Dakar markets and Gore Island, Wednesday November 4

Todd here to post the latest update. Received the following email from Susan Wednesday afternoon (Wed evening in Dakar):

Just skyped with Zach's class. Very fun. We got to talk for about 20 minutes and the kids asked all sorts of great questions.

Things are going really well. We were at Gore Island today where they traded slaves. Very good tour with tons of info. We learned a lot - unfortunately a difficult topic, but worth learning about. We also did some shopping and Zach got to experience the throngs of vendors coming up to us, surrounding the van and us, being very pushy about selling us stuff. We have experienced the big markets where people who live here buy everything, and also an artisanal market with just arts and crafts and things like that.

Driving around the city is interesting - it ranges from dirt roads with more people walking than driving, to paved roads heading into the downtown area that are more crowded than any you have ever seen, with cars going in all sorts of odd directions. Yesterday we went down to the coast and played in the ocean a little bit. There are hundreds of little huts on the beach that people rent out and sit under during the day. Also, unfortunately, there is trash everywhere. Oh well.

Zach is doing great. He was still very tired this morning (imagine being waken at what feels like 1 in the morning!!) but he rallied during the day and seems to be doing really well now. The ladies who are feeding us were concerned about Zach yesterday because he didn't eat much, but now I think between him feeling less tired and getting used to the african food, he seems to be doing much better!

Tomorrow we are off to a game reserve and then to St. Louis, a city up the coast. One night there and then off to the villages. We are not sure how much access we will have to internet in the villages but will see.

End of Susan's email.

Here in Denver, Alyssa and I are settling into our routine. A local restaurant was holding a fundraiser for Alyssa's school and we went out for pizza last night. Alyssa got to play with a grapefruit-sized piece of dough while we were waiting for our meal. Grandma Bridges came over to the house after dinner to watch Alyssa while I went to the Denver Public Schools' middle school expo. In terms of crowds, not too much different than being on the streets of Dakar, just no dirt roads and heat to contend with!!

--Todd