Getting sick while traveling and other Senegal Tourist Trap Tips

Yes its me on the pcture, not lying on the beach cos I was having a great time but I was actually feeling really bad. This was the second time of many that I got sick in just 2 weeks period while traveling in West Africa. First time i got sick from my sinusites that got me into a little crises due to weather changing already in Mauritania, and theis one I felt sick cos I ate too much "Chakry" a senegalese dessert with yougurt and fruit along with couscous.

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At Least Do This: Take pils to your stomach and intestines, take all vaccines you can at home: yellow fever, tetanus, hep A B, Typhoid also. Bring lots of cloride pills to mix with the local water.
Alternative: theres no alternative unless you stay home. Traveling to West Farica or Africa generally specking you'll problably get sick. If you eat drink like the local peole even taking care of normal things like wasing hands, food etc...we went 4 on this trip and everyone got sick at least 2 up to 3 times...

You should take care and dont drink the local water. Sometimes the tea people offer you is made from that non good water and while making the tea, the water doesnt boil enough time. If someone invintes you for a tea at their place or in the street just say yes if you feel like but know or ask to boil the water well.

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At Least Do This: If you get sick, you're done for a ocuple of days. take medicine and wait, suffer, rool over yourself, head aches, pains in intestines etc...suffer...
Alternative: Bring lots of cloride pills to mix with the local water.

People in little villages see tourist a way of trying to win or getting something. This way when you arrive to little villages like this one on the picture xpect children to run towards yourself. Take many htings in consideration:
becareful if you drive cos some kids can actually fall and you can hit them with your car; if you give someting to a boy, others will also want; if you give something to a boy others will fight him; give present if you desire to an elder person to make the distribution; ask for pictures before you make them or children can turn violent at you and throw you stones.

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Expect high temperatures all year round. Best time to go there maybe its in European Winter and Spring. I went in April and was ok although we got max 53º celcius, which is hot but ok. In summer temperatures can rise up to 60 and 65.

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Taking whells to Africa means having to loose lots of hours cleaning and put everythignin order very often or you'll not be able to find anything after a while. Order and organization maybe every 2 days? 5 days? a week? 2 weeks? ok forget it...

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If you arrive Dakar by night you'll have to wait maybe 2 up to 3 hours to make the last kms of the main "highway" towards the city centre. Traffic jams are huge and people seem to loose hours on this. Be careful with crazy drivers...

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At Least Do This: Be patiente and put up some music. If you can come a bit ealier although you still have many cars but not as much.6 to 8pm should be the critic time.
Alternative: Arrive a bit earlier.

Take all your vaccines, bring repelent and spend money on a good mosquitto net. Mosquitto nets are better if you can actually change and mold them in different positions and ocasions...

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Policemen in Senegal are the worst I've seen. Altough I know in some other countries in Africa they are even worst (how is this possible??). Even if you have all your documents and papers in order, follow all the rules and take care of people and situations, police will always try to get something out of you. Once a police in countryside Senegal told me I would leave until some money would be given to him...come one...

In St. Louis on a road there is no road sign so I just turned left and he told me i made an infraction and should have gone to the roundabout (250m after) to make the run. He wanted some money and kept my drivers license. I didnt give him money and went direct to the police headquarters in St Louis. I made some pictures with my digital camera of place in St Louis with road sign and from the specific place without road sign to me to follow the rules, the head police was very understandable and gave me a paper that would stop my infraction and i went to the police on the sreet and he had to give my drivers license back.

I had to wait almost 45 minutes to be able to talk to the head police. At the police station they will try to tell you YOU are the one wrong and should come to the police station...wait be perssistent, they are not going to eat you its just to frighten you and with this you can go away. wait and be precistent. tell loudly that polçice in senegal are bad and they dont like it...

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At Least Do This: On the picture you have the place with no road sign telling you should keep straight. This is right in front of the big St Louis market in langue. On the picture the market is on your right side.

This is well known to be the worst place to enter Senegal. From all border passages, the border here in Rosso is quite messy and full of currupt police officers in both sides, Mauritania and Senegal.

Coming from Mauritanian Rosso, you have to make all your documents signed from the head cheef police, and remember not to give your passport to the wrong guy, it can just disapear. give your passport when 2 people police men are with you, foloow them even if they say you can't pass, this way you can always follow them and when someone blocks your entry say lowdly they have your passports to stamp! this way everyone will know reducing the probabilities of getting your pasport robbed and being ripped of for it to appear again.

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At Least Do This: after Mauritanian formalities you have to get a boat to Senegalese Rosso which will cost you 1500UM for a veicule and plus 500UM for each passanger.

On the Senegalese side things get worst eve. If you heard people talking about currupt police force but never saw them in action, here is the perfect place to meet them face to face. open your eyes and open your hears baby, cos you're going to give money away...

for entrance policeman that stamps your passport will ask you for money...doenst exists in other entrances to Senegal like in Diamba or south in the gambian border.

Police will tell you how the customs are closed and you have to stay there 2 days without passing unless you give double to costum staff. Don't give your passsport away to the men that are in the border telling you they will take care f everything for you just for an exchange of money, you can do it by yourself.
Alternative: IF YOU COME WITH A VEICULE OLDER THAN 4 YEARS YOU WILL NOT PASS INTO SENEGAL! you need carnet de passage...