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
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