Gambolling around in Gambia

Hello all,

Barely 1/2 km down the road and we are stopped by a "secret agent" working for the police who pulled the car apart looking for weapons and drugs and then wanted to fine us for not having the correct car paperwork even though customs/immigration were happy with it. After much wrangling we had to drive back to the boarder where the customs people were very unhappy as to being told how to do their job and phoned up the "secret agent" to tell him to get lost. When we drove back through, they all ignored us : )

We queued for a couple of hours waiting for the ferry but when we finally made it on, we discovered several polish people who we'd met in Nouakachott. They decided to come with us to the campground near Banjul (the capital). Apart from a couple of great roads we soon found ourselves on the potholded road to hell which unfortunately we had to traverse several times over the next day or so as we tried to track down the guniean embassy, a tailor to fix the tent (it didn't last long) and other essentials. In fact i barely saw the campground in daylight apart from whilst washing my laundry in a bucket and singing at the top of my voice. Spent some time at the sea swimming and walking on the beach, we keep on thinking we won't see the sea again and then find ourselves back on it. My love for the sea has nothing to do with it of course!!

Returning from a nightclub, I was asleep in the tent, Marc met a lady, Mia, who asked if we wanted to go to her house the next day and she would cook yassa (chicken in a lemon onion sauce). She lived in a small compound with 3 concrete houses and a vegetable patch and about 20 inhabitants. We cooked outside in the courtyard on charcoal in cast iron pots like the locals do. Great to learn how to make a local dish even if it does include much MSG. Before cooking we visited the market together to buy ingredients and for me to replace my flip flops as I'd just lost my 2nd pair : ( I am still not used to wearing shoes on my feet! It took us all day to make the chicken so we stayed the night in our tent in the compound. We had to put it up after the kids went to sleep otherwise they'd have never left this fascinting new structure alone.

The night before we had gone with a security guard we'd met on the beach to a local restaurant, (curtain covered room with one meal per day - you go in and ask if they still have food and what it is - thats the menu) for plassas which contains a lot of okra giving it a very slimy texture. Afterwards he took us to a local bar to treat us to bottles of fanta - he doesn't like drinking and was very critical of a couple of the drunks in the bar. Nice guy but wouldn't stop talking!

We decided to stay in the area until the rugby world cup final in the chance of seeing England beat the Saffers so drove 80km down the coast to the fishing village of Gunjur where we watched the women streaming out waist deep into the sea to greet the boats and fill up their buckets with fish before it is taken to the huge sheds in the sand dunes to be salted, smoked and dried. You could walk for miles along this beach with native forest on one side and the sea on the other. Stayed with some men infront of their bar who shared fish and conversation with us. One kid was lovely and didn't want to go home. The next day the family had clearly told our friends off because it was passed on to us how the boy should go to school not hang around with whites in the hope they give him something. A sentiment we shared, but it was a shame to see him go. When we arrived, he was the one to show me around the village.

Less said about the rugby the better.

It took us a day to drive east to another national park. We had visited one near Banjul at the crack of dawn and saw several cool birds like malachite kingfisher and the western grey plantain eater and a host of vultures. We camped in the bush but went for drinks at a lodge on the river where the first nights sunset was truely spectacular reflecting pale oranges, greens, blues, pinks and yellows off the mirror lake. Throw in a handful of bird silhouettes against the native bush. It was so peaceful, I felt amazing.

Short lived though as several of my bites became seriously infected so I didnt feel like walking around much. We drove around the NP to see birds and then spent most of a day chilling at the pool in the lodge which they kindly let us use. Funny, we seem to see more birds driving on roads than we do in the national parks but still.

A week flew by very quickly but in some ways I was very glad when it came to time to leave. The Gambians speak English and they are unbelievably friendly which means they come and talk to you all the time, when you are trying to go to the toilet, cook dinner, fix the car, spot a bird, doesnt matter what. Lovely people but I like my space! Especially first thing in the morning!

Leaving Gambia was surprisingly easy as the officials didn't recognise the car papers so Marc had to tell them where to sign/stamp and that was it.

The last few days we've been in the Casamance area of Senegal which is a series of waterways, very beautiful, there has been trouble in recent years from rebels but we had no trouble. Now beocming an almost boring story of potholed roads, bird watching; swimming in the sea, staying with locals so I shall not relate it in details. Best bit was haning out at another bar on the beach with some musicians who made and played drums and other instruments. Really good, shame they dont have a cd of their music. The plan is to visit Guinea in the next couple of days where we want to do lots of treking so should have some new stories for you!

Hope you are all well and good.

lots of love
Kathryn xx