THE LITTLE GEM OF A PLACE CALLED SAINT LOUIS-SENEGAL

“Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere.” 
-Isabelle Eberhard-

GOOD MORNING. 

It’s the last day of tour.  Well the last day of tour is a little blurred, as it is the last day we have time to do stuff as tomorrow is just a travel day to Dakar and then tomorrow night is included in the tour, so really Saturday is the last day of the tour, which is a departure day, so I guess technically it really isn’t the last day, but it feels like the last day and I woke and showered and met Rich and Ellie at breakfast with a spring in my step.  From what we had seen and read about Saint Louis, I was looking forward to joining the ‘Irving’ tour this morning on foot to check out a little of our surrounds and then a little shopping time, a little pool time and then at 5pm we had a small city tour booked on a horse and cart style set up (but with seats). 

Saint-Louis is located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Senegal's capital city Dakar, it has a population officially estimated at 176,000 in 2005. Saint-Louis was the capital of the French colony of Senegal from 1673 until 1902. From 1902 until its independence from France the capital was Dakar. From 1920 to 1957 it also served as the capital of the neighboring colony of Mauritania.  The heart of the old colonial city is located on a narrow island (just over 2 km long and about 400 m wide) in the Senegal River, 25 km from its mouth. At this point the river is separated from the Atlantic Ocean to the west by a narrow sand spit, the Langue de Barbarie (300 m wide), which has also been urbanized.  Yet a third part of the city, Sor, lies on the eastern mainland and is nearly surrounded by tidal marshes. Saint-Louis is situated on the Mauritanian border, though the border crossing is at Rosso, 100 km upstream.  Saint-Louis only has two seasons, the rainy season from June to October, characterized by heat, humidity and storms, and the dry season from November to May, characterized by cool ocean breeze and dust from the Harmattan winds.  A 2011 documentary described Saint-Louis as the African city most threatened by rising sea levels.  Saint-Louis was established in 1659 by French traders on an uninhabited island called Ndar. It was baptized Saint-Louis-du-Fort in homage to the French king Louis XIV. It was the first permanent French settlement in Senegal. The fortified factory commanded trade along the Senegal River. Slaves, hides, beeswax, ambergris and, later, gum Arabic were exported. During the Seven Years War, in 1758 British forces captured Senegal. In February 1779, French forces recaptured Saint-Louis. In the late 18th century, Saint Louis had about 5,000 inhabitants, not counting an indeterminate number of slaves in transit. "Saint-Louis became the leading urban center in sub-Saharan Africa”.

Between 1659 and 1779, nine chartered companies succeeded one another in administering Saint-Louis. As in Gorée, a Franco-African Creole, or Métis, merchant community characterized by the famous "signares", or bourgeois women entrepreneurs, grew up in Saint-Louis during the 17th and 18th centuries. The Métis were important to the economic, social, cultural and political life of the city. They created a distinctive urban culture characterized by public displays of elegance, refined entertainment and popular festivities. They controlled most of the up-country river trade and they financed the principal Catholic institutions. A Métis mayor was first designated by the Governor in 1778. Civic franchise was further consolidated in 1872, when Saint-Louis became a French "commune".  Louis Faidherbe, who became the Governor of the Colony of Senegal in 1854, contributed greatly to the development and modernization of Saint Louis. His large-scale projects included the building of bridges, provisioning of fresh drinking water, and the construction of an overland telegraph line to Dakar.  Saint-Louis became capital of the federation of French West African colonies in 1895, but relinquished this role to Dakar in 1902.

