Blogs from Gambia, Africa - page 15

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

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

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

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