Lac Rose! Yesterday evening was so different, we did things we haven't done for a long time. Swimming pool, bar, plated dinner, chilling on a dune accompanied by a swarm of vultures, phone calls and... Internet. Yes, in Mauritania, the Internet was shut down because some fugitives escaped from a prison, they did it so well that no one could catch the guys for at least five days, so access to the Internet was turned off throughout the country. It's ok, we don't use it anyway.
Mornig is really slow, the day is going to be a remarkably tiresome mission - get to the center of Dakar, find duane and get a stamp to extend out residence permit. Once we have already got a feel for the basics, we look out for a stand selling baguettes and ordered the all-inclusive option, with cafe touba, of course. Then I take a couple of photos with the ladies preparing food, they take photos with us, some kids join us. Ok, It's nice but we have to move on, it's going to be a service day, isn't it? We make our way through traffic jams, typical for African cities, sometimes it is difficult to find a way even on a motorbike. First we hit Mad Bikes. While still at home, we ordered a beautiful set of Motorex 10W60 :-D Our bikes love it. Mad Bikes is a great place, safe, especially after in the sands of Mauritania we were well aware that it was better for the bikes to rather keep their shape there... Here we are surrounded by a full range of parts, filters and people who see motorcycles like ours every day. There's even the Itchy Boot's Honda, during a service, how nice. We continue to break through the city in traffic jams and heat, can't find duane. After naearly an hour of struggle, we park on the sidewalk. The moment security guy sees us he shows the right entrance. We are free, we can escape back to nature, towards baobabs, cows and clay huts.
Before the whole thing, I spent quite a lot of time drawing a decent track through the city, dirt roads, sea cliffs... However, we are not going to use it, we are drawn to the savannah, we want to leave the agglomeration as soon as possible. So we jump onto the highway, and only from there I can see how huge and dense Dakar is. I think it would take us a few hours to ride around. We have to ride through several toll gates, bikes pay in cash, some chicken feed but still. Some drivers can't stand it, they honk, shout, and sometimes the gate staff too. They probably don't realize that each time we have to take off our gloves, prepare money and pay for 4 motorcycles. But the real things is, Kuba is having more and more problems starting the bike. This happened several times before, we thought that maybe the starter brushes are getting stuck, so moving the bike forward/backward in gear changes something, but at this moment it no longer works. And yes, we are standing in the sun on the hot side of the highway just behind the toll gates. We're tinkering with something and there it is, the bike is alive and we get on the track. But only to the nearest store, because that's where fate takes us. With a full audience and in the shade of a tree, we examine the harness, disassemble and reassemble the starter button, check the ignition, replace the relay... after almost 2 hours the bike is ready for adventure again. It's already quite late, so the plan is to find a place to camp, among the baobabs, absolutely!
We enter the savannah. I am surprised by specific buildings and quite a high population density. The area is crisscrossed with a network of natural paths, also, many villlages. One of them draws my attention particularly, there are pigs and slightly different buildings, other graves, this one is probably Christian. Finally we set up a bivouac among the baobabs, they are magnificent, like from a dream! When dusk falls, we start a major service. We only have one free bottle for used oil, so we change it one by one. Now the real magic is happening. Working in such conditions is pure pleasure and the essence of the trip. Then we start cooking. The chinese multifuel stove finally gives up, and we are left with Primus as the only one. In addition, the tomatoes we bought turn out to be a bitter pulp, even Piter himself, the master chief of all the camping cooking, is not able to save it. But that's nothing, because when I raise my head I see a starry sky, framed by spreading baobab branches. Finally I feel that we are in Senegal, totally.
