'Dakar, the capital of Senegal with around one million people, seemed a busy place especially in the area of the bus station where I arrived. I had been pre-warned about the muggers in this city, so after managing to find a reasonably priced hotel near the centre without incident, I was content to stay there and have an early night. The following morning, after discovering I was not going to be able to get my Mali visa, I at least had the chance to walk round the quiet streets in the city centre, though I was still bothered on a number of occasions by very persistent street vendors and thieves.
 
I was left to paint this picture in comparative peace due to the fact that most people about had gathered at the other end of the square to wait the arrival of the Pope.
 
After the squalor and general neglect of Banjul, Dakar with its fairly clean, modern buildings and wide streets was like being in a European city, though at no time while I was there did I feel really safe."- MH