Saint-Louis’ fortunes began to wane as those of Dakar waxed. Access to its port became increasingly awkward in the age of the steamship and the completion of the Dakar-Saint Louis railroad in 1885 meant that up-country trade effectively circumvented its port. Large French firms, many from the city of Bordeaux, took over the new commercial networks of the interior, marginalizing the Métis traders in the process. Saint-Louis nonetheless maintained its status as capital of the Colony of Senegal even after Dakar assumed the role of capital of the French West Africa federation. The colonial institutions set up in the city in the 19th century, such as the Muslim Tribunal and the School for Chiefs’ Sons, were to play important roles in the history of French Africa. Though relatively small in size (population of 10,000 in 1826; 23,000 in 1914, and 39,000 in 1955) Saint-Louis dominated Senegalese politics throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, not least because of its numerous political parties and associations and its independent newspapers.  Following independence, when Dakar became sole capital of the country, Saint-Louis slipped into a state of lethargy. As its French population and military departed, many of the town’s shops, offices and businesses closed.  This generated a loss of jobs and human potential and less investment in the economic activities of Saint-Louis, thus causing its economic decline.  Today, rich in three centuries of history, in cultural background, geography, architecture and other characteristics, Saint-Louis is a bridge between the savanna and the desert, the ocean and the river, tradition and modernity, Islam and Christianity, Europe and Africa.  The city was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 and cultural tourism has become an engine of growth. As a result, a process of gentrification has set in, with many historic buildings on the island being turned into restaurants and hotels.

Just reading about the small island sounds interesting.  I met Rich and Ellie for breakfast at 8.30am.  It was not included in the room rate, but at 3500 (7AUD), it wasn’t worth trying to find something outside when we didn’t know where we were in relation to everything and it was money well spent when a basket of 4 pastries arrived, a juice, some happy cow cheese and yoghurt was served.  Even the breakfast room was decorated in the theme of the ‘postal’ hotel and had a massive map and plane painted on the roof and the room was decorated with photos of the hotel back in its heyday and with pilots and planes working the airmail run.  It really was an amazing hotel just full of history.  I agreed to meet the Irving’s back downstairs at 9.30am and then we started the ‘Irving’ walking tour of Saint Louis.  We found out at breakfast that it had been the Islamic New Year last night and it was a public holiday today.  It explained why the streets seemed so eerily empty, but for a walking tour with not much traffic I think was a blessing for us today and getting out early also meant that we would hope to avoid the heat of the day.    

We were located right next to the bridge, which has to be one of the most famous landmarks of the city.  The Faidherbe Bridge is a road bridge over the Senegal River which links the island of the city of Saint-Louis in Senegal to the African mainland.  The metal bridge is 507.35 meters long and 10.5 meters wide, weighing 1,500 tonnes. It has eight spans, of which the longest five are 78.26 meters.  Until the 19th century, access to the island was made through boats. After the introduction of a ferry that could transport 150 passengers, Louis Faidherbe quickly saw that the system was clearly overrun and decided to construct the first bridge over the Senegal River. The governor of Senegal, Henri de Lamothe decided to take a loan worth five million gold francs to construct a new metallic bridge in Saint-Louis. After the construction company was selected, they all decided to construct a new metallic bridge with a section capable of turning 90 degrees to allow the passage of ships. The bridge was opened on July 14, 1897. In the 2000s, a US$ 27 million rehabilitation plan has been inaugurated.  There are many myths regarding the construction of the Faidherbe Bridge which are present even today and are depicted in some tourist guides. The construction of the bridge is attributed to Gustave Eiffel.  In general it says that the metallic parts of the bridge represents a gift from the French Government and that the parts were originally designed for the King Carol I Bridge over the Danube River in Romania. Other sources say that the metallic parts were intended for a bridge in Austria–Hungary over the Danube River in Vienna or Budapest.  Finally another myth regarding the beams of the bridge says that the parts were intended for an unspecified site but the vessel transporting mysteriously sunk and the authorities in Senegal took advantage of this situation and built a local bridge.  They say that the myths are pure fiction.  After more than 100 years since it was opened the bridge has suffered from corrosion and was in need of urgent repair.  The rehabilitation works are co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) and by the Government of Senegal. The total cost of the works was estimated to be US$ 27 million, of which US$ 17 million is from AFD and US$ 10 million is from the government.  The spans of the bridge were replaced between November 2008 and 23 July 2011. The total work is expected to finish in mid-August and inaugurated in October 2011.

