Tiger Beatle, island of Fadiout

joal, c'est la meilleure

the hustlers at the dakar train station fought over our business. after we got through that, the rest of the journey was a breeze. we were stuffed into the backseat of a peugot.

in joal, the traffic competes with the ocean outside the door of the internet cafe. there are faded pictures of arnold as "commando" on the window. somehow the information that he is now the california governor is already known here.

And so.

Joal is a small fishing village two hours south of Dakar. It is known for being close to an island, Fadiout, composed entirely of seashells deposited over the centuries. two long, wooden bridges connect joal to fadiout. from the island, another bridge leads to a bleached-out cemetery where we spotted long-horned beetles, 4 inches long with bee-style stripes.

in one hour we'll go to the shore to watch the fisherman return with the day's catch. some very interesting things wash up on the shore: a puffer fish, baby sharks, exotic seashells...

yacine balde, son of the owner of Relais 114, offered to take us. he is a genuinely kind guy, with flawless english, a sincere smile and a warm sense of humor. he'd be a great guide to anyone in the area.