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The Paris-Dakar rally ended in Dakar last Sunday. Well ... not exactly Paris-Dakar. The race started in Barcelona. It ended in Lac Rose, about 30 miles North of Dakar. But, what else could they call it? The Barcelona-Lac Rose Rally just doesn't have the same "exoticity" (new word). Sometimes it starts in Paris. Sometimes it ends in Cairo.
After the race everybody gathered at the Meridien Hotel, about five kms. from our house. A bunch of Americans staged a roadside beer party, complete with American flag. Who should stop by but Robbie Gordon, of NASCAR fame. Know of him? Neither did we. Had a few beers, posed for many photo ops. For two days the road outside our house looked and sounded like Lime Rock with race cars, trucks and motorcycles streaming by. Felt like I was at Watkins Glen all over again.
You can check out stories and photos here.
20th
Two big news items here in Dakar, VERY loosely related.
I finally got my golf clubs yesterday!!!! They were ordered in July, BUT whoever
was working in the pouch mail room in Dulles, VA decided they were too long for
the diplomatic pouch soooooo, they traveled 3 times across the US looking for
someone to keep them for me. We had thought a Senegalese friend could hand carry
them in September, but he never came until the middle of November, and since he
was on stand-bye the airline refused, so he mailed them. They finally
arrived here, but the local Post Office wanted us to pay $110 in duty tax, which
we refused since we're diplomatic. So since BEFORE Thanksgiving, someone in
shipping at the Embassy has been trying to get the tax waived. Finally all was
settled yesterday, but I need to pay a $20 storage fee to the post office since
they were there so long - though the Post Office officials were the ones that
refused to release them!!!! Go figure. We have an expression here - WAWA - West
Africa Wins Again.
Tomorrow is the major Muslim religious holiday of the year called Tabaski.
(I remember it being celebrated in Tunisia when I was there as a Volunteer) It
commemorates the Old Testament story of God telling Abraham to sacrifice his son
Isaac, then God relents at the last minute and a sheep is sacrificed instead.
(Interesting it is the one of the few stories shared by all three major
religions) So here, everyone goes out and gets a live sheep. It's a kick: on
street corners all over the urban downtown and out in the neighborhoods, there
are small (and large also) herds of sheep tied up for people to buy. It a very
happy time, like Thanksgiving with families gathering. The downside though is
that it is an incredibly expensive time also. Though the Koran says that you
don't need to buy a sheep if you're poor, everyone goes into debt to buy them
anyway - keeping up with the neighbors and peer pressure. Sheep (don't think
wooly ones - these look like big goats with horns) can cost from $30 to a $1000,
depending on size, which is a huge amount of money here. All of our staff have
hit us up for advances on their salaries and in addition we've given them large
$$ gifts for the holiday. For gifts and clothes are also given.
Chuck and I have been invited to a PC staff (the head of the drivers so he
hasn't much money) member's house to share in the meal. It's sweet of him. Chuck
went there last year, but I was in the states in training. He'll wear his
African bou-bou and little fez cap and I'll wear some long dress. We'll take
pictures. Anyway, we'll go there in the late morning, then play golf with my new
clubs in the late afternoon and walk off all that mutton (note I did not say
lamb!)
A la prochaine,
Chuck & Anne
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