We walked around the city pretty much without a single hassle and because the city was so quite we were able to take photos without offending anyone, or anyone thinking we were taking photos of them.  It reminded me a lot of Havana in Cuba, with the colonial buildings in a state of repair, but still had a character about them.  We just about covered the whole island in 2 hours with Irving Tours showing us the main sights to be seen.  When we reached the south end of the island we could see Mauritania and it was also the place where the Dakar Rally used to cross over when the motor race was held in Africa.  We stopped for a cold drink on our way back to the hotel and then we were permitted free time on the tour to do a small spot of shopping before having the afternoon free until 5pm.  We had our drink in a small place that was recommended in the LP (Lonely Planet) and I ordered a coke with ice and Ellie and Rich asked for no ice.  You always hear people say that they don’t have ice in their drinks and people (Rich included) who won’t brush their teeth with the local water, but I have always had ice and always brushed my teeth from the tap and never had an issue, ever.  So I happily took ice in my drink and while I waited I took my Malaria pill that I had forgotten to take after breakfast.  I have taken my Malaria tablet at all times of the day since I started my trip, but I have always made sure that I had eaten as I had a tablet once a few years ago with no food and I was violently ill within 30 minutes afterwards.  I learnt my lesson let’s say.  We finished our drinks and then took a quick walk through some shops and a small market where we bumped into Ian and Suzanne.  While we were standing there some of the hawkers pounced and a guy was selling shirts.  I promised I would bring something back for my building manager so I asked how much the shirt was and can you believe the cheek when he said 80,000!!!!  That is like 160AUD!!!!!!  It was hilarious and I told him I would only pay 4,000 and he went back and forth until I wouldn’t budge and got the shirt for 8 bucks down from 180.  I really hope that people don’t pay that first price when they are dealing with unfamiliar currency.  The hawkers really are quite pushy and after sticking it out for 30 minutes, after me buying a mask (my Senegal collective), stopping in a book shop and buying some postcards depicting the airmail service we walked back into our hotel reception.  It was then I started to feel a little chucky and you know when you get the watering in your mouth just before you throw up, well that is what I had as Ellie and I were looking in the jewelry shop window.  I took the stuff out of the plastic bag as I dry retched, Ellie asked if I was okay and then she asked for my room key and I made a dash for the room.  I felt fine when I got to the room and then I just felt awful and was sick.  The first thing I thought of was it was the ice, but upon reflection I think it was the malaria tablet, and even though I had eaten for some reason it didn’t agree with me and I was sick.  Once I had my vom, I felt better and I was off to spend the afternoon by the pool.  Nothing like a quick recovery. 

It was 12.30pm when I got to the pool, which is located a block from the hotel and next door to Flamingos where we ate dinner last night.  It all still belongs to the hotel that we are staying in so we didn’t have to pay for the use of the pool and it really is an unbelievable view of the bridge and the Senegal River and this is where I spent the rest of the afternoon.  I had lunch, ordered a drink and to be on the safe side asked for no ice, which killed me as I LOVE ice in my drinks and as sure as I am it was the malaria tablet, a little additional caution never hurts.  So I sucked up the last rays of Senegal and also of the trip.  Most of the group came and went during the afternoon and then I left at 4pm to have a quick last minute shop to bump up the present bag for my house mothers.  I have just been buying necklaces and bangles over the course of the last 9 weeks and when I see them at The Nest they can all just pick something out of the bag.  I wanted to get a few more pieces for that and then be ready at 5pm for the horse and cart ride.  Zoe told me about a guy that was selling necklaces, so she walked me out to try and find him, which we couldn’t, but we were accosted by a guy that had hassled us this morning and asked me to have a look at his table, well what harm could it do and the second I had a look I saw a necklace I liked.  So I asked him the price and when he told me 20,000 (40AUD) it just pissed me off and I told him not to worry.  I am at the end of my tether with people trying to rip me off and even though the necklace was nice, I could live without it.  Well the guy wanted the sale, and quite badly I think and I told him I would not budge off 5000 (10AUD) and after him trying to go back and forth and with me not budging I got it for the 5000.  What I do hate is when you go to pay and you don’t have the correct money and you have to ask for change!  So I gave him a 10,000 note and he said he had to walk back to his stall for the change, so we did and he just tried to upsell me to spend my change on something else.  I told him I didn’t want anything else and could I just have my change and he wouldn’t give it to me and kept showing me things I was not interested in, so I just lost it and out the necklace on the table and I asked for my 10,000 back and he finally relented and gave me my change and the necklace back.  Ugghhhhh it just makes my blood boil and I am sure if they weren’t so aggressive that people may want to have a look at his stuff rather than trying to bully people into purchases.  He was not the only one doing it and I know they are just desperate for business, but it is an awful way to shop.  I went back to one of the small shops that had a good variety of things and they didn’t hassle you but the prices were a little too expensive so I just hooked it back to the hotel, dodging the seller again and was downstairs at 5pm for the tour.                

