Three countries in three weeks...

My dearest friend Jane has come and gone (super sad face) and now I find myself back in he... Mauritania. We started our journey in Dakar, Senegal which is my least favorite city in West Africa. Crowded with aggressive, unhappy merchants selling the same over priced crap on every corner. After Dakar we dined with monkeys and played with crocodiles in the Gambia. In Mali we slept in historic villages gracefully placed atop mountain cliffs- I felt like we were always overlooking Pride Rock. We ran into several volunteers from all over West Africa which greatly took some of the pressure off our travel. I advise anyone who is traveling through West Africa to fly or take a car because cheap buses don't necessarily guarantee anything...even destinations. I feel like I lost part of my soul during the trek from Mali back to Dakar. Twenty hours into our 40 hour bus ride back to Dakar in our 130deg mini bus, 100 people over capacity, the woman beside us and the boy in front of us began getting car sick and before we knew it their previous meals slowly cooked on the bus floor. Pretty exciting stuff- but all in all, I will speak on behalf of both of us, we had a wonderful West African adventure. :) Everything seems easier once it’s over, right? Miss you already Jane. All my love.