The tragic tale of a Senegalese mouse
When we travel to Africa we do so in the hope that we will see wildlife, and we have never yet been disappointed. We also accept that on occasion one of the smaller local creatures might find its way into our accommodation, a natural hazard in many parts of the world.
Staying in Fathala Lodge in Senegal we smiled to ourselves when our neighbours in the row of luxury tents insisted on being moved; just because a mouse had ‘broken in’ and eaten their sugar. What a fuss over nothing, we thought.
Souimanga Lodge
A few days later we arrived at our second hotel of the trip, Souimanga Lodge in the Sine Saloum Delta. When I booked our stay at this fairly remote small hotel I opted to pay a little extra for what they term a ‘lagoon’ rather than ‘garden’ bungalow. These face directly on the water and have their own private boardwalk and shaded lookout on a jetty overlooking the water. But when we arrived it was to discover that for some reason we had been upgraded to a suite. There are just two of these, and they have the same lovely waterside setting as the lagoon bungalows, plus the extra bonus of a small private plunge pool and a separate inside seating area. What a treat!
The room was beautifully decorated with interesting art pieces and lighting. At the end of our boardwalk was a deck with large beanbags and some shade, perfect for bird-watching.
We spent a relaxing first afternoon enjoying our new home and in the evening had a lovely dinner on the decking by the main building. This was on several levels with only a few tables on each; it gave us the feeling of eating in a tree-house – wonderful! We then retired for the night …
Sunrise in the Delta
We awoke quite early after a very comfortable night’s sleep. As we were completely un-overlooked, we had left the curtains open; so our first sight was of the sun just starting to rise over the mangroves and lagoon. Dressing quickly we hurried out with our cameras.
As it got lighter, we could see locals making their way to work (I assumed) from the small village out in the lagoon which is linked to Fimela by a causeway. Some were on foot, but the vehicle of choice was a horse and cart, otherwise known as the ‘bush taxi’. These are multi-purpose vehicles, used to transport goods, ferry children to school, travel from village to village and so on. They are practical, cope well with the uneven tracks, and of course are easy to look after, as long as the horse stays healthy. The carts these days are fitted with tyres, making for a slightly smoother ride along the bumpy tracks than in the past perhaps; but otherwise this form of transport has changed very little for centuries.
My photos are heavily zoomed through early morning haze, hence the ‘painterly’ effect in some.
Karma – for us
Returning to the room we discovered that the scrabbling noises I’d heard in the night (and taken to be birds on the decking outside) must in fact have been a mouse, which had not only partly eaten one of the apples in the fruit bowl kindly provided by the hotel but also the little ear buds from Chris’s MP3 player ear phones! It felt like karma after we had laughed at that couple at Fathala. But we had no intention of giving up our lovely suite just for a mouse!
We spent a relaxing day enjoying the lodge’s pool and venturing out to explore the local village, Fimela. That evening, learning from yesterday’s experience, we tried to make sure there that was nothing so tempting within reach. But we forget to remove the fruit bowl, discovering the next morning that he had again helped himself to apple. Oh well, there was enough to spare – but we resolved to hide the fruit bowl too on subsequent nights! And we did exactly that.
On the third night we remembered to move our fruit bowl to the safety of the fridge; and we hid all cables etc. in our suitcases, well away from the munchings of our resident mouse. But about 30 minutes after going to bed I heard the scrabbling noises and realised I’d left a silk bead necklace, bought the previous year in Tallinn, on the coffee table. I got up to put it away but too late; it had already been shredded! Yet another casualty of our room-mate’s insatiable appetite!
And karma for the mouse
Another Souimanga sunrise greeted us the following morning. They seemed to me to be quite different each day; some more orange, some (like this one) pink, some dramatic, others more subtle. But each day once the sun was above the horizon, blue skies and heat quickly returned.
We had successfully hidden anything that might tempt our resident mouse. So we were congratulating ourselves on having adapted to sharing the suite with him as we went back inside to get ready for breakfast. However when I put the A/C on I heard the by now familiar scrabblings coming from nearby. I went over and looked up at the machine, mounted high on the wall. I was just in time to see the mouse disappear inside and the machine grind to a halt; the mouse had clearly come to an unfortunate end.
Some might say that he got what was coming to him; but I can’t help feeling a little sorry for the mouse despite having lost a favourite necklace and Chris his best noise-reducing headphones!
When we went to breakfast we reported the fact that our A/C was broken but were a little bit vague about the reason! On our return later we would find it repaired; the mouse was never mentioned but we did feel a little guilty that one of the lodge employees would have had the unpleasant task of removing his remains.
Our remaining nights at Souimanga were silent. But in a way we missed our furry invader; and to this day I regret turning on that air-conditioner just at the wrong moment.
I visited Senegal in 2016
24 Comments
rkrontheroad
The misty, dreamy photos evoked the atmosphere of the place. I think I would have left the fruit out for the mouse, once I realized he/she would possibly eat something else destructive in its place.
