Good afternoon, friends and family,
Yes, like a swarm of locusts after a good crop of grain, the sidewalk salespeople of Dakar descended upon us as we stepped off the shuttle bus in town. They, (or hundreds of clones), stayed with us as we attempted to follow our guide through broken streets, cracked and sometimes nonexistent sidewalks, out into dusty, dirty, littered streets where taxis by the hundreds and many, many other cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, motor-scooters and other decrepit vehicles of all ages tried to pass by blowing their horn first.
It was a morning to be remembered! We followed our guide to the President’s home, a museum and then the marketplace, which was swarming with more locusts. Finally, we said, “Enough is enough, bought a hat pin for my collection, ($3), and paid the guide $20, which he thought was unfair – HA! Then we caught the shuttle, which sat for another fifteen minutes surrounded by yet another swarm of locusts.
BUT, these are NOT Obama’s people – they are out there working, attempting to put bread on the table by themselves, not looking for a government handout. You had to admire them for that.
We sat at the museum while another couple went inside, (we are NOT museum people), and watched several locals at work in the front courtyard, which consisted of a raised mound of dirt perhaps fifteen feet high and scrubby grass approximately a foot high. At the bottom of the mound was a small wall of broken rock filled with scraggly weeds. Atop the mound in various places were more even scraggier flowers and plants. The entire mound was surrounded by a single lane blacktop driveway.
Four people were busily working there. One man was cutting the grass by hand with a pair of dull hedge clippers. (God, my poor back)! So far, he had cut perhaps one-fourth of the area. The second man was watering the grass already cut, the scraggy plants, (and weeds), and the poor flowers with a hose barely dripping water. The third and fourth, (a young man and an older woman dressed in a very pretty green print dress), were sweeping up blossoms from a yellow flowering tree to one side of the driveway.
Now, we Americans would have purchased a lawnmower, weed-eater and leave blower and installed a watering system; thus putting at least three people out of work. The same man could do all these jobs in a minimum of time. The bottom line of course!
Then, those poor people who were forced out of their jobs could go on welfare, to be paid for NOT working by the government, (or, with YOUR and MY money, if we were citizens of this country). Does all this sound familiar?
Tomorrow, here in Dakar, the grass will grow, which requires it be cut again, and since it barely rains here during the winter, the lawn and flowers must be watered by hand. The wind will blow more blossoms from the tree, thus requiring the driveway be kept clean. And labor will go on, with four Dakarians having jobs to put bread on the table.
It makes sense to me; what about you? Think about it!
If anyone is interested in buying woodcarvings for resale, THIS is the place. We never saw so many woodcarvings in our life. There was one area probably a block long, where woodcarvings were piled against the wall in heaps four feet high, covered with dust from having lain there forever it seems. (Someone has WAY too much time on their hands)!
It was an experience, but not one highly recommended if you are the nervous type. Our guide claimed “there is no crime in Dakar”, while warning us, “watch your wallet – pickpockets are everywhere”.
Our “cowardly” lion doll has entered the story. He was hiding in some bushes outside the museum when he spotted our “Royal Princess”, who was frightened by his advances. I stepped in and knocked the lion back into the brush and saved the princess. (I have it all on film)!
“The plot thickens,” Watson says.
Lunch was beef rolls, French fries, shrimp and slaw, washed down with iced tea. Nothing much going on this afternoon, since so many passengers are on tours, so we’ll post this as our daily log.
Tonight’s entertainment is Ragtime melodies by Brad Stevens. Tomorrow is another day at sea, and hopefully, my lecture, followed by the Captain’s Circle get-together, and then formal night again.
There is a big deck party under the stars tonight after dinner as a warm up to the NYE party to come in about three weeks, plus, a “sweet temptation” buffet. Need I say more? Loosen up those jeans, Carol, we’re eating AGAIN!
Until the next time,
Via con Dias,
Karl & Carol
