Exploring Ngor

Just off the coast in the north of Dakar is a second small island. Winding streets lead you to beaches with crashing waves, artisans' ateliers, restaurants and endless photo opportunities. On my last Tuesday in Senegal, I finally made the trip.

Ngor Beach is a narrow strip behind numerous seafood restaurants, with fishing boats resting on the sand or bobbing in the waves. Local kids play football or tag, and the usual stream of pedlars hawking their wares. Somewhere in the activity you will find several orange life jackets and someone selling tickets for the return trip to Ngor Island. Paying my 2000 CFA (less than $5 Canadian), I received a jacket while simultaneously letting a hopeful local know that I didn't need a guide and didn't speak French. Another man came along and grabbed my hand, starting to put henna on it without asking. I didn't want it, but I also didn't want to yank my hand away because I didn't want random streaks of henna all over my skin!  I kept telling him I had no money (which was not tru) and was not going to pay him (which was definitely true!). He kept drawing, asking my name - spelling it wrong on my hand - and as expected, asked for some money. He left disappointed. And now I had a tattoo including the words "Came Love Ssnelegal" despite washing off the henna as quickly as I could.

 


The boat arrived and we all piled in, but alas we were stuck in the sand. All the men on the boat were compelled to jump out and push, the boat rocking back and forth as they shoved and yanked it, those of us on board adjusting our weight to balance it out, and at last we were far enough into the water to start the engine and head out across the bay. 

I spent most of the day on the island, chosing paths and streets at random, wandering to my heart's content. I snapped photos of anything interesting or beautiful that caught my eye.

 











Several times, my wandering brought me to the shoreline where I would rest and enjoy the waves while trying to catch the enormous splashes from the rocks and the changing colours in the water with my camera.








The island is home to a wide variety of bids, and I was delighted to come across across a few nesting sites where I added some new birds to my 'life list'. I spent a lot of time watchings the antics of weavers working on their grass nests






Every one that I met on the island was incredibly friendly - as I've come to expect in Senegal - from the young men lugging bags of concrete into a work site to locals out for a stroll to the artisans. Several asked me to take their photos and tell them if they looked beautiful or show them the final shot.



I enjoyed a chat with a gentleman who crafts unique pieces of art using recycled materials.  


I connected with an artist whose paintings celebrate daily life in Senegal, and purchased a (very large!) piece to bring back to Canada.



And I met Mamadou who sold me a beautifully beaded mask that he said was made by his father in the style of the Mandinka from the Casamance/Gambia region.


Having finally seen all of the island, I took the boat back to the city and walked the length of the beach capturing photos of boats and a few kids who asked if I could please put them on Tiktok.





































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