After enjoying our day time wanders we knew we wouldn’t really know the city until we had explored it at night. Our first Saturday night out in Dakar took us to Almadies, a strip of bars and clubs a short walk away from where we were staying. This road is home to a nightlife with a very European feel and what turned out to be prices to match. The night doesn’t begin until after 12 (nothing in Senegal is ever in a hurry!) so it wasn’t until 12.30 that we were sipping on our first gin and tonic, Bombay Sapphire no less in V.I.P club…..This is the life!
We had settled into the outdoor sofas, were a few gins down and deep in conversation when we realised for the first time since we arrived in Senegal, nobody wanted to talk to us. As we watched the club fill we could see why – the demure dress code of the daytime (no knees or shoulders on show) had been shed to reveal an array of skin tight mini-dresses that clung to some incredible bodies, the women looked amazing. Sitting dowdily in our jeans and t-shirts we were thoroughly outclassed! Eventually we did make some friends, and when a certain song came on we knew it was time to hit the dance floor and raise our knees to our good friend Sammy! It felt strangely like home as we sang along to ‘X gawn give it to you’ and danced the night away to 90’s R’n’B and hip-hop. An excellent first night out but not what we expected and as we realised when the bill came, not one we could afford to repeat.
Since moving house into the centre of Dakar we have found ourselves a nice local watering hole. Bar Memoz, is just around the corner and complete with cheap drinks, football on the T.V, pool tables, and reggae on the sound system….This is more like it! We have whiled away a few evenings in here and are mid competition on the pool table. England v Senegal, we have never seen so much discussion/argument surrounding each shot or so much elation after each success! It makes for a hilarious game.
It wasn’t until this weekend that we found the nightlife we were looking for. We were thinking of staying in as it had got quite late however our brother Ibu used the magic word….Reggae! A short rattling cab journey away we were greeted with our paradise. A grubby concrete building with an atrium to the stars housing a dance floor and an immense sound system echoing ‘Jah Love’. The bar was a man with a fridge, all drinks 1000 CFA (£1.25. Imagine the best funky reggae party you can…it was better. Skanking took hold and the atmosphere was euphoric, this was Dakar’s nightlife at it’s best. Can’t wait to do it all over again next Friday!
