Goodbyes (6/27-28)

Michelle and I made breakfast for the post-wedding brunch for the two families this morning--pastries, mango, french toast, etc.  Kate & Claude opened a few gifts (people were very good about NOT bringing many gifts since they have to transport them to the States!) and we all said our goodbyes.  My mom and dad both cried as they thanked Claude's family and said goodbye...it was cute.  The goodbyes continued when my mom and dad left for the airport to head to Kenya where they're going on a safari!  Matt & a few others went into Dakar to go to the market but Michelle and I decided we just needed to relax and just stayed home.  We made friends with two cute little girls staying next door who were excited to have someone to speak English with! We also went down to the little beach briefly hoping to swim, but the waves were huge and the beach is pretty rocky.  We played with Diego (dog who lives at the Phare) and he got a little too excited and managed to "punch" Michelle in the face giving her a fat lip! =(  But it's all better now.  The rest of the night was pretty chill with a lot of packing and logistics getting sorted out.

Tomorrow should be another relaxing day.  We'll get up early to see Matt off to the airport but then just relax and pack.  We're going to the Meridian to meet Kate and Claude for lunch and then just relax by the pool there most of the day.  Kate recommended a Vietnamese restaurant by the hotel that we'll probably try for dinner before packing and going to bed!

We'll probably be pretty MIA from the blog for a bit as we head out on the next phase of our trip.  We've been spoiled here the last few days with free internet and use of Matt & Claude's computers, but that all changes tomorrow morning! =(  We will try to find some internet cafes to keep blogging, but the posts might get a little shorter since we'll be paying by the minute! =)

We've thoroughly enjoyed our time here in Senegal and have met a lot of amazing and wonderful people!

-mari

sidenote...Michelle just said "we haven't talked about bissap juice at all because we've had so much to talk about!"  So we'll tell you now!  Bissap juice is made from hibiscus flowers and reminds me a bit of cranberry juice.  It's delicious and we wish we could bring some home but that would be WAY too hard. =)  Oh, and while we're talking about juice...last night at the wedding we got to try baobab juice!  I was a little nervous about it because it was really thick...like the consistency of a smoothie and was very sweet.  It kind of reminded me of applesauce. =)  Matt says he likes the "ananas" (pineapple) soda the best!