Dakar

Wednesday 19 January

 

DHL is first on my to-do list – and it turns out they’re only a 10 minute walk away! WOW, well done Kyle. I retrieve my Guide uniform (or my African version of it) and many of the Guide souvenirs that I couldn’t fit into my bag before I left. I manage the local bus out to the port where I indeed find that there are no tickets left on Friday’s ferry and there is certainly no waiting list. Bugger – there goes my Casamance visit. Oh well, with a bit of thought I decide to head off to The Gambia on Friday instead. Wander a bit about town, try their big pharmacy & BINGO I can buy as much Larium as I want. It’s pricey but I take the opportunity to exercise the useless mastercard again (Visa is king in West Africa). Get the right bus back to the suburbs again and I’m not feeling so at sea now here in Dakar, which is a big city!
Wearing my newly arrived Guide uniform, I meet up with Jocelyn Delgado , who has also arranged for Senegal’s Girl Guide Commisaire Generale Mme Gring to visit @ my hotel. Then we head out to the workplace of the International Commisionar Mme Adande who stamps my WAGGGS card (upside down!) We arrange to meet for breakfast tomorrow (at least I thought we did, cause she never shows!). Jocy & I spend the afternoon together & then head out to the burbs to visit a Girl Guide unit – Brownies, Guides & Rangers meet at a Catholic school, but occupy different rooms. Boy Scouts also meet here at this time also. We visit all three sections, and sepnd time with the Rangers who ware very keen to communicate with an Australian Guides! The Rangers are making food to sell to the Scouts that night, to raise money for girls to attend events etc. Some things are so universal?? The fruit salad is very popular & soon sells out amid much fun & laughter. There is a final concluding ceremony with both the Rangers & Rovers together & left that night with a huge smile on my dial, having had so much simple fun with them. I promise Jocy to keep in touch & bid her farewell.