The ride into Dakar was so much more enjoyable than Mauritania, with a bit of moisture in the air instead of that blistering desert heat (it was 43 degrees the day before). This corresponds with more greenery, and generally happier people. The pale blue robes of the desert Toureg people have been replaced with riotously coloured gowns on the women and rasta-style dreadlocks for the men.
We drifted down to the waterfront for an early dinner last night and ended up chatting with a small group next to us. Their volume was disproportionate to their number, and they were obviously enjoying themselves immensely.
Wresting is a much-loved sport for the Senegalese, and it wasn't long before conversation turned to this national obsession. When we expressed our interest, it wasn't long before a challenge was thrown down, Australia vs Senegal.
Ty was the obvious choice for this duty, but several beers in meant he was firmly ensconced in the chair. When he was unable to be coaxed out and I was drafted instead, the betting in Australia's favour plummeted along with Australia's chances.
The opposing team offered a dreadlocked guy with a big smile, and much more importantly, a small stature. We circled around one another in the beach sand before a saw an opportunity and launched myself at his midriff.
I'm not sure how it occurred, but he suddenly free deep roots into the beach sand and was absolutely unmovable. In fact, as a grunted and strained, he was casually inspecting his fingernails and playing shamelessly to the audience.
Several impressive and complex manoeuvres later from the Australian champion had him equally unfazed and unbudged. He eventually wanted to return to his beer, so used his 60kg frame to effortlessly lift my 90+ and deposit me gently on the sand. Game over.
After a short time on the beach we were joined by a visitor. A large pelican flew in and waddled up to join our group. He was a very friendly chao, perfectly content to be patted and stroked, with the occasional mock snap from a very large beak that has no real power in the jaws. One of our rasta friends was feeding him fresh water from a bottle, to its obvious delight.
These moments illustrate the spontaneously bizarre moments that happen so often with this type of travel. If I went into an Australian travel agency and asked to spend an afternoon trying Sebegalese wresting on a beach and patting wild pelicans, I would possibly be locked up for treatment. Over here, the wildly improbable seems to happen on a daily basis.
