Happy 2009!

As mentioned in my last update, I spent New Year's in Cap Skirring with Philippe. We made a delicious home cooked meal with more shrimp than we could handle. Since champagne does not exist here, I created my own version with white wine and effervescent palettes. Indeed, I have these high dose vitamine C palettes that I have to take once per day since I'm STILL sick!

(Image right: improvised champagne!)

The evening went by quickly and by the time we finished our meal, it was almost midnight! We entered 2009 standing on the balcony and watching fireworks put on by the nearby resorts on the beach. Personally, I find the starry skies here more entertaining :)

We had planned on searching for a djembe party but Phil had to stay near a toilet. We ended up taking a walk on the beach and crashing resort parties which were surprisingly lame. This also enabled us to infiltrate the nearby SUPER expensive Club Med and see what it is all about: not worth all that money and hype! The beach was interesting to observe throughout the night since the tide went really high. We ended up going to bed rather late despite the relax evening. For the first time in my life, while walking on the wet sandy beach, fluorescent plancton would effervesce beneath my feet. What an amazing phenomenon! Has this happened to anybody else??? Makes me think of Steve Zisou and his Life Aquatic adventures!

The next day, I felt a little more normal (just a normal cold). Throughout the morning, the ocean had pretty much eaten up the entire beach! The water almost came up to the houses and there was barely any beach left. Very bizarre.

(Image right: Phil and I on New Year's Eve)

When we asked locals about this, they explained that this happens once or twice a year because of really strong tides. Also, the ocean was paler (because all the beach sand had been displaced making it shallower). Sorry I didn't take pictures of this...should have!

Since there wasn't much of a beach left, we decided to visit what has now officially become my favorite place in Casamance so far: Djembering. A ten minute ride from Cap Skirring, this charming village is located about 1 km from the ocean. I had described it in a previous blog... As I forewarned Philippe that there wasn't much to do in the village apart from walk around its labyrinth-like pathways (where there are no cars, no bikes), we heard drumming from afar. Exciting! We let our ears guide us towards the action. At first, we had no idea what the celebration was for, but after asking a couple of people what it was and finally speaking to a person in French, we found out that it was a traditional Djola funeral (see image left). This was such a delight to see! The woman were dressed in boubous and surrounded the older men who were bunched together under the sacred tree. The men carried arms (some real shotguns) and would dance (and fire the shot guns) in order to chase bad spirits away (at least I think that was the point of their dances). Meanwhile, there was awesome djembe drumming going on. I hope you can see the video! The men would aim at the sacred tree's branches and try to shoot them down. When they would suceed, everybody cheered and a couple old women would pick them up and dance with them. Seeing this ceremony really made me feel in the heart of Africa! I wish our funerals were like this!




We enjoyed every minute of the day, drifting through the streets filled with curves, dead ends, gigantic trees, a calming wind, families of pigs, goats, roosters, chickens, children and bats! Indeed, we even saw a bat infested tree - my it was noisy! We also relaxed on the beach and hung around with a monkey!

(Image right: children in the streets of Djembering who wanted to be in a photo. The children here are so kind. They don't ask for money. People are kind. The only thing that was asked of me was by a teenage girl I had met the time before; she asked if we could be friends. How cute!)

(Image left: Phil the explorer on the beaches of Djembering)

During the remaining days of our ocean-front vacation, we took it easy. I felt so-so most of the time. I tried on several occasions to get re-tested for malaria with no success. I surprisingly didn't get very far in my novel reading :( We sailed our kite once or twice and swam in the huge waves on days that the ocean was calmer. I guess the disadvantage of this beach during this time of year is that it is very powerful. The first time Phil went in, he actually got pushed over and hurt/scratched his shoulder and face!

(Image right: Phil in the French Man look! He bought used clothes to bring to Africa as per my suggestion. But these pants are really too much! Yuck! He couldn't do a better job of looking like a French tourist...)

On our last night, we went to a nearby classy restaurant the lady chez whom we were staying had suggested. It was the finest buffet I'd ever been to! The atmosphere/decor was the most romantic and charming place I've ever seen and the food...unbelievable! They basically didn't have any "fillers" like pasta, rice, potatoes, etc. It was pretty much all seafood or fine cuts of meat: fois gras, 10 cm scampees, lobsters, oyesters, mussles, 3 types of smoked salmon, other smoked fish, sushi, magret de duck, filet mignon, T-bones, cheeses. Oh my lord! They even had porto on the dessert table!

(Image left: Phil and I at the divine feast)

I was pretty sad when the vacation was over. Ziguinchor welcomed us with smoke from burning trash (read plastic!), noise and dust. I do believe I have returned from paradise. I'm so thrilled I still have days left with Phil but I'm sick of being sick :(