Abraham and I just got back from St Louis last night, and absolutely loved the place. It’s located on a small, 2 kilometer-long island in the Senegal River between Senegal’s mainland and a peninsula. It was the original capital of French West Africa, and the first capital of Senegal and Mauritania. After 1956, however, it lost those distinctions and went into slow decline. As a result, it’s original, colonial architecture has been preserved.
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Animals abound in Senegal. Not so much the dog and cat varieties, but more animals being raised for food or work. As few people own transport or large properties, animals can often be seen in the road, either being pushed along by their owner, or just wandering on their own accord. The result is that drivers and cyclists need to keep a trained eye out to make sure they do not run over someone, and pedestrians need to make sure they do not step in something.
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St Louis is very close to Senegal’s border with Mauritania. One afternoon we rode our rented bikes to where we judged the border to be. Locals pointed us in the right direction and confirmed that this was the actual border. As this was not an official crossing, you would never know it was the border between two nations.
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