Sleep at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, 28 May 2018

Al, Bass Lord.

First 'Black Moth' were I thought rather good, and in excellent sound, particularly the song about the Blackbird. The crowd though largely present on time, were strangely quiet. But they were indeed dwarfed by mighty bass rites of the Reptile Masters themselves, much more lively than last year at the Roundhouse. To tell the songs apart you would have to be a bit of a specialist, for instead of riffs they play repeated chords, with monotone chants as vocals. Though would benefit from some psychedelic back projections, methinks. Although most of the stuff is fairly slow we saw some energetic crowd movement and even a brown-robed, diving-cylinder-wearing crowd-surfer, which was extremely cool.

Katchikally Crocodile Pool, Bakau, Gambia

I walked over to the Katchikally Crocodile Pool, in Bakau, which is in the middle of the town and not easy to find. There is first a pleasant museum with some masks and information about Gambia in the war. The pool itself is small and has many crocodiles, none doing very much. I stroked one on the back and it didn't seem to mind.

La Cabane du Surfer, Almadies, Dakar

Surfers, surfing.

I visited several times the "Surfer Shack" which is a slightly upscale beach bar on the rocks by the Atlantic waves in Almadies, Dakar; where, as the name suggests, one can have a beer (about 1500 CFA) and watch the surfers. It is quite big and very tidy with a large clean bathroom block. The pizza (4500CFA) was fine and the cocktail (4000CFA) quite strong. Service was not very visible which at least means you can stay the afternoon without people forcing drinks on you. Though the Frenchies do not seem to drink much anyway. There are not many sun loungers, for which I think they charge 2000FCA. Be warned, on some the back does not adjust!

The Maimouna bar and pizzeria on Saint Louis Island, Senegal

The manager Karim invited me into his bar, the Maimouna on Saint Louis Island, with plastic chairs and bare tables, announcing that the Gazelle beer was only 1000CFA for 0.6l, which indeed it was. I sat opposite a nice fellow who said nothing except bonsoir, not even trying to sell me a tour, after suggesting that the manager was bothering me. A fellow after my own heart, I thought. The locals otherwise were neither very friendly nor hostile. The experience, generally, not unlike that one finds in the midparts of the United States. The gentleman in military fatigues at the door said he was indeed from the military and offering security, on a break from the army. I asked him if such security was really necessary, as it seemed quiet area, and he avowed that indeed that was why he was there, so the area would remain safe and quiet. And thus it was, for my stay.

La Detente Hotel, Saly, Senegal

I stayed a few days at the Detente, which is a dozen rooms by the pool in the fishing quarter of Saly, a few dozen metres from a rocky part of the beach and a walk to the sandy parts in front of the resort hotels. It was 17kCFA per night with beer at 1kCFA/50cl can in the bar; no food but only two hundred metres from the main drag, where a 3-course meal is about 5kCFA, though with a big supermarket also available. Although the locals and hawkers in the streets are mainly calm, the area is marred by a couple of persistent pests.  But here is a safe little place where no-one will bother you, managed by a charming French couple with several helpful waitresses, and Karla the dog. There were sometimes interruptions to wifi, power and water. Some may like to lie on the loungers and enjoy the chanting from the Koranic girls school next door. They arranged for me a taxi from here to the new airport, taking under an hour and 15,000CFA.

Hotel Amitie Bounty, Mbour, Senegal

I stayed at the Hotel Amitie Bounty on the beach in Mbour for a few days. Any person who makes it to the end of this review and wants to find it should note it is a few blocks north of the 'Safari Club'  (not as currently shown on 'google maps'), and pronounced 'BOONty' which is important to know as you will have to ask people the way. Rooms were about 15000CFA. I do not think they have a computer or smartphone (and so no wifi), so you may have to ring to avoid the (admittedly somewhat unlikely) possibility they are booked out. I think I was the only guest and the large number of staff welcomed me as one of the family, particularly when I bought them drinks. Some may find the level of attention  disturbing. The enclosure and the small property is beautifully decorated in an odd African Buddhist style, though more than a little tired. The area by the pirogue-laden beach has tables and sunloungers, and is closed with a fence from the children swimming in the smooth sea. Mbour is a working fishing town, but they could perhaps clean up the beach a little. In the evening they played music from the radio (though omitting to switch the channel when presenters just talked), and I believe sometimes there are parties. The food was nice, though the fish was a bit dry and could have been marinated more, but at only 2500CFA with beer at 1000CFA this was the cheapest I found; though one had to wait for the nice lady to nip to the market to get whatever you wanted cooked. There was no liquid milk for the coffee, at 50CFA, though eventually I bought some myself.

