTHDAY, we headed over to the gym near our hotel and got in a good workout before he was to leave to head out to The Gambia. Afterwards, we grabbed some breakfast (the $26 buffet at the hotel -ouch!), and called to see if our apartment was ready...'no, not yet, but maybe Friday'. (Justin was actually contemplating skipping out on the Gambia trip if we were able to get into it). So...off he went, with 4 other guys, to check out another country!

Hmmm, what to do for the day while Justin is gone...blogging, internet surfing, reading, studying French (cause I can't really have any good conversations with people), and of course...hang out by the hotel pool! So that is what I did. As the day was winding down, and I was trying to figure out what I was going to do for dinner...I could take the safe route and eat at the hotel...try to go somewhere, but its not a smart idea to go out by yourself at night...then our friend Megan called! 'Since Justin is out of town, we should hang out! I can make dinner and your welcome to stay at my place tonight! And you can bring your laundry!" AWESOME! Awesome! and AWESOME!

Only one problem...that means I would have to take a taxi...by myself!!! Most of the taxi drivers speak some french, but mostly Wolof! How in the world will I stumble my way through that?! I don't have anyone to tell me what they are saying...what if....what if.... - That was it...I finally admitted that I was 'scared'!! sigh... (not something I'm good at doing) Megan completely understood and said, "let me think about it, and we'll figure something out". ...we'll talk again in about 1/2 hour or so...

I gathered my stuff...feeling like a helpless jerk...and started my way back to my room. It sounds like a great idea, but I can't do it. The whole time, trying to talk myself into some courage...courage to just do it...get in that taxi and go! Sooooo...I grabbed a glass of wine on my way to my room, cleaned up, and it worked! The wine/liquid courage worked! I called Megan - "Megan, I think I have found some courage!!! I will be on my way to your place in about 5 minutes!"

Walked out to the taxi area...bargained for a taxi - one guy tried to charge me 4000cfa for a trip that should only be 1500cfa ($8 vs $3)! I told him that I am not a tourist, I live here, and I didn't think he was being very nice! - (in broken french). He laughed, but understood! Another taxi guy walked up and waved me into his car. It was the same taxi driver that Justin and I had taken the night before! I was able to tell him where I was going, and he knew right where to go!!! I was on my way to Megan's apartment, all by myself!

I arrived at Megan's and she opens the door, with a big smile, and says "You did it!" She totally understood!!

I know its seems silly, and it even does to me as I'm writing it (can't believe I'm blogging about it), but this was a huge victory for me!!!! I felt like I had broken down a huge wall...into the ability to fend for myself, to get somewhere without an interpreter/babysitter!! I say it all the time here...and its very appropriate..."Yeah for small victories!" whoooo hoooooo!

Megan made a great dinner, the laundry was done, and we chatted over a glass of wine!

ahhhhh....Bliss!

Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (The Gambia)...

So the next time you find yourself complaining about healthcare in the US...just remember these pictures! This was one of the stops on Justin's trip to the Gambia - a tour of Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital...
Thanks 'H.E. Dr. Alhagie Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh' for opening this pediatric ward!
Could your name get any longer????

Rooms and ward...

The X-Ray unit...

The Analog X-rays developing!

(no procesessor here!)

In the US, we now have digital which allows the doc to see the images immediately!

Sheets and scrubs drying...

This guy made Justin think of his Dad, Michael! (who bikes to work everyday in Arizona)

He seems to be prepared for anything!

Random pig.... (HAHAHA!)

So, that sums up Justin's trip to The Gambia! We are hoping to get back down there together sometime soon...although neither one of us is looking forward to that 8 hour drive!

More pictures...

Gambian Market, and street scene...

The National Museum in Gambia....

Justin and a local Navy guy...

Coco Beach Hotel pools and site from the beach...

Coco Beach Hotel...
The local Gambian Brew "JulBrew"...

Catching up....

Coco Beach Hotel...

Happy 32nd Birthday Justin (April 21st)!!

A very sick Jusin, one Friday morning....

