Tuesday, July 8
Zebrabar, Mouit, Senegal

I keep a list in my notebook of Things I’ve Overcome:

* Eating mangoes. I hadn’t done it since my bout with malaria in Cameroon, since even the sight of them reminds me of being ill. But the fruit is a staple here, often served as a dessert, and I don’t have that many choices when it comes to fruit I can peel (it’s safest for the stomach).

* Seeing what I call the Enormous African Bee. I remember it from Cameroon, and it horrifies me. It’s like a bumblebee, but bigger, and its buzzing is audible when it’s still meters away. I imagine it’s furry, but I really have no idea since I try my best not to see it close up. I believe it lives or eats baobab trees, which are common here in Senegal. Bloggie points to the reader who can name that bee.

* First pick-pocket attempt. The guy was decent; he kept asking me to buy a shirt he waved in my face so ferociously that I couldn’t see my bag. He managed to unzip it before I noticed.

More to come…

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