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L'hotel Sobo-Bade vol.4



I take pills for stomach as soon as I come back to the room. But what's from this nausea. Any way I gotta make patience for a while. The things I have to do is sleep. However once strong nausea make me wake up at middle of the night, I go to bathroom almost every an hour.
Then I noticed if this is so called food-poisoning. What's the cause? It's very clear. The grilled liver I ate in the candle light. How many hours had been the liver placed in the glass case without refrigerator? I'm so scared thinking about it. But it's too late.
It's usually said "Don't eat meat at the place with no electricity" I know it much later.



On the next day, the condition becomes worse. I have vomited many times in the bathroom. So I go out for refreshment, and vomit at out side. Uh... A man of souvenir vendor says to me. "Hi, mon ami! I saw you here yesterday. Wanna buy some souvenirs today, uh?" "I'm sorry but I don't feel for that. I got food-poisoning" "Oh, that's too bad. Have you drunk Coca Cola yet?" "Pardon me? Coca Cola?" "Oui! mon ami. It's best for nausea" Is he correct? Maybe... I think I heard about it somewhere. "Yes, you are right. Definitely Coke for food-poisoning" I thank to his advice and get a bottled Coke at hotel restaurant. Then I sit on the rock hidden beach and drink the Coke at once. Shortly I reverse it much stronger than before. Is it all right with Coca Cola?



Oh! I feel so bad. I lay down on the beach folding my body. Maybe I saw this pose somewhere. It's the dogs I saw on the beach yesterday. They must eat a same stuff as me. The paradise where even a dog can be laid back is not correct. It must be the paradise lost where even a stray dog is food-poisoned. The local kids are passing by looking at me with keeping safety distance. Oh! You guys don't know my torture.
I have had almost dying experiences in my travels, from the high temp hell of Sahara, sleepless and physical exhaustion or being attacked by robbers... But this must be the closest point to the heaven through my life. I'm sure if I look into a mirror, I could see a half way made angel halo on my head.



"No, I should not go to the heaven so easily. I'd better to eat something" I eat fruits at the terrace. "Konnichiwa. Gokigen ikaga desuka?(Hello, how are you today?)" It's her, the beautiful French woman whom I met yesterday. "I'm so bad" I can't find any joke now.
The souvenir vendor talk to me again. "Hi. I drank Coke" "Oh yeah? Did you vomit a lot, mon ami?" Oh...you meant that...
After I came back to the room, I gotta fight with diarrhea. The evil in my body now moves from the stomach to bowels. What a brave my body is! It's trying to drive out the poison desperately. For next few days, I got intimate relationship with toilet bowl instead of beautiful French woman.



On the 4th day, I visit Mice. He isn't at home. He brings hotel guests to Dakar by 4WD. I heard he regretted that he could not show me the village. So do I. However I decide to leave Toubab Dialao. Thinking of my schedule, I have to move now although my health has not completely recovered yet.
On the day I leave, I wake up at small knocking sound. When I look up sky light on the wall, I see a small bird knocking the window glass with the beak. It's a natural alarm clock. It seems to me the sign that I come back to the real world from 4 days of nightmare.
"I'll be back to Sobo-Bade in near future. And in that time, I'll have delicious Italian cuisine at Mimosa" I swear to myself.

Sep. 2009



Today's piece
" Portrait " Toubab Dialao, Senegal 2002




fumikatz osada photographie