Hello Lac Rose - Time to Float!

From my very first week in Senegal I have been wanting to go to Lac Rose. Sherraine, an old friend from high school posted a beautiful picture of the Lake on my wall and I was hooked since. But you know my schedule is pretty busy and I often had classes even on the weekend. 

However, as my last Sunday approached I knew I had to make my way to Lac Rose. Henri, an elder from my church had offered to take me with a few friends and so I was psyched to go.

As if I don't like pink enough, Lac Rose <3

I met with Malcolm and Amira outside my apartment where Henri picked us up for the journey to Lac Rose. We took the worst roads, that were flooded too that I thought for sure the little car we were in would shut off before we got there. Thank God, we reached safe and sound.

Oh the lovely half road, half waterway

When we arrived, vendors tried to get us to buy things by the craft market there. However, we were escorted by this guy to see a monkey. Literally, that was one of the first things we saw - that and the camel that ran by the roadside when we got out of the car lol.

This baboon was doing a very weird jumping jig so I didn't even get too close lol

Baboon aside, we walked out to the actual Lake. We changed into our swimsuits and dived in – kidding. The seashore was all shells, literally and you would have to walk carefully with the shells underfoot. We simply kept walking further and further in – and that’s when it started to burn. I had shaved my legs only that morning – It’s not that bad shaving your legs and going to the beach because it wears off after a while – but as the pink water swallowed my bottom half all that salt content got to work. Ouch!

Not looking too pink here, but those are the seashells and the green stuff is not grass but algae

I refused to let that deter me and I was soon doing my most favourite thing in the water – floating! And with such ease that it was hard to get my feet back on the ground after I was a little more away from shore.

Honestly, it was so cool – no matter how much I rolled around in the water, I was not sinking.

Floating for Beginners lol

However, Lac Rose is not somewhere you want to do too much splashing. I soon got salt water in my eye – and I was temporarily blind to say the least and was led by Malcolm and Henri to a nearby fresh water spring to regain my eyesight. So I might have been a bit dramatic – but it burnssss!

Henri and I after my 'blinded' incident. I can see!

That was enough salt water for me and we then went to the restaurant by Lac Rose. Amira was fasting but I had already given up on my fast with an apple on the way over – so I indulged in a large serving of chicken and fries.

Food took forever to come so we took pictures in the mean time of course!

We even had live entertainment with an old man playing this strange stringed instrument. The music was beautiful!

Here Malcolm steals the man's instrument to try it out haha - The guy was too kind to let him use it tho

We left Lac Rose and we were headed to some pool – I didn’t get what was going on actually because we left a pool right by Lac Rose. We first stopped at Henri’s country home to pick up some mangoes off his property. Next stop was another large property and we all got out this time. Turns out it was some neighbour of Henri’s and Malcolm’s (who also has a home outside of Dakar) and we were just using their private pool in their absence – you know, no big deal.

Amira and I - ALL Smiles

It was so much fun tho! I could still float altho it took more effort but nothing was burning this time.

After a great opportunity for swimming and some additional tanning, we decided to head back to Dakar. 

Pools are my fave. No salt lol

This time taking roads that weren’t threatening to leave us stuck in the mud – thank goodness.

Since it was time to break the fast while we were in the car (Amira’s fast anyway) she had a few dates and I invited her over to finish breaking the fast by my house since we would be there sooner. She joined with my family who – first time I was with them breaking the fast – were having breakfast foods! Different kinds of bread, turkey meat, hot chocolate, butter and jam were available. It turns out that my family has breakfast foods and then dinner foods too – because after the other table was set with the rice and shrimp (Which I don’t eat because I’m Adventist) and beef with peas (I just had beef with salad cause I ate tons of bread already as usual).

The family after they started to break their fast - Tata/Host Mom (left), Amira (middle) and Coumba (right)

I’m really glad I get to see another cultural aspect of the Senegalese people during Ramadan – altho last year it was during school time, I was completely clueless about what was going on – but now I have a real first-hand experience with my Muslim family. Oh lucky me, still learning new things in my last week here!

Over and out.