Ok...first off...apologies for the delay in blogging!! We are now finishing Week 5 here in Dakar, and lots has happened in the last 2 weeks! I'l try to catch you up without too many boring details!

Justin was able to meet up with some US Military folks that were in town a couple of weeks ago. They met up with the Senegalese Marines to teach and observe some military training outside of Dakar. From the anguish on his face when he returned...its apparent that driving in and out of Dakar is quite the task! They spent about 6 hours in a car that day (3 hours out, and 3 hours back) just to go spend a couple of hours observing. Note: the lengthy car ride is only because the traffic here can be gridlocked for serveral reasons...1) road construction, 2) cars breaking down, 3) taxis picking up or dropping off passengers, 4) cars dodging HUGE potholes, 5) animals in the road..etc. Nonetheless, the concept of little to no traffic rules, can make for an unpleasant roadtrip!!

Unfortunately, Justin endured his first bout of sickness here in Dakar. We have no idea what brought it on...but at about 2am on a Friday morning, he began multiple trips to the bathroom. 2 hours later, he was so dehydrated, that he nearly passed out!! YIKES!!! We called the front desk for medical help, but the answer we got was disheartening..."have someone go buy some medicine." (in very broken english). So we called a colleague for some easy advise..."take a fever reducer, sip some water, and try to hold out until you can go to the Embassy clinic in the morning". So that's what we did. They gave him some rehydration packets (aka fancy gatorade), some asprin, and sent us home to rest. So we turned that day into movie and room service time. Thankfully, the hotel had an English Movie channel! And by Sunday morning, he was feeling back to his old self!! Yeah!

Last week, he was also able to link up with some other Army folks to head down to The Gambia! (its another country, but surrounded by Senegal).It took them about 8 hours, and lots of off-road driving (because of the bad roads), but once there...sounds like they had a good time. They visited the Embassy, the teaching hospital, the National Museum, and some local eateries! They stayed 2 night at Coco Beach, and loved the accomidations...beautiful beach, pools, and wonderful breakfasts each morning. Good thing, cause Justin spent his 32nd Birthday there!!

Back in Dakar, I was running around with my friend, Megan, a Navy Almsted Scholar here for 2 1/2 yrs, who will be attending the college here for her 2nd Masters degree! She arrived in Dakar about 2 months before us, and really knows her way around! She is definitely a go-getter (to say the least)! She speaks fluent french (which is the official language here), and is even taking classes to learn Wolof (a dominant local language). She is a runner, and does crazy 10 mile runs here in town (early mornings, because it gets HOT)...but allows me to join her on the shorter ones! I will blog about our 2 days of productivity shortly...until then, enjoy some pictures!

Into week 3....

Brazilian Churassco dinner...

Brazilian Dinner with our New friend, Megan! She knows all the good spots after only being here for 2 months!

Lunch at Resto Point E....(with Megan and Delvin)

Local's Bus Transport (not recommended for tourists)...

A horse standing by his cart/trailer...

Lunch at Resto Point E...we had the 'special'...notice the teeth on that fish!!! It was really tasty though!!Sides of rice with a pepper on top, with chopped onion, tomato, and peppers (salsa-like)

The pink drink is Jus de bissap (a very sweet local juice)

Well, its hard to believe we've actually been here for almost 3 weeks now, yet the day we arrived seems so long ago! We are still in the hotel (grrr!) due to some funding and finishing of our apartment...but we are told that next week, we should be able to move in. (We shall see). Again, not complaining (really), cause we've heard some horror stories of families with 4 kids and a dog waiting for months for their place (yikes!!)...so its hard for me to justify complaining, when we have everything we need right here, eventhough its expensive.

I feel like we've really learned so much in these 3 weeks...how to get around (by foot and taxi), how to get the street vendors to back off, how to order food, how little to tip the servers (no 10-20% like the US), how to ask for finger nail polish remover...you know, all the necessary things!!! HA!

