what a weekend

this week has been so hectic with trying to adjust to life here i think that we were all looking forward to our weekend to use for relaxation. On friday we went to an area called Senegambia. it is where all the tourists go to hang out. We decided that it would be interesting to see the africa that the tourists see for the night. First there was the club, WOW, and it had a dance floor that was pretty empty with ridiculously loud american pop music playing. Drinks were expensive so we only had a few, and just chatted and played some pool. Locals that hang out all day trying to get money from tourists any way they can are called bumsters, and we were surrounded by them. Bumsters are nice people, fun to chat with and good to practice wolof on, but they are always trying to get your money. I have had to learn to be a little bit of an ass to them. That is just how its done unfortunately. The thing about bumsters is that they will do anything for western money. ANYTHING. apparently male prostitution is estimated at being 50% of the tourist income into the country. Where ever you go that has tourists, you see large black muscular men with older white women or petite black women with older whit guys. Its kind of ridiculous because it isn't hidden or anything. Anyway, after the club we went across the street to an "irish" bar and just talked until the wee hours before coming back and crashing. It was about as touristy as it get there, i wont go back, but i am glad i went.

last night we went to a local bar that we were told was a place to go, free of the bumsters. We decided to meet up with one of the peace corp volunteers who goes there a lot apparently.
It also had real loud music and a dance floor, but no white folks aka tourists. the booze was much cheaper and the people were seemed a bit more genuine in their conversations. i got phone numbers from all these guys who all claimed to be my friend, but apparently one of the peace corp peeps told me that he was a homosexual male prostitute. I dont know if it was true, because there was no hittin on or implied sexual stuff. just talking...

anyway, today, one of the guys who lives in the area took us to an amazing beach for the afternoon. the beach itself was a huge area, wide from the entrance down to the water. There was lots of room to run around, and run aroud we did. we did races and played frisbee and wrestled in the water and all those things guys do at the beach. The water was perfect, flat but perfect and really shallow as far as we went out, maybe a few hundred yards and still only waist deep. Near the end of the day a car drove out onto the beach with some locals who were going to play footbal(soccer) so we played beach football for an hour or so and got schooled hardcore. Afterwards we went to a restaurant in town called Sultan Sweets and got ol'fashined american pizzas. they were delicious.

ps. new pics have been posted