We had 2 ‘calesha’s waiting for us at 5pm.  Each one could carry 7 people each and it was basically a horse and cart to take us around to show us the city in the afternoon light.  It was a very touristy thing to do and you know what we were more than happy to do it and actually feel like a tourist, in a tourist town and it made a nice change from visiting places that just don’t see foreign people and are not set up as a tourist destination and I know that sounds so romantic to be the pioneers in places, but after 10 weeks it is also nice to just blend in a little, even for a few days, and play the tourist.  The ride started off well and we basically revisited a lot of the places that I had done with Ellie and Rich this morning.  We did get more information from the driver, which Zoe was translating for us as we rode around.  We did see what he described as the world’s only crane that was powered by steam.  We also saw Plaza Fidel, the Government Houses; we crossed the river and drove through what the driver called the ‘colorful’ part of town which was like a different world to the side that we had been staying.  The New Year celebrations were still in full force, there were people everywhere, talking, working, washing, children playing, there was movement and color EVERYWHERE.  I would have loved to have taken photos, but the vibe was not 100% welcome, and even though the locals would see these ‘tourist’ carts go through every day, but there was no love for us and I was getting my fair share of no love, sitting on the outside seat of the cart, people poking me, touching my arms and my bottom as we drove past.  It happened 3 times and I was starting to feel a little like a target when we stopped at the end of all the action at the fish markets.  As it was so late, there were no sellers there, or fish, but we got to walk through where the tables are used for the salting and drying of the fish and with a stench to go with it we walked through and got to the beach side of the island to get some photos.  We were starting to lose the light, so I put away my camera and when we left the fish market there were a bunch of teenage boys that saw the carts coming and as we were the second cart, I coped a few gropes and one of the boys pinched me HARD on my arm and I snapped around and told him to not pinch me, I was furious.  Their faces were all shocked for a few seconds until they recovered and the jeering started in French, but we weren’t hanging around and kept the carts moving oblivious to everyone what had happened except Ellie and Rich.  It seemed a lot of the people were drunk, or certainly on something else and I just wanted to get back to the slowness of our side of town, which we did with one more lap down to the northern end of the island and we were back at the hotel just before 7pm. 

It was Ollie’s birthday today, so after a quick turnaround we arranged to meet back to the pool for a few birthday drinks before heading to dinner.  I was in a shocking mood after the calabash ride and after a non-alcoholic cocktail and a chat to Rich and Ellie when the group moved to go to dinner, and in our defence they weren’t 100% sure where they were going to go, the three of us decided to stay at Flamingos again for the second night and I ordered exactly the same thing I had for dinner last night, a big piece of cow on a plate and Ellie and I shared the cheapest bottle of white wine on the menu and it was exactly what I needed, a great meal, a great drop of wine and excellent company.  There are some people that come into your life and you know that you have made lifelong friends and whether Ellie and Rich feel the same, I am so glad and happy that they were on my 7 week portion of this amazing trip.  Love or hate it, we accomplished something not many people ever will and to conquer one of the last true untouched overlanding areas in the world is an accomplishment.  We are PIONEERS.

We were back to the hotel at 10.30pm and the others were back not long after us. 

I know that this isn’t really our last day, but tomorrow is our last day on Madge, our last full day of the tour and even though I am terribly excited to be heading home, I have enjoyed my trip, I will miss the amazing people that I have met, and for me, my journey of Africa continues, my LOVE of the continent grows and I know that I am meant to be here doing what I am doing.  Pretty lucky aren’t I.