4th of July Memory

I apologize for my long absence from the blogging world. Constant power cuts make it difficult to do anything on the computer these days. I have so much to share that it's a bit overwhelming to think about getting it all here, but I will try. Keep checking back because I will probably be back dating entries as I type them up.

4th of July bike trip memory....

The first thing I noticed was the smell. Funny how the scent of rain travels on the coat tails of the wind. A courteous warning to take cover before the rain catches up. However cover was a convenience unimaginable at that particular moment. I was on my bike in the middle of the bush.

From Dindefello Bike Trip

It was the week of the 4th of July and I along with almost all other Senegal PCVs had traveled down to the Kedougou region for the annual 4th fete. I had come a few days early with the intention of taking a bike trip to the Dindefelo waterfall. A small group of us had set out on the 40k trip at around 3 in the afternoon thinking we should have no problem making it there before dark. The beginning of our ride constantly reminded me why I love Senegal. We were surrounded by beautiful greenery, glorious mountains and the path we traveled was narrow and bumpy. The bright red dirt a beautiful contrast to the rainy season greens. The road was sprinkled with small villages. Peering between thatch-roof huts, I could see topless woman pounding meal in their large mortars. The tok-toking noise is a rhythmic intoxication quite like the sirens singing to sailors it beckons me to sit under a tree where I would stay forever. As we left, village farmers would stand from their work in the fields to yell a greeting to us and kids would shout "toubab! toubab!"

The time between villages was spent fording rivers and dodging huge rocks and holes in the road. Every once and awhile the trees would open up revealing a large meadow. The first meadow we came upon stole my breath and forced me to stop for a closer look. It was quite marshy with beautiful white/purple flowers dotted about. There were also strangely shaped termite mounds that I decided look like smurf houses. While I saw no smurfs, I'm convinced they are there. Probably nocturnal creatures.

From Dindefello Bike Trip

As we continued our journey, we were reminded of Africa's most important lesson yet again: relinquish control! Jen had a few tire blow outs that ended up taking several hours to repair. While we waited we stayed content singing and playing toss the water bottle. As the hours ticked by dark clouds began to roll over the mountains in the distance. We assured ourselves it would blow over. We HAD to believe that because we still had a LONG WAY to go.

From Dindefello Bike Trip

As we continued on it became clear that we would not miss this oppressive looking storm. This brings us back to where my story began. The smell. The moment it entered my nostrils, I looked up and felt like the darkness was pouring down upon me. Day quickly turned to night. I pedaled hard trying to out run (bike) the storm. Then came the wind. It started as a slow dance in the limbs of the trees but quickly turned violent. Gusts came from behind pushing me forward quite fast and then a side gust would surprise me from the side hitting me so hard I was thrown from my bike. I picked my bike back up and looked behind me. The image presented to my eyes was one still so vividly etched into my mind. Daniel, a fellow PCV, was pedaling as fast as he could while the violent wind tore at his clothes. Behind him was a wall of black that seemed to be twisting and turning in a large circle. My mind couldn't seem to grasp what I was seeing. It looked like some evil creature trying to swallow humanity. Nothing could be seen behind it but black. Then I suddenly realized what I was staring at. It was a heavy, dense wall of rain! With this realization came a cry from my lips,

"hurry Daniel! Hurry, go go go!" Up until this moment everything seemed to be going in slow motion; like a movie sequence. But with the new realization of what was coming everything suddenly sped up. I jumped on my bike and sped forward with all I had. A quick glance back showed the wall of rain overtake and swallow Daniel whole. I couldn't see him at all. Then, I too was swallowed. There were no sprinkles to start the rain, no, it was as if a waterfall opened up from the heavens. My world closed in quickly around me and I couldn't see much in any direction. Cold, huge orbs of water hit me hard and violently sending shivers through my whole body. The path became a slick river under my tires and my clothes clung uncomfortably to my skin. Finally, up ahead I saw a few friends seeking shelter under a tree. I joined them where we tried yelling to each other over the wind and rain. We decided it was crucial we keep going and that if things got really bad we would seek shelter in the next village we passed.

The next few hours passed with every emotion you could imagine. Joy at the realization that I was creating quite the memory. Anger every time my bike drove itself into a hole in the ground and I was sent skidding across the rocky mud. Excitement that I was living my Africa adventure. Awe at the sheer power and beauty of nature. Fear that if anything happened to one of us we were too far out and stuck in a storm to get any sort of help. Stupidity that I had forgotten my headlamp. Anytime the road got bad we would dismount and slowly walk our way around boulders and over freshly made rain trenches. When the rains finally stopped we were still left with darkness. Humor ended up being our best weapon against frustration and we were often laughing tears from our eyes every time someone crashed into a deep puddle or fell into some weeds.

From Dindefello Bike Trip

Hours passed and at about 10pm we rode into the small village of Dindefelo. We mumbled tired Pulaar greetings at the few people we passed as we searched for our campement. When we found it the gates were closed and we had to yell to rouse someone to let us in. They obviously expected no one to come in at this hour in a storm. The man was wonderful and quickly showed us to our huts and made a quick meal for us as well. We all crashed immediately after.

From Dindefello Bike Trip

From Dindefello Bike Trip

The next day the morning sun revealed a beautiful landscape. Grass roofed huts filled the village set on the back drop of breathtaking mountains. After breakfast we hiked up the mountain on a small trail following a river. A cool shade was provided by the dense tree canopy overhead. We passed a group of laughing women washing laundry in the stream and hanging it over branches to dry. Every time I passed a long hanging vine I of course had to climb up it and swing around.

From Dindefello Bike Trip

When we finally reached our destination the narrow path opened up to reveal a huge wall of rock painted in the greens of moss and algae. A shower of water cascaded down this wall and gathered into a large pool at the base, perfect for swimming. We spend several hours enjoying the cool waters before hiking back to the village and then beginning our long bike trip back to Kedougou, this time with a beautiful blue sky above us.

From Dindefello Bike Trip

From Dindefello Bike Trip

From Dindefello Bike Trip