Day 7: "Au revoir, les amis"

"The Pink Lake" is actually not always pink warned our guide Iba on this beautiful morning as we were heading to visit the greatest attraction of Senegal. For the lake to look really pink the sun must be shining and the wind blowing. When we arrived there, the lake had some hues of pink. We first visited the salt collectors. The salt settles at the bottom of the lake and people collect it in baskets often standing in the water. As there is 350gr of salt per liter there were huge piles of salt on the shore. From there we headed to a beach and experienced floating on the salt water, quite unique and really fun.

After lunch at the Kenkeni we went to the school for a final goodbye. The recently established choir had their public debut when the chorists performed three songs for us. With the last song, they invited each of us to come and join in the dance. As we were hearing "Au revoir les amis" we could not help wiping some tears. With groups of kids surrounding us, it was really difficult to leave "Les Cajoutiers" but  we all said "ce n'est qu'un au revoir..." it is only a goodbye.

The evening was devoted to a full immersion in Senegalese culture. Professional drummers gave the rhythm for the dance class lead by Mamadou, a professional percussionist, and choreographer himself. By the end of the class, we were able to perform a small choreography to the beat of the djembes. While resting from the amazing workout, we enjoyed a performance by a local dance group. No doubt, the fire eater was impressive but the dancers' flexibility and show were also exceptional. All joined in a final dance before our last dinner at Le Kenkeni.  This was a very busy day, filled with memories and happy moments.