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Published: February 24th 2010
THE GAMBIA
When someone suggested spending the weekend in The Gambia, I was all for it. We left Friday afternoon, with a taxi to the "garage" where buses & station wagons leave. It was a 2 hour trip to the border. One hour was on a good road, the other very pot-holed, so drivers were often on the unpaved area that would be the shoulder, left or right side, veering around trees and signs. Passengers cross the border on foot, stopping at immigration desks. The red tape was quick. Another van ride to get to the ferry to cross the river to Banjul, the capital.
The Gambia is strangely located inside of Senegal, with one edge on the Atlantic Ocean. Senegalese describe it as the tongue on the mouth (see map). It is essentially a river with land on either shore. Because of the river it is more lush than Senegal. In small ways it was evidently more prosperous: taxis in better condition; they only take 5 passengers (in Senegal the sixth seat is on the gear shift, and all taxis have standard transmission). The capital is quieter than Dakar in Senegal. While Senegal was colonized by the French, The
Abuko Nature Reserve
Throwing peanuts to moneyGambia was British, making is somewhat different, but with similar native languages, styles of dress, religious traditions; the official language is English.
A friend of a friend recommended a place to stay where we arrived Friday at sundown. Saturday morning we were off to Abuko Nature Reserve. We walked for about 2 hours with a guide. In one area the monkeys came to eat peanuts from our hands. The vegetation was fertile. After a longish bus ride we went to a market to browse. The afternoon was mostly at Crocodile Pool (many people got pictures petting them. I passed) and a craft market. We had walked a good 4 - 5 hours in good weather.
Sunday morning bad information had us criss-crossing town. We saw a botanical garden and Bijilo Forest Park, walking 10 - 15 kilometers, and seeing more monkeys in the wild. One species was docile but another hid from visitors. Interestingly I heard that such tours to look, taking pictures, walking the forests do as much or more harm to the environment as big game hunting safaris. With many more people, in small areas, animals become mostly docile and the place is off its true
character. In the large reserves the environment stays more natural and undisturbed. Assumptions can be deceiving.
By late morning time was up for this trip and we took a bus to head back to the ferry, to the van ride, this time to motor scooters, to the garage in Senegal for the station wagon final ride home. Cool weekend, with another country stamp in my passport.
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Bonnie W. Salahuddin
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Thanks for the Memories
I have never forgotten my trip to the Gambia; the ride on the ferry and the pot holed roads we traveled on from Dakar. We visited Jufuru, the home of the ancestors of Alex Haley, and then on to Banjul too. I love that I get to relive my time in Senegal with you, and it is interesting that you are experiencing much of what I have. I remembered the market places, and then I pulled out my photo albums to review my pictures; it was as if I were there again. Thanks for the added pictures of you and the scenes from Banjul.