Friday, July 6, 2012

Part II: Prudence Savage Animals

The second leg of Bike Trip: Kedougou involved catching an early morning car to the city of Tambacounda. From there we hit the pavement for a 228km ride south. Starting a bike trip at 10:30am during the tail end of hot season is not ideal, but we made good time and rode about 65km plus a lengthy mid-day nap. Our first stop was in the town of Dialokoto, where we found a nice gentleman who agreed to host us in his compound for the night. One of the nicest things about the Senegalese is their hospitality. The nicest thing about our new friend Ibrahima was the delicious dinner he gave us, in addition to the hut he let us sleep in when torrential rains began.

Our chariot from Part I of the Bike Epic
The next day was our endurance trial. A large portion of the Kedougou region is taken up by the Niokolo Koba National Park, which is bisected by the national highway. Although authorities claim there are all sorts of savage animals (lions, baboons, warthog, genies) we pressed on. One guard we met about halfway through the park tried to convince us - while standing next to a rolled over minivan - that biking was too treacherous and we should wait for a car to take us the rest of the way. Our argument that cars in this country are more dangerous than the park's three lions was persuasive enough and he let us go on our way. A few hours later we met that same guard while resting at a checkpoint and feeding the friendly monkeys and warthogs the park guards let hang around. The afternoon brought the first of Kedougou's many hills as we powered through the last of 123km. That night we happened upon a serene little campement (rustic hotel) on the Gambia River.

Our last day was a relatively short 40km but included more hills than I've ever ridden in a morning. We passed numerous trucks broken down on the steep inclines, but the scenery was beautiful and the freshly paved road made the ride less painful.

Prudence: Savage Animals


Mission Accomplished
 After 300km of riding, it was a relief to see the final mile marker and reach the Peace Corps house. After a day of recovery, I went with a group out to the well known waterfalls of Segu and Dindefello for 2 days of hiking and lounging in the mountains. Overall is was a great week topped off by a memorable 4th of July party.


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