The morning is surprising - everything is covered by a thick fog. I haven't expected it at all. Together with the horned cows, the whole thing makes a kind of a spooky impression. We pack up quickly, just can't wait for the first full day with the savannah. In a moment I'm riding on a packed ground. There's no more sand, red soil instead, perfectly grippy and soft under the wheels. Just have to relax into it. The landscape is marked by vast pastures, fields of baobabs or trees that resemble acacia, but are much greener. And the greenery increases with every kilometre we ride, the further south and east we go, the more vibrant nature is become. We have a great time and absorb these new experiences, half a day passes like a flash. We stop only in Kaffrine, a post-colonial town with a fantastic atmosphere. Lazy market stands, made of branches and foil, lean against the walls of beautiful colonial buildings. They sell fruits, water in 0.4l bags and spices. Some shops have grown inside former warehouses, high, proud rooms, usually open to the street from two sides. There is a railway station and an intersection of two lines. The tracks are covered with dust and earth, a silent reminiscence of the past years of glory. The rest of the day are endless red roads, from village to village, horned cattle, baobabs, remains of the old railway, straw huts, children playing football. The day is absolutely exquisite. We move far from the stretch of civilization, marked by the only asphalt road leading west. We are surrounded by a simple life now, only it is not the result of some extensive planning, here it is just normal, not requiring effort and drawing special tracks. I feel as if I had stepped out of a time capsule. Perfect!
In the evening we pass a signpost. A restaurant. That's it, we could do with some dinner, we turn and end up at a campsite run by the French. It has a nice beach just on the edge of the river. Since we're having dinner here, we decide to stay, there's a pool, a beer... In the evening we find out what else - an all-night disco and a few "madame senegal" interested in our arrival... Oh well, maybe we'll manage to sleep next night. Anyway I confirm my golden rule - the best bivouacs are always in the heart of nature, far from people.
We quickly reach Sine Ngayene in the morning. The site contains 52 stone megaliths, a remnant of the ancient Senegambian culture. It is not entirely known how old these stones are, expert opinions point to the period from several centuries BC to the 16th century. The structures are certainly very interesting, placed amongst surrounding yellow grass. They would certainly look better without a fence in the background. We move on, after a while we come across a beautiful tree, huge, spreading, deep green, just like in the Avatar movie. It's similar further on, nature is beautiful, and what we see is very simple and authentic. From time to time we have to cross one of the main roads, but they don't have asphalt either. The paths are getting narrower, and the villages are more and more like carefully selected National Geographic frames. Some of them clearly have no car access and all traffic is done on donkeys or chinese motorbikes.
For a long while I make my way through the wild forest, there are mainly low trees and termite mounds. The path is very narrow, sometimes it even disappears totally. Suddenly I arrive straight into the village, full of people, colors and rhythm. There are lots of smiles and energy here. People invite me to go closer. I even don't know how, but after a while Tomek and I find ourselves in the middle of this crowd of people, dancing and celebrating with them. We are at a wedding. A photographer comes up and boasts about his camera. The father of the family is proud of his daughter. Kuba, out of joy, decides to take off with a drone. A few women try to give us their phone numbers, kids run after the drone, everyone dances, and the rest pose for photos with us. The moment is magical, but we don't want to prolong it. After all, we are a thorn in this community, a foreign body that disrupts the celebration, and yet we are not the most important people here on this day. That is why, despite the wonderful welcome and atmosphere, after a few quarters we are on the road again, this is our place. And again, we pass wonderful baobabs, villages and towns, amidst red fields and yellow grass. Is this what paradise looks like for dirty wanderers like us?
At the end of the day, when we slowly start looking for a place to sleep, Piter gets a flat tire in the front wheel. He gives us a brave look and tells to countdown the time. The whole thing takes 30 minutes, no more, old tube, new tube, inflating, putting everything together. That's a spirit! We look out for a hill in the distance, here where we are is too much smoke from the burnt grass. On our hill we can see everything to the horizon, watch life in the village below in the distance, smoke covering the flat bottom of the valley. We stay up late, camping in the wilderness, under a million stars, it's ideal. Only one thing worries me, for the first time on this trip. Are there lions here?
Track: https://www.wikiloc.com/trail-bike-trails/2023-dakar-stage-6-1-senegal-the-rugged-rides-174342785
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