"Considered" the largest Baobab Tree

Friday was our last day in Kedougou. We went on another hike, in the Bedik village of Iwol. It wasn't a very long hike, but was steep enough to make the reaching the top a great treat. This village, being home to the largest Baobab Tree in Senegal (or, the text read "considered" to be the largest...so whatever that means...), had a much more tourist-attraction feel than the other villages. Clearly. This was a business.

The women were prepared to give us a price for their jewelry and not bargain down. This was something we hadn't faced yet. Usually bargaining was an enjoyable part of the transaction, a part of the transaction the vendors would tell us to do, and guide us through in some cases. (Honestly, many of us have been coached through the sale by the person who we're trying to buy from, and we generally get a good price). Fortunately, our guides spoke Bedik and made sure we weren't taken advantage of too much.


Our family photo - not in the famous Baobab Tree - but in another tree that apparently used to make people have swollen bellies and eyes, but fortunately it no longer does such things. Only part of our class came on this hike, as some were still recovering from the village homestay (fevers and stomach problems, in case you wanted to know).

Aroune and Assane (I'm sure I butchered the spelling) were our guides. Here we are in front of the "largest" Baobab Tree. It was pretty large, I just couldn't get a picture that captured it's size well enough.

Senior picture? I think it's pretty glamorous. I kind of prefer my hair when it hasn't been washed in a week. Also, I must say I'm pretty proud of myself. My hair-tie broke so I figured out a way to knot my hair into a bun. I'm taking all the credit I can get.

View from my rock to some of the others. We sat here for a good 30 minutes - the most peaceful heat I have ever experienced. Everyone was content to stay as long as possible. Fortunately, if there was even a schedule for the day (which rarely matters), no one in our group knew it.

On the way down our guides thought it would be fun to race. I would say it was definitely exciting. Fun? ...well, once I was safely standing at the bottom I guess it was fun.

The way we went down took us to the back side of the Ibel school I had visited days earlier with my village family. So again we went through the classrooms, led by the teachers, disrupting any of the organization that was there. This time some of the classrooms sang/shouted songs for us. I don't know if I'm going to make it back in the US, where people won't cheer for me wherever I go. I'm living a celebrity's life right now and I kind of like it.