Sarah Wilkie
Aha, that’s a good strategy – I wish I’d thought of it before he ate my necklace! Although he was so insatiable he might well have eaten fruit AND necklace 😆 Thank you for the kind words about the photos.
Fergy.
Another superb post, Sarah, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I read the title!
What a beautiful hotel and your photography is stunning as always, I like “painterly” as a look.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Fergy for those kind words 😀
Nancy Gordon
Wonderful photos, the pink skies are especially beautiful and unique ! The room looks amazing, how nice you were upgraded. As far as the mouse we have to have pest control service once a month to keep mice out because we back nature. Mice have eaten wires in our house destroying lighting and phone lines when they come in through the roof and get into the walls. I’ve never heard of mice eating jewelry, but fortunately we don’t get them inside the house! Though I consider them to be a pest I’d be horrified to hear one die in an air conditioner or even worse have to remove the remains! Good you were able to just be amused and still enjoy your stay in such a beautiful place in spite of your little visitor.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Nancy, I’m glad you enjoyed those sunrise photos 😀 And yes, the room was amazing!
I think the mouse only ate the jewellery because it was a natural fibre, silk – he left the inner wooden parts of the beads and the fastenings. But of course it was ruined 🙁 Still, I think murdering him in the A/C was a bit too strong a punishment – I wish he’d just kept out of it (but I suspect the hole he used to come and go was behind it on the wall).
rosalieann37
I have often found indications of mice in our house (and once on our boat) and I am not at all unhappy when they are dealt with. I can’t (or Bob can’t) seem to find a spring trap to deal with the current mouse which has been chewing up things in my bedroom. The cats live downstairs because I am allergic to them, but I’d certainly like to have them up here if they would catch my mouse.
Sarah Wilkie
I guess a mouse who’s chewing up your possessions on a regular basis isn’t so cute. Can you get one of those humane traps perhaps?
wetanddustyroads
I think a mouse is cute … but not in the same room as me 😉 – and I don’t want him dead, just out! Well, at least the (unfortunate) mouse is not the only memory … you had that wonderful room/suite and amazing photo’s to show!
Sarah Wilkie
I definitely wanted him out rather than dead, but I’d also got used to him and would have happily (fairly happily) lived alongside him for the week – sadly it was not to be 🙁 But yes, wonderful memories of that room, the views and some fascinating outings while staying there 🙂
Anna
Magnificent photos, and what a gorgeous place to stay! Poor mouse though, you’re such an evil woman Sarah! 🤣🤣🤣
Sarah Wilkie
I know – and Chris has never let me forget it 🤣🤣🐭
maristravels
Absolutely stunning photographs – especially those zoom ones early on. And what a fantastic holiday that was. My husband had to kill a snake in the toilet in Kenya without letting me know, as he knew that I’d panic and sit up all night with the lights on. Luckily he’d spent time in Burma with the army and part of his training was in coping with snakes. I imagine I’d be just as bad with a mouse, I hate the thought of anything being in the room with me that might crawl over me at night! Apart from geckos. I know they won’t come near me.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Mari 😀 Wow, a snake in the toilet would be too much for me I think! I do actually quite like snakes but only very much in their place, which is NOT in my toilet or anywhere else indoors!
I was a bit wary about whether the mouse would crawl over me (I have the same problem with spiders in the bedroom) but as we had the two separate rooms we kept the door closed between them 🙂
margaret21
Well, you certainly had a great time, and the mouse added a little extra, though I do understand your feelings. We regularly boot field mice out, and we know their chances are poor, dumped out of their chosen habitat. We do feel guilty. But not guilty enough to let them stay.
Sarah Wilkie
Oh dear, poor field mice 😏🐭 But you’re right, they can’t stay inside. We’ve even had them a couple of times in our suburban home but like you we escort them firmly to the door!
leightontravels
Sad ending for the mouse. It was destiny, I guess. Photos are superbly wonderful and the suite is incredible. You are very fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience such an exotic location, not to mention luxurious accommodation. Sunsets are sublime!
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, we were very lucky to get this unasked-for upgrade – a real bonus! Although any of the rooms here would be pretty special, it’s such a fantastic location. Glad you liked the photos (although as mentioned they are sunrises 😀 )
leightontravels
Yes of course, just a slip of the finger!
Sarah Wilkie
Understood – my finger slips all over the place while typing 😂
Rose Vettleson
Those photos are so gorgeous – the oranges and pinks are dreamy. Sorry for the mouse. We too, tend to connect with our wildlife – at home and on vacation. Currently, we have an adorable little chipmunk who is managing to outsmart us, ruining all our efforts to keep our newly planted flower seeds safe.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you for those kind words about the photos 🙂 I took far too many from that deck! I had to laugh at your chipmunk story – adorable but annoying at the same time 😆
thehungrytravellers.blog
Poor little mouse, funny story though😁 We usually get attached to wildlife sharing our room, usually a lizard or two which we name.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, it’s a fun part of travel and we were happy to share with the mouse although would have preferred it if he’d stuck to just stealing the fruit! I did feel bad about what happened though 🙁