Out and about in Dakar
My daughter will be working most days of my visit, so it is essential that I get comfortable with navigating the Plateau neighbourhood. I decided to take the opportunity to explore, incorporating a visit to the National Gallery and a recommended shop.
The gallery is nearby, and having passed it before it was easy to locate. It is a small space, just big enough for a single exhibition, and is operated by the Ministry of Culture to highlight the works of Senegalese artists. This month, the work of Boubacar "Bouba" Diallo is on display.
The museum is free, and engaging with Bouba's art was a pleasant way to spend an hour of my morning. I plan to return in February when the exhibit changes.
From the Gallery, I set out to find Minibap, a shop my daughter had recommended that features handicrafts by Senegalese women. I checked the route on my phone, memorizing the first couple of turns, then tucked it safely away and started off. Walks are a good way to observe daily life in Dakar, and I always see something interesting. I passed a woman balancing a tub of items on her head as she walked up the street, peanut vendors, men selling Senegalese football merchandise, a woman with a badly disfigured face begging at the roadside, and countless people going about their business on a busy work day.
Driving in Dakar is challenging at the best of times with so many cars and trucks, motorcycles and pedestrians sharing the roadways. At one point, I stopped to wait patiently while someone tried to parallel park a sizeable black pickup truck between a parked car and a metal railing, while another man offered frustrated gestures indicating that the driver needed to turn more sharply to swing in. The truck moved forward and back, hitting the metal rail more than once but not getting much closer to the curb. Another man came out of a local business to add his opinions, looking to me and laughing, and with a few more forward and backward motions - nearly hitting the rail again - the truck was parked and I could continue on my way.
When I arrived at Place d'Independence I was pleased to confirm that I'd chosen the right twists and turns from the museum. Tucking against a wall, I pulled out my phone to check my next steps. A man approached and asked where I was going and offered to show me the way so he could practice his English. I knew the direction I needed to go, so I walked along and joined in a conversation about the weather in Canada, his work at the Pullman hotel, and how I should buy fabric directly from the markets rather than buying ready-made clothes from overpriced shops.
I started to wonder if I had overshot my street, but I was hesitant to pull out my phone. I asked if we were close to Minibab and he assured me it was just ahead. We turned at the next corner, with him stepping confidently into the street to stop vehicles while we crossed. But we were not at Minibap - we were across from the Presidential Palace which I knew was indeed farther than I had needed to walk. I said that I was going to go to head to the shop now and he again said it was just down the road. I had been in the general area with my daughter, and I knew that I had to head in the direction he was pointing or retrace my steps, so I continued. He told me he wanted to show me the cathedral so that I could go to church during my visit. After a few blocks we arrived at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Victories. By this point I had become frustrated with myself at being suckered into a tour and asked again about Minibap. He directed me to head down the street that veered off to the right, and said that I would need to turn left further along to find Minibap. As we parted ways, he asked if I could give him something to buy rice for his children. I had no cash on me, so he likely regretted taking the time to walk with me.
His directions were good, though, and I arrived at last at Minibap and browsed a variety of beautiful handmade items. The store focuses primarily on goods for children - clothing and toys - but also offers small rugs, bowls, bags and other household items.
I selected a few items, but at the cash I realized that I would need to enter my PIN - but it was long forgotten after all the tap-to-pay use my card gets in Canada. To buy the items I wanted, I would need to use my newly downloaded Wave app - which still needed to be activated.
I explained my dilemna to the shopkeeper, and she told me to go out the front door and take the street to the right to find a nearby Wave vendor. Striding off down the street - almost back to where I had previously walked with my friend from the Pullman hotel - and crossing a somewhat busy road, I found a tiny shop with the logo posted outside. It only took a moment for the vendor to check my ID and verify my account. All that remained was to add some cash to the app, but Minibap seemed the most secure place to do this.
I began my walk back, noticing that traffic had really picked up at the crossing. With cars and motorcycles passing each other in two lanes on each side this is a risky manouevre. Thankfully, three young, local men were making the crossing, laughing and talking amongst themselves. They didn't notice me slip into their tail stream to cross as a group! Safely across, I continued back to Minibap. Adding cash to Wave is quite staightforward, but I had only done it once and was struggling a bit when I realized that they may accept Orange Money from my phone app instead. Yes, in fact they did - so I hadn't really needed to make the side trip, but as my next stop was going to be to activate Wave on the way home it all worked out. I made my first digital payment, gathered up my parcel and headed out the door. Time to find my way home!
After checking the route, I was easily able to find my way back to Place d'Independence, but I couldn't retrace my steps as the intersection was packed with vehicles and a police officer directing traffic. I had a pretty good idea the direction I needed to go, so I carried along past the park, crossing at the middle by (again) keeping close to a local, cut across the park and crossed again (with the same local) to find myself outside a bakery that I thought I had visited with my daughter. I thought I could find my way from there and strode off confidently, zigging and zagging on the streets that were suddenly filled with young people - school was out for the day. I was starting to recognize shops, but somehow made a wrong turn and had to check my phone and retrace my steps. In the middle of a traffic jam. A black car sat on an angle in the middle of the intersection blocking traffic in all four directions while it attempted a multi-point turn. Motorcyclists and drivers would zip around it when they got the chance. I was not going to attempt to cross in this mess, so I waited patiently for it to clear. A few minutes later, traffic was all flowing normally, and I (again!) tailed a local to get across safely.
But I somehow overshot my turn and ended up on what seemed to be the opposite side of our apartment building. Rerouting, I walked a little farther, and the next think I knew, I recognized business that were past the building altogether. I stopped, a little confused, and turned around. There it was - home - I had walked right past it.
As I approached the entrance, a man with a handful of lychee fruit and a box of oranges tried to make a sale. A smile, a "non, merci" and I continued on my way. Then a man with a box of avocados - something I wanted for dinner - tried to make a sale. Distracted - I wanted an avocado! - I remembered that I had no money, gave him his smile and "no merci" and hopped onto the sidewalk to continue on my way. A voice called out "Madame! Ici!" It was my daughter's doorman. I'd missed the entrance again!
Safely home, somewhat overstimulated and a little tired, it was time to relax and enjoy some time with Pip, my daughter's kitten, who really loved my new bag.
All in all, I think that I had a relatively successful outing. But it is clear that I need to do some shorter neighbourhood walks to get really familiar with the streets.
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