From Undeveloped Senegal -- The Loneliness of the Sahel

Once, leaving my country, I passed through the scrub wasteland that makes up this parched area of the Sahel. For the most part, the land is entirely uninhabited and uncultivated. There is so much potential in this soil if only there were money and technology available and a desire on the part of the people to develop it. You feel like exploding as you pass through the miles and miles of territory with these thoughts running through your head.

The train was rather ancient and terribly overcrowded with people, luggage and vegetables. I spent most of the time talking with a Japanese hippie traveler who is completing an eight-month tour of the continent. We had many common areas of interest, and just the fact of his being Oriental was a respite. It’s nice to speak to a deep-hearted person once in a while.