Cape Point, South Africa

Not far from the Cape of Good Hope is Cape Point, South Africa.

The goal: hike up to this wonderful lighthouse.

(It's been so long since I've been able to feed my lighthouse addiction!!)

Up this beautiful path we went...

...and wow. Wow. Wow.  Just pausing en route took your breath away.

This is the Cape of Good Hope and Dias Beach.

The lighthouse made me miss the waters of Senegal.

The trip to the paths near the lighthouse are more that worth it.

Look at those cliffs!  That water!  Just wow. Wow. Wow!

For some reason, the cliffs made me think of this movie clip.

It's probably because I'm a huge fan and am still waiting to come face-to-face with a ROUS.

Looking down put the drop into perspective...

...and made me feel like a wimp. I mean, seriously!  This lizard was just chilling. No big deal.

New York City was 12,541 kilometers from the Cape Point lighthouse.

It had never felt so far away before.

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A Light House & the World's Largest Crystal

Oh, such joy! My love affair with light houses continues.

This light house in Swakopmund, Namibia, reminded me of here in Senegal.

I may have mentally added "tour New England light houses" to my list of places to travel.

I cannot describe how happy I was to be by the ocean once more.

Then I visited the Kristall Galerie which was really interesting.

And did I mention beautiful?  Stunning amethysts from Namibia!

And check out the size of this crystal. It's the world largest quartz crystal cluster.

I came up to about one fourth of its size.  Insane.

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Au revoir, Sénégal, au revoir...

It is with sadness that I note my time in Senegal has come to end and this will by last post on the beautiful country. In honor of the wonderful experience I've had living in Senegal, this post is a collection of my favorite photos from my time wandering Dakar and beyond.

Please stay tuned because this does not mark the end of my African adventure or the blog as I am relocating to a new country in southern Africa and will pick up my photographic wanderings right quick!

For my favorite photographs from Zimbabwe: go here!!

For my favorite animal photographs: go here!!

In no particular order, my favorite photographs of Senegal:

The sunset over Lac Rose (Pink Lake) -- An Amazing Sunset

A young Senegalese boy wandering the beach at Lompoul-sur-la-Mer - Lompoul: Unexpected Company

Dusk in beautiful Saint-Louis - Part VIII: Dusk Embraces Saint-Louis

Sunset along Dakar's Corniche after a rain storm - Take My Breath Away

The light house in Gandiol - Part IV: Gandiol's Light House

The sun streaming through the clouds after the first rains of the season in Palmarin - Light Through the Storm

A Senegalese boy with Mali style baskets in Fadiouth - Fadiouth, Senegal

A dune in Lompoul - Lompoul: The Campsite & Dunes

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Another Side of Dakar

Someone told me that my lense only shows a certain slice of Dakar, Senegal.

They are right. I take photos of what captures my interest, what I look at and immediately want to immortalize.

Like this beautiful spot off the coast of Dakar in Les Almadies

But that someone was right. There's an entire other side of Dakar, filled with poverty that is unimaginable, trash that is unavoidable,

and infrastructure that is nonexistent--where you have beautiful mansions in Les Almadies (the "ritzy" part of Dakar) 

right next to lots like this where trash is burned, stray dogs huddle, and children play with refuse.

And you see lots like this and are impressed by how clean it is and then wonder how long before a squatter builds a cardboard house like this one

I find myself standing next to (or often in) trash all the time.   Like this trash at the light house in Dakar. 

I'd rather remember the light house like this and show the world Senegal's beauty then focus on where Senegal might be lagging

I'll stand here but I'd rather take this photo at the Mosque by the Sea than this one of trash

So yes, I may provide a specific slice of life in Dakar, but I think the world hasn't seen enough of the beauty Senegal has to offer. 

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The Lighthouse & Senegalese Hip Hop!

Leaving Dakar, Senegal's lighthouse


The lighthouse


Friends leaving the lighthouse




Stopped by the Institut Français Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar to experience some Senegalese hip-hop
This is Bideew Bou Bess--They won Youssou N'Dour's music competition
And started performing in this hoods with their logo on their lower back



The performed in Wolof, Arabic, French, some occasional English, and some languages I didn't recognize


Which caused my friend and me some confusion during this number as the men in animal masks jumped and danced around during a spoken word piece.
We suspect it was a folk tale..but who knows!

Here's one of their songs with some fantastic imagery around Senegal:



Here's another video with a different sound but from a local music channel:




check out Bideew Bou Bess's website!

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Part IV: Gandiol's Light House

following this voyage, we stopped at the lighthouse at Gandiol

While no longer functional, it stands guard over the Langue de Barbarie

we climbed the stairs to the top

where I finally admitted to myself that I absolutely love love love light houses

[the strip of land is the Langue de Barbie]

we took this view of the northern coast of Senegal on the right and the Langue de Barbie on the left, 

home of Senegal's most famous national park - a haven for bird watchers

the climb down the light house's stairs emphasized its state of disrepair

with its countless remnants left by birds flying overhead

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Mermoz and Ouakam

 spiders at the lighthouse in Mermoz, Dakar, Senegal

sunset at the light house, Mermoz

the view of downtown Dakar from the lighthouse, Mermoz

 flowers at the Mosque by the Sea (La Mosquée de la Divinité), Ouakam, Dakar, Senegal

 downtown from the Mosque by the Sea, Ouakam

flowers at the Mosque by the Sea, Ouakam

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