A Gas Station on the Beach?

Senegal is always full of unexpected things in random places, like this gas station in Soumbédioune, Dakar, Senegal

Goats escaping the summer's heat under pirogues in Soumbédioune

The launching area for the fishing pirogues.  I found this really cool visual of the Bay of Soumbédioune. 

Most of these photos are taken from the northwestern beach of the bay

Children on the beach

Pirogues

Something about this payphone amused me endlessly. (Who uses payphones anymore? And even if you wanted to, there's not even a phone!)

Arms Linked in Soumbédioune

One of my favorite things about Senegalese culture? Friends of all ages often link arms when walking together.

Near Soumbédioune, Dakar, Senegal

A monument at Soumbédioune. We couldn't figure out what it was a monument for. Maybe something military related?

Artwork in Soumbédioune

Pirogues at Soumbédioune

Pirogues under construction, well used, and discarded at Soumbédioune

I found this guy so interesting. Here's a better view of him.

Soumbédioune

Two boys at Soumbédioune, Dakar, Senegal
It's hard not to take a photo when they pose so proudly!

In desperate need of rain


This past week is the first real rain in Dakar this rainy season.

How different Soumbédioune looks during the driest weeks before the rain

Soumbédioune

a boy leaving Soumbédioune down the Canal Rd

I couldn't resist a second version of the previous photo;
different boy leaving Soumbédioune towards the Supreme Court (in background)

I was trying to take a photo of the bench, but when this guy came back to pose, a photo was necessary!

Babacar's Recycled Art -- Tin Can Style!

Recycled Art: Tin can art by Babacar and his brothers


Even the trucks are loaded up ridiculously high--just like the actual ones on the road
that I find myself saying a prayer every time I pass that they won't topple over on me


Amazingly creative, isn't it?  Especially when you realize that it was once soda cans


I admit: I have a fanta, coca-cola, and a tomato can tray


recycling at its finest: nothing is wasted
that kettle on the floor can be found in every Senegalese household


Santa Claus!  Behind him is a sous-verre painting
(Or Senegalese glass painting)


Babacar came from Mali and opened up a little studio near Soumbédioune
He's been so successful supplying boutiques around Dakar that
he's just opened up this little shop next door
I suspect my patronage over the years has played a part :)


car rapides, VW Beetles, scooters, planes!

15 December 2013 update:
I've just learned that Babacar has his own website showcasing his lovely art.
Check it out here!
It even has photos of his new studio, completed just prior to my departure from Dakar.
(Thanks, Matthias, for letting me know!)

18 July 2012 update:
Babacar's been featured on a segment by the BBC!
So excited that this hidden gem of Dakar is getting his due--
Check his interview out here.

Les Almadies & Petite Corniche

 birds in Les Almadies, Dakar, Senegal

 Soumbédioune with a storm coming off the Atlantic, Dakar

 View of the Plateau from the Petite Corniche, Dakar, Senegal, on a strangely overcast day

 View from the Petite Corniche

find the peacock in Les Almadies

what the peacock actually looked like

Goodbye, Rainy Season!

A storm coming in from the Atlantic Ocean

Soumbédioune, Dakar, Senegal

What the storm looked like over the Place de l'Independence, Dakar Senegal:

 

 The remnants of the rainy season in Dakar