Getting around: if your going by foot, walk with a purpose and like you know where you're going (even if you don't!). If you look lost, you will be swarmed by people wanting to 'help'...which means they will expect that you'll buy something from their shop, give them a tip, etc. We've learned that people on the street love to talk to yo, yet there is almost always and alterior motive! (usually leading you to buy something). When taking a taxi...first find one that doesn't look like its going to fall apart!!! Seriously, I think they get these cars from the US demolition derby!!!! Yet, somehow, some way...they get you where you need to go. Also, you have to tell the driver what you will pay. Asking them 'how much', opens the door for major price gauging!! Being of pale skin = sucker!!

Street Vendors: Unfortunately the best way to avoid them is to ignore them. This coming from someone who likes to talk, is very sad. But if you show an ounce of interest, they WILL walk a mile with you! A simple, "no, merci" (no thanks), works ok. I've started coming up with alternate phrases just to make them laugh...they ask if I'm from the US...and I say "non, je suis chinois!" with a smile ( I am chinese!!) HAHA! They laugh, and then realize that I can understand them, and that I speak a little French. They seem to think that Americans can't speak French, or just won't take the time to learn. So there is sort of a silent respect when you speak their language. Most of the people here in Dakar also speak Wolof! A whole new ballgame!! We've learned a few phases in that as well...again, just to show respect. We ARE in THEIR home, so I feel like we must conform to their standards!

Also, the street vendors sell the most RANDOM things! One guy will walk by with Scrabble in one hand and a lamp in the other...he next guy will have a cage with about 20 tiny birds in it (What would I do with a tiny bird...and if I DID wantt one, how would I get it home!)...the next guy will have flip flops and sunglasses...and the next will have teapots and dish towels!! Seriously, where do they get their inventory???!!!! (its quite entertaining though!)

Yes, I had to figure out how to ask for fingernail poish remover here at the hotel's beauty shop. I didn't expect to be in the hotel this long, and the polish on my nails was dreadful by week 2...so, thanks to the iphone and internet, I found the phrase!! They figured out what I needed, and just let me use the remover, without any charge! YEAH for small victories!!!!

We've had quite to array for food here in Dakar! There is a lot of fish/seafood (which I love!), and everything is made with LOTS of oil, or butter, or sugar...in other words, most dishes are pretty heavy in my standards. Each meal is either French or Senegalese...BUT, I have to admit that we have not had a bad meal! We've also learned that some places are just really expensive, and some places are very cheap for a ton of food...you just have to figure out where to go...or ask someone who has already been there! Justin is now calling our "Lonley Planet's - Senegal & the Gambia" guidebook, "The Bible"! It has never steerded us wrong!! Maybe we should buy stock! HA!

We also got to experience a sort of "Secret Society" dinner this weekend!! A Brazilian family, here in Dakar, hosts a dinner at their house about every 2 weeks. You get on their list, and they text your phone about 3 days before the event...and you have to text back with the number of people in your group. Its a flat 10,000 cfa per person (~$20) for all you can eat...and they mean business!! Its hosted on the rooftop patio, which was very nice! They had 3 tables full of 'side' dishes...everything from salad to lasagna (and everything in between). So, of course, you have to try a little bit of everything! Then servers come around with all different types of meat...you just point at the part you want, and they cut a piece off for you! Beef (shoulder, chest, back, and hearts), Pork, chicken (all parts and hearts), and aparently there was Water Buffalo...although I have no idea if I tried it!! It was all spectacular...and we taxied home with quite the food hangover!! Its called Brazil Churassco...and yes, we WILL go back (now that we are on the list!)

We have also gone to doing laundry in the sink or bathtub!! The hotel charged us $150 for what I call a small load of laundry...so....the undies and workout clothes are just gonna have to be cleaned in the tub for now! Finding places in the hotel room to hang them to dry is the challange!

And yes...with all this eating we are doing...working out is essential!! HA! Thankfully there is a gym close to the hotel, and a decent street behind our hotel to run on! BUT its pretty hot out, so sweating buckets is unavoidable!! Again, the people here are very big into fitness as well, so they are always happy to see us working out!! Our pool guy is a 49 yr old retired firefighter who runs 10k 4 times a week...and looks about 35! (motivation!)

Anyways...enough of my blabbing...enjoy the pictures!