Travel tips

1. INTRODUCTION

2. PREPARATION
     Documents
     Health
     Money
     Equipment

3. GENERAL TIPS
     It's not a very cheap country!!
     Never trust people about schedule!!!
     People calling you TUBAB!!
     Learn some wolof words
     Use  local guides
     If travelling with your partner
     Avoid last seat row in taxi de brousse
     Definitely people don't like to be photographed
     Don't trust mail system!

INTRODUCTION

Mine has been a low budget independent travel, without renting any kind of private mean of transport, but just using the public ones and without any support of tourist agencies. If you gonna do another kind of travel (medium/high budget travel by agency) you could have wholly different experiences, or my impression could sound strange to you
Remember I don't speak french; this didn't help.
Finally consider this travel took place in the 2002 summer; everything changes, things better or worsen, so check it out!

PREPARATION

Documents:
Italian citizens don't need a visa, just a valid passport. On the plane you'll be asked to fill an entry form....bring a pen!;-)

Health:
No compulsory vaccination for italian citizens. Considering from Senegal I was heading to Mali I got vaccinations for:
-yellow fever
-meningitis
-hepatitis A/B 
-atyphus 
-tetanus 

Besides I got Lariam pills to prevent malaria. I didn't have any particular side effect due to Lariam as it's said, left out some depression after the last pill back from the travel...I didn't figure out if the depression was for Lariam or for the end of the travel or just a psychological influence. Anyway I didn't commit suicide ;-)

Money:
The currency is the CEFA and the change ratio with euro is fixed to 1000 CEFA=1.52 EURO, hence nobody can really swindle you, left out obviously for the "commission".
I experienced two times the frightful street change without bad consequences, nevertheless I don't suggest it
The most common problem with money is to recognise the kind of note just from the size as they're often unreadable.
Forget using an American Express card throughout the country.

Equipment:
I'll list just the main stuffs:
-mosquito-net
(it's necessary when you sleep outside, or to be set inside the rooms. I did it several times and in the morning usually I heard the mosquito buzzing outside it!!)
-mosquito repellent spray
-mosquito repellent burning stuff
-a flash lamp with batteries change
-a good knife... to eat mangoes ;-)
-water containers
-water purifier pills
-trekking shoes
-long linen pants
-something to dry your sweat

GENERAL TIPS

It's not a very cheap country!!
Even for a low budget travel like mine it turns out to be as expensive as Spain. Forget travelling with less than 15 euro/day, unless you don't travel walking, sleeping on the side of the road and eating bread ;-),... maybe if you are french speaking you'll be more skilful than me bargaining

Never trust people about schedule!!!
I've had  bad experiences about people reliability  concerning schedule (and everything else). They simply lie.

People calling you TUBAB!!
You'll hear almost everybody calling you TUBAB, it means white man. To me it doesn't sound so friendly, at least don't smile thinking to be greeted!

Learn some wolof  words
I experienced that to learn some wolof words as the greetings or "no thank you", "please","how are you?", really made people more helpful, also when you ask about their pronunciation you'll see the joy of the people while they explain you...and remember, a greet doesn't cost  a thing

Use local guides
Getting a local guide is often the best way to avoid bothering people but the risk then, is that to be stuck in a turistic root.

If travelling with your partner
If you are travelling with your not-married partner always lie saying you are married, also to the policemen, and especially to the border guards. You are not obliged to have it written on the passport!

Avoid last seat row in taxi de brousse
They always pushed me in the last seat row in the taxi de brousse, even if I was the first to enter in it. I argued but never won. It's so uncomfortable, definitely you'll travel hours leaning you jaw on the your grabbed legs knees

Definitely people don't like to be photographed
I've traveled in several countries with a very small camera and I've always been respectful and kind taking pics of people, but I've never had as much problems as here. Sometimes I had really to flee from yelling people, expecially in the market...

Don't trust mail system!
I really wanted to avoid my 30 postcards to being lost, so I brought them personally   to the airport. "Incredibile dictu", even putting them in the mail box 50 meters far from the planes, after 1 month just 13 (out of 30) spoilt and dirty postcards reached their destinations