The room was large, the bathroom only partly separated from the living area -- which would be unlikely to suit couples not still very much in love. Such a couple might nevertheless have been concerned about the lack of toilet seat, toilet paper, the low shower water pressure, indeed, no water at all or electricity on several occasions,- and the unsweptness under the bed and the lack of change of sheets and very hard pillows. The door frame had been defeated on an earlier entry attempt and repaired with a short piece of plasterboard over the bolt, which would not have deterred an excitable terrier; indeed I myself forced it once by accident, not noticing it was locked. The shutters could not be pulled shut as the wood had swollen (assuming they had fitted in the first place). The handle of the locks on the fly shields were missing and the inner lock on the glass pane would not have lasted an abrupt push. Though it was quite high up. I did not sleep much as I fancied myself in some horror where the friendly locals turn into flesh eating zombies at night. After weeks on one's own arguing with Africans about prices, change, or just trying to avoid being followed, one can become a little unhinged. I did in fact get most of my change back from these people, other than 1000CFA for change for a bottle of water when I arrived and the same from a waitress, who I suppose might have thought I had left it with her to buy a drink for herself (though I had previously explained, in impeccable French, that it is normally polite to make a least a little small talk with someone if you wanted them to buy you a drink, which I would have thought would be the custom in Africa too, but what do I know?) But despite its challenges I quite liked this hotel and will drop in again in the (admittedly unlikely) event I ever return to Senegal.

Residence Les Calanques, Dakar

Plage Virage.

I did stay about a week at the Calanques Apartments, Dakar, in November 2017. The assistant manager, Mame, was kind enough to pick me up from the airport nearby (this was the old airport which closed three weeks later) at about 2.30am with a sign with my name on it. The cab was battered and the lights in the car park flickered erratically; he informed me there was a general power cut, and indeed in the apartment there was no power at all except for the torch function on my mobile phone, though with no way to recharge it or use the aircon or modem. I was wondering if this was closer to the Congo than I had expected. Nevertheless I unwound the mosquito net and collapsed onto the bed. The pickup and the early check-in were charged the next day at 40k CFA and they provided a local Sim card and credits for 5k CFA. After some further hours of flashing the power was restored and worked fine with modem and aircon for the rest of the stay. I had been upgraded to a large 'studio' on the ground floor of a modern block with a separate large, well equipped kitchen lacking only a table and including a fridge which worked (if plugged into one of the outlets which worked). A decent supermarket was 5 minutes walk. There was no sound from the airport but some banging during the day from construction a few buildings away. The place was ten minutes walk from the beach at Plage Virage, with half a dozen restaurants, two beach bars and reasonably pleasant hawkers. A taxi to Almadies, which has some more restaurants and beach bars, was 1000CFA (£1.35) though one could just walk, or jump on a bus for 120CFA. A taxi to the Beaux Marrachiers bus depot was 3000CFA and to the center of town supposed to be 2000CFA though one could wander up the road to the airport and take the no. 8 bus from there for 200CFA (but this is extremely tiring, takes hours and I would not recommend it). This was quite a nice though not particularly cheap apartment, though I would have preferred some fans rather than the aircon, but I am not sure how many people will stay in this area with the new airport closer to the resort at Saly.

Wacken festival, August 2017

In mud we trust.

 We attended the Wacken 2017 music festival, in cowfields an hour's drive north of Hamburg. Beer was disappointing, being 'Becks' at €4/0.4l, but after a while I decided the 'Wacken Mead' at €5/0.4l was much tastier, stronger, and better value, or even the 'mead bier', particularly as it was not especially warm. Organisation is quite civilised. First, you can park the car next to your tent and it is not far to walk from there to the stages. A friendly tractor driver is available if you get stuck (after signing a disclaimer in some foreign language). Second, both the main listening areas have several stages alongside playing alternately, so it is usually only a five minute wait for someone to start. Unfortunately, it was not allowed to take a comfy camping chair into the arenas. There was a nice medieval village with many food selections and even a Celtic music stage. However, I swear the ground in the arena was muddy before the gates even opened. Pits were pathetic compared to 'Download' in England, and the crowd older. A wide selection of metal music was played, though without the standard headliners. I think one could certainly make this event a regular fixture, rather than a pilgrimage.

Petul, Katzenbruchestr., Essen, Germany

This place had a strange telephone for the reception, which did speak English, but the studio itself was quite nice, though narrow. My stay was most memorable for the vault-like door, and the shower, which had many complex nozzles. It took a lot of time with cold water spurting to figure out how all the controls worked. I had to use the strange telephone again to find the wifi code as well. I also think it could be clearer whether one is expected to park along the side or at the front of the residence, as it is not very clear (at least to somewhat not from Germany) whether there are any restrictions on the street. Obviously there was no restaurant, but local facilities included a then-closed Lidl supermarket next door and a suitable kebab shop round the corner.