In Palmarin

We rented an uberlarge hut at the place we stayed. It was right by the beach, had a pool, and boasted a sacred baobab tree that looked like the profile of a person. Hmmm....

In one of the pictures, you can see us inspecting the inside of the fruit from the baobab tree.

Road to Palmarin

Jenn, Steve, Jill, Jaia and I packed the car up the other day to drive 3 1/2 hours south to the Sine Saloum Delta. The Kelletts planned the trip, and Jill and I were along for the ride. We stayed in a small place called Palmarin that is made up of 4 villages. It is more of a remote location...known for its mangroves, wildlife, and waterways. LOVED it. My next 4-5 blog entries will focus on what we did while there.

Cinnabon...You Have Competition!

I am officially on Spring Break -- yeah!!! Two items worthy of mention here. First, my friend Jill from my former school in Scotland is visiting me for the week. Double yeah! (More on our recent trip later...) And, my first day of break started off with huevos rancheros and the most AMAZING cinnamon rolls ever at my friend Rebekah's house. She made the entire brunch from scratch. All I had to do was provide some juice. Triple yeah!

**The pictures of Jill are from a trip we took along the coast of Northern Ireland last year. Easily one of the best trips I've ever taken!

Lompoul #2

I recently went back to Lompoul for more desert camping. This time we took a large group of adults and kids - almost 20 of us went. Fun!

St. Paddy's Day Fun

Some of us got together to celebrate the Irish last week!

My Baby is Growing Up!

Orca is getting so big!!

Like a true Senegalese cat, she is thin, long in the torso (and tail - it is 11 inches long!), and has pointy ears. The cats here have a very distinct look.

Orca would like to say hello to my Uncle Frank and Hillary. She misses their laps!

Cue Rocky Music...

All year, I've been taking kickboxing lessons/classes with a couple of other people on staff. Françoise has been our teacher since the beginning, but he recently took a break. Now Biera is teaching us. In addition to this, I decided to actually put my New Year's resolution into play (yes, 2 1/2 months into the year) and take an extra solo kickboxing session with Biera to get in shape.

To put it simply -- I HURT SO MUCH.

My hamstrings hate me. My arms are about to mutinize (I think I just made up a new word).

Wow...wow.

G-Force

Gazelle Beer, or G-Force, is a local Senegalese beer. You either drink Gazelle, Flag, or Castel here. I believe 9 out of 10 blind folded taste testers would prefer and choose Gazelle over the other lot. Just a hunch of mine.

Anyway, I've been letting G-Force inspire some artwork in me since my arrival. Every time I enjoy a Gazelle, I peel off the label for my artwork. I know the precise moment, or level in the glass bottle, when the label peels the easiest. OH, what a skill to possess.

Purchased Artwork

I purchased some paintings from a local artist that a friend knows. Since they were a preorder, I was able to specify the exact contents of the pictures: how many people I wanted on the beach next to the pirogue, what contents to put on top of the car rapide, what should be written on the car rapide, etc. Cool!

Senegalese Limo

Some friends and I rented a "Senegalese limo" this past weekend. Fun times were had by all. A little cruising around town, stopping for dinner, and then enjoying some music at Just For You!

Random Street Photos Taken at Night

Exotique Bird Park

Very close to where we stayed in La Somone, there was an exotic animal park (mainly birds). We stopped by for a quick visit. I think my next pet needs to be a large parrot...one that can fetch things around the house and do simple errands. If I can teach it to make breakfast - bonus.

Down South Again...

My blog needs some love...I am not sure what happened to February!! It slipped away and in its place is one post. Lame. I will try to change the tide starting now.

Last weekend, I headed down south again to another beach town named La Somone. Loved it! It was a chill time walking along the beach, sitting around relaxing, and...not much else. We saw some really nice shells and even a fierce looking jelly fish at one point.