Blogs from Gambia, Africa - page 11
"It's Nice to Be Nice"--Daily Life in The Gambia
Published: March 8th 2007Africa » Gambia » Western Division » Serrekunda
February 22nd 2007
My title is one of Gambians' favorite sayings. It's true for them--they're very friendly. Wherever I'm walking to, it's guaranteed that at least 4 adults say "Hah-lo" or "How ah you?" as I walk past. It's too much at first, but now I'm used to it. Some days it gets annoying, but it actually is nice to connect with people, especially the ones I walk past everyday. On the other hand, random guys come up to us and ask us how our holiday is, where we're from, where we're staying, what our name is. It's best to have a made-up name and story ready for those ones. Now, kids are different. Some will say "Toubab, how ah you?" Toubab=white person. Others just yell, "Toubab!" and if I'm lucky, I'll get just a "Hallo, how ah you?" ... read more
February 22nd 2007
De volgende morgen moeten we weer op tijd weg. Ik ben als eerste wakker en spring rond acht uur onder de douche, we zetten alles weer op zijn plek in de woonkamer en rond negen nemen we afscheid en gaan opzoek naar een telefoon, we willen voor de zekerheid toch even de Gambiaanse ambassade bellen om te checken of we echt geen visum nodig hebben. Volgens de dame aan de telefoon zijn de regels veranderd en hebben we wel een visum nodig, das een tegenvaller, we nemen een taxi naar de Ambassade van de Gambia, ook hier houden ze vol dat we echt een visum nodig hebben. Gelukkig gaat het relatief vlot, we moeten er een uurtje of twee opwachten en het kost 45 euro, maar goed rond twaalven kunnen we richting garage Banjul. Als we ... read more
February 7th 2007
So I've been in The Gambia for a month now, which I think is unbelievable. Where have I gone so far? The first place we went was Bijilo Forest Park, which is on the other side of Serrekunda from where we live. It's pretty neat because monkeys live there and don't mind the tourists. The forest is thick there, which showed us how this area looked before all of the recent development/deforestation. The Banjul market is another touristy place we went the first week. It basically consists of many rows of little stands along the streets selling various items, fabric shops, and an area of only shops with tarps overhead and no roads. The last section is like a maze and reminds me of being underground. There are two main markets in this area, and the ... read more
February 6th 2007
Well, I have way too much to say in one entry, so I'll try to start from the beginning. Basically, it took us a really long time to get here, and we got very little sleep. When we got to Dakar, Senegal, it was nighttime. We stepped out of the plane. It was humid and it smelled like smoke. The ground was packed sand. Immediately, I knew I was in Africa, even though I didn't really believe it. It smelled like I thought Africa would smell. Once we got through customs was when we really realized we were in Africa. It wasn't the fact that Black people were everywhere that shocked me. It was that there were so many people everywhere trying to help you (get money) or talk to you (get money) or buy something ... read more
December 25th 2006
Gambia December 2006 Trip report We stayed for 1 week at the Cape Point hotel organised by Gambia Experience. This was our fourth trip to Gambia and we really liked the Cape Point area. There were less bumpsters than other places we have stayed around the Kotu area. Although I liked the gardens at the Bokatu hotel. Still Cape Point had a small swimming pool and some there were House Sparrows, Splendid Sunbirds, Speckled Pigeon, and bulbuls to watch. The weather at this time of year was brilliant. Hot with little humidity so a nice contrast to the English weather. The food was simple at the hotel but there were some good places nearby and we recommend the hungarian restaurant a few minutes walk away. The beach area was quiet and the botanical gardens a short ... read more
November 4th 2006
The smiling coast. And it was. Hot, so the tourists were smiling (well most of them!) and the locals are known for their friendlyness. A small sliver of land between north and south senegal with a river running through the middle of it, and bordered on the other side by the atlantic ocean - made a perfect destination for a week in November to escape the clutches of the winter snap that were hitting the UK. We were well looked after by Max, a guard at the hotel, who took us to see the local sights, and to the market in Banjul, the capital. And of course he took us to see Charlie......... if you've ever been to Gambia, you'll know who I mean! Well worth a visit for anyone who is considering going. We weren't ... read more
May 26th 2006
Gambia: Summer 2005 Gambia from 11 to 18 august 2005 by Gloria Bintou Jatta Always dreamed of travelling to Africa but still too scared of the Big Wild Continent? Go to The Gambia. Is safe, small, and they speak English. You’ll have a taste of the “real Africa” and always will be able to go to some “European” place if you need to get back in touch with your roots. If a woman can travel to The Gambia on her own without problem, you can too. And your kids. It’s a highly recommended experience and safe enough for those who still need to feel safe. Basic Wolof words you should memorize before arriving (most people speak English): Toubaab: white person (no prejudice here) Nanga Def: How are you? Mang fi: I’m fine or Yang Mareg: no ... read more
March 12th 2006
The Gambia is like a well-deserved oasis of communication in this Francophone desert of western Africa. One chat, bargain, order and enquire, all in English. This making The Gambia an excellent recreation point, not only for us but also for package tourism. There are massive resorts, beach erosion, widespread sex tourism and all the other paraphernalia of mass tourism. To see old, tubby, pale European women snuggling with their Gambian 25 something, paid "lovers", is not uncommon when you're down at the beach. For me this was of less interest, since the life of a Swedish relative in Africa arouse my curiosity about alternative ways of life. After numerous plastic bags with iced fruit drinks (Baobab, Hibiscus, Ginger and Tamarind are a few in the odd variety) we left the ferry taking us across the Gambia ... read more
January 20th 2005
I've been feeling sorry for myself for the past few days since my last posting. I've been in pain, with tooth ache! I apologise to any Dentists that might read this, but how many of us like the idea of visiting a dentist? The evening after my last posting on the 17th, I started to feel some intermittent pain. As the night went on it only got worse. I didn't sleep much. In the morning I asked Mo who runs the guest house for advice. He suggested some tincture that I could buy. I also asked where I could find a dentist - but I wasn't that keen on visiting one if I could help it! I don't like visiting dentist in the UK, let alone in a poor African country. A Dutch guy, who was ... read more
January 17th 2005
Gambia is one of the oddest shaped countries in the world. It is just a few kms either side of the Gambia river, surrounded on 3 sides by Senegal and the other by the sea. It has been 6 days since by last blog - in that time I have been in both Senegal and the Gambia. There have been several attempts in the past at uniting Senegal and the Gambia, which is not surprising considering the Gambia s strange geography. Some general points - the food in Senegal has been superb! I didn't come to Africa for the food, so the quality of the Senegalese cuisine has been a revelation. Also despite the groups of touts, street crime etc, in general the people are very friendly and hospitable. Since my last blog I left Dakar ... read more
