Ngor Island

My first question about this beautiful little island was, "does everyone know about this place?" Because as far as I was concerned, it was truly PARADISE! 

Ngor is a little town about 20 miles outside of Dakar. We took a city bus, (a real bus like the Metro Bus in D.C. or any U.S. city.) And then a short walk down to the shore where the pirogue (those beautifully decorated little wooden boats with motors -- a canoe to you and me) are launched. The Island was such a special place, I have to apologize for not getting more pictures, but as you've been able to tell by now, I have a passion for the water, any water, and the ocean and beaches. So most of my pictures feature this aspect of the Island. One of the more interesting things I didn't capture (I could kick myself) was at the top of the island lies the remains of a half-finished hotel. Builders began the structure but the residents of the island protested it's construction fearing the hotel would bring a flush of tourists and more activity than they ever wanted. As it is now, the island gets many visitors, as they have a few small beach hotels, but nothing like the very touristy Cape Vert. I believe they want to keep their quiet little beaches. I don't blame them.

The island was very peaceful and restful, even with the excitement of a huge beach party New Year's Eve. We were able to spend lots of time off walking around the island, climbing on (and falling off) rocks (I did slip and fall once), and just spending time watching the waves and searching for shells. We went swimming and I got the best tan of my life laying out on the beach. We rented a two-story room with a huge roof-top balcony with a killer view, two bedrooms and a kitchen. It wasn't the Hyatt, but it was nice and I was learning for the first time to really "rough" it and enjoy not having full luxuries with all the trimmings.

It might be a bit time consuming, but these pictures, and the ones on the next picture page are best viewed by clicking on the picture and then waiting a few seconds for the larger image. Then use your browser's "back" button to return to the page.