Esakut Mountain, Kenya

Last weekend's adventures... one of my favorite hikes ever. We hiked along the mountain ridge in the background, absolutely beautiful.

Dakar, Senegal

There are many places where I step off the plane and within a few hours – or even minutes – I start thinking  ‘I could really live here.’  There is something mysterious and magical about being in a country for the first time, when you are eager to breathe in all of the details. In Senegal, my first impression was the beautiful patterned clothing, the charming airport escort who helped us through the visa process, the comfort with which our bags were slung at the back of the pickup. 

But really, anywhere with lovely beaches, tasty food, easy climate, and stability, can you really go wrong? Or is it just that these are the same extraordinary things about California, in a parallel life on the other side of the world? I know my experience is colored by the lovely people we worked with, the translator who sounded like he was from Philly with phrases like ‘you know what I’m saying man.’ And the government Service National de l’Hygiene, the only militarized environmental health group I have ever met, with full uniforms and official salutes. How can you not love a country like that?

Water testing is serious business

View from the hotel restaurant... our office for the week

Impromptu tour of a fishing community. This one is for Mom. 

Ngor Island - used for slave trading for over 300 years

The door of no return - where the slaves left for the Americas

Traditional Senegalese food - Thieboudienne - where everyone grabs a spoon and digs in

The Senegalese equivalent of the Statue of Liberty. I used to run by this in the mornings. So much hope.