TIA Day 2

Day 2 in Kaolack started off relaxed and easily with a visit to the Alliance Franco-Sénégalaise, a beautifully tiled and constructed center which was unfortunately closed on Sundays. A little further down the street, we patronized the artisinal market. The vendors here were more proactive than their market counterparts, but none were too pushy and we all came away with beautiful finds. I would classify my purchases more as “nice things I would’ve bought anywhere” as opposed to “essentially African,” which is another post entirely. We returned to the French restaurant for lunch and all ordered steak with fries, which turned out to be a three course meal complete with actual salad. Everyone was very excited about having a non-rice based dish for once. A trip to the Grand Mosque, which was actually in Medina, was in order and afterwards we bought some muchies and had a picnic at the inn. Unfortunately, we were returning from the boutiques around 8:40 pm, which is when the last call to prayer for Muslims end, and we had to pass the town mosque. I was walking along the sidewalk one second and slipped through a crack the next – right into a sewer pipe! Several people seemed very concerned and helped me stand on my filthy, bleeding legs until I could make it back to the hotel. The innkeeper washed my feet in a bucket of diluted bleach and even offered to fish out my sandals, which I declined. A sterilizing wipe and a few bandages later, all was well and after a quiet dinner we watched a horrible American movie poorly dubbed in French at an ampitheatre-style cinema.