La Madre

My mom visited for a month... It's great to have family come (especially when they bring 3 quarts of their AMAZING pickles with them!!!), but alas, the time has already come and gone. We had a nice visit, and she was an easy and accommodating guest!

Internet...and Marlins

My Internet connection has not been the most reliable this year. It's okay for checking emails, but it takes forever to load pictures for the blog and other projects. A little bit frustrating and the reason I haven't been posting as much.

These pictures were taken on the beach in Ngor. There was a marlin contest and the biggest catches were being weighed.

Masks

A mask shop in Somone. I tried forever to get one of the photos loaded the correct way, but it just wouldn't work!

Lovely La Somone

Jenn, Carly, and I took a night away in one of my favorite places - Somone. We lounged around on the beach, did some mask shopping, explored, and dined at one of the best restaurants around Dakar...a little French one that is some of the best food put on Earth.

Beach Party - Senegalese Style

Before Hillary left, Aliou and her hosted a beach party for friends and family. Fish was grilled and a bonfire made...before we knew it, a bunch of Aliou's friends/family were drumming with sticks on plastic containers.

Carly's Visit - N'gor Island

My friend Carly, from my time in Aberdeen, was able to come for a visit. Right now, she's working/living in Germany, so she came from that part of the world for her first visit to Africa! Of course we had a great time - visiting N'gor island, exploring the city, beaching it up in Somone, bargaining for gifts to take back, and relaxing and catching up. She's a stand up comic, so the laughs were plentiful.

The next few posts will be pictures she took while visiting here.

BIG 3-0 in Africa

(Pictures from Hillary's party at Bungalow B.)

Exactly one month ago today, Hillary got to celebrate her 30th birthday in Dakar... very cool for all of us here. Now she's gone. Back to Seattle and wearing sweatshirts and being cold. Best of luck back home, Hill!

Radisson Blu

I would like the Radisson Blu hotel to hire me as their NUMBER ONE fan! I'm ready to shout their awesomeness from every rooftop in Dakar.

So, Hillary's been visiting for the past month or so. It just so happened that her 30th birthday was at the end of September during her visit. In celebration, we spent a night (and parts of Saturday and Sunday) at the Radisson Blu.

Bliss is the best word to describe the experience.

Dino Party!

My friend, Rachel, recently had a birthday. The theme? Dino B-day Party. People were super creative, and pulled together costumes at the last minute. My favorite accessory was an empty Corona 6-pack carton placed on the head to represent some sort of fin...or horn...or??? I like it! My costume paid homage to foil. I was Aluminiumosaurus!

Revisit to Popenguine

Popenguine was one of the favorite places that I visited last year. So, I decided this year I needed to go back...hopefully, several times. Weekend before last I did just that. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it's one of many trips for the school year. Jenn and I did some drumming on the beach, the group meals were delicious, and the water and beach were just beautiful (well, maybe the beach was a bit more trashy than I remember). All in all though, a good weekend.

Korite in Pictures