Never hesitate to go far away, beyond all seas, all frontiers, all countries, all beliefs. - Amin Maalouf

26 January 2020, Keur Ayip Guѐye to Kaolack, 81.8km
Auberge La Jolie 15,000XOF (R366)

Our day was defined by wind, which I am hoping is not the start for us of the perhaps daily Harmattan we might encounter between now and mid-March, between here and Morocco. As the Harmattan is a trade wind that blows from the northeast or east at this time of year, and as today’s wind blew from that very direction, I suspect my hope is just wishful thinking.
I hate the wind. When in your face, it can turn even a downhill into an interminable climb. Luckily, for the 50 of 80km it blew today, it did so from the northeast. As our road to Koalack travelled northwest, that put the wind on our right instead of directly in our faces. Still, it hampered our speed on an essentially flat road, and blew fine dust into our faces and eyes, drying our eyeballs to discomfort.
Not a particularly inspiring day. The terrain was largely flat, the scenery largely dull and dusty, only majestic baobabs, smaller than some of their cousins but still spectacular, enlivening the view. We stopped for lunch at a small restaurant where two women worked, one producing and serving food, the other coffee. Charl had chickpeas in a baguette, I an omelette. The one woman’s small son, seeing us outside, had taken exception to us, not at all enamoured with our white skin. He followed us into the small restaurant and began to howl. Mom called him over, lifted him onto her lap, pulled her left breast out the neck of her dress, and effectively silenced his crying mouth with it. Then went back to scrambling my omelette. Once we stopped to consult our map and have a drink from a flask, and were approached by several young boys, one of whom asked for money. We said no, politely, and got on our bikes to ride away, Charl in front. Out the corner of my eye, I saw a sod land and shatter near me, followed by several small stones, and knew the boys were throwing them in protest. I stopped immediately and yelled at them, something or other they could not understand, though my displeasure was clear. Charl is of the opinion that when you respond to bad behaviour, you encourage more of it, that, in fact, ignored behaviour fades away. I am of the opinion that boys should never be allowed to throw stones at girls… prticularly, perhaps, in Muslim countries. Charl encountered a biggish flock of tiny quelea birds on the verge and yelled a “hey” to set them flying, where they obliged with a classic “rolling cloud” display. Known as “Africa’s feathered locust”, the quelea can cause extensive damage to crops, feeding in huge flocks of millions.
We crossed two rivers, the Bao Bolon and the Saloum just outside Kaolack. The Saloum Delta, some distance away on the Atlantic, is a Unesco World Heritage site*, while Kaolack is Senegal’s “main peanut trading and processing centre” (Wikipedia). Kaolack, like most African cities and towns and villages, suffers from dust and plastic pollution, and an ugly industrial sector.
*Fishing and shellfish gathering have sustained human life in the 5,000 km2 property, which is formed by the arms of three rivers. The site comprises brackish channels encompassing over 200 islands and islets, mangrove forest, an Atlantic marine environment, and dry forest. The site is marked by 218 shellfish mounds, some of them several hundreds metres long, produced by its human inhabitants over the ages. Burial sites on 28 of the mounds take the form of tumuli where remarkable artefacts have been found. They are important for our understanding of cultures from the various periods of the delta's occupation and testify to the history of human settlement along the coast of West Africa. (whc.unesco.org)

For today's route see below photos
For overview route, click on ROUTE tab above…