Chugging Along 101 & 102

There's a certain breed of third-world-shoe-shine guys who troll around tourist areas rehabilitating your shoes -- sandals, sneakers, whatever footwear you have -- while still on your feet. On our first day, somebody comes up and takes the initiative to glue a flapping strap back onto Pippa's sandals, and we tip him. He then offers to shine and sew a small rip on the mesh of my Nike sneakers. I keep refusing both because I could not care less how dirty these sneakers are and also because I know I plan to buy a new pair; my cushioning feels less cushiony. I try telling him they are too old to try to rejuvenate, and that they're just garbage. Then I look around and realize my shoes are in infinitely better condition than what the locals are wearing. Lesson 101 in really making things last.

 

 

Lesson 102 is the cars. Anthony and I estimate that if you removed all the cars on the road that would not pass California inspection, you would get rid of 90% of the cars in the country. And we don't think this is an exaggeration. It might even be too generous.

 

 

What you can't see is the black smoke belching out of them; for some reason, I have a hard time capturing this on film, though it's really nothing subtle. I think it's mostly because I don't remember to snap the picture when the black smoke is at its peak, seeing as how I'm using my hands to cover my mouth and nose. While I have to admit I like emissions control, a visit to Senegal definitely does make you think about the developed nation throw-away culture.

The buses may not be in much better shape. And they're certainly overstuffed, with people hanging out the back or on top. But I just love how colorful they are.