Africa's westernmost city...

is Dakar, Senegal, and it is illustrative of the expression "TIA" or "This is Africa." The euphemism is a way of lowering expectations when visiting the ethnically and culturally rich continent, where the old and modern are juxtaposed, and much of the infrastructure and many national political systems are broken. Here's just a slice of life in the capital city showing a typical street vendor (click images to enlarge):

The public transportation system looks adventurous:

But I'd prefer to avoid the raw sewage spilling into the city streets:

We headed out for a morning tour of infamous Gorée Island, now a World Heritage Site. From the 15th – 19th centuries Gorée was a slave-trading center, and we toured dungeon-like slave quarters where a monument provides testimony to the wretched history of this place:

Here's a look inside the dreary House of Slaves:

And a look at the interior of the fortified Le Castel, now a museum:

On the ferry ride back to Dakar, we witnessed local fishermen working the waters around Gorée Island:

 

Late in the day we board the Clipper Odyssey seen here docked next to a US Navy frigate:

Shortly thereafter we head west, into the Atlantic, with the Dakar skyline diminishing in the distance:

Sunset over the Sahara...

paints the west African coast bright orange over Mauritania as I wing my way south from Madrid to Dakar, Senegal (click images to enlarge):

A couple of hours earlier in the flight I captured this shot, looking due west, through the Straits of Gibraltar. In about two week's time I'll sail through this important seafaring portal and into the Mediterranean, but before then there's a lot to experience on the upcoming voyage. Stay tuned!

The first leg...

of my working voyage with Zegrahm Expeditions for the next month, exploring northwestern Africa and Macaronesia, is shown on the map below (click to enlarge):

We'll exchange passengers in Malaga, Spain, in early May and then head back into the Atlantic and ultimately to the Azores on the second leg (I'll post another map at that point). It's certainly my intention to write a blog entry including several images each day during this month-long adventure, but sometimes connecting to the Internet while at sea can be problematic.

This will likely be my last post from the States until I board the ship in Dakar.  Until then, here are the itineraries for both expeditions:  Leg 1 and Leg 2.