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Saved: November 30th 2021
Unfortunately I think the combination of travelling all day on a bumpy road, arriving after dark, finding out that the boat tours in Georgetown were very expensive and PMS, I did not enjoy Georgetown at all. When we left to explore, a young man from the hostel accompanied us and was to be our guide. As soon as we walked out the "Toubab!" "Toubab!" started and hands out for money. It was all a little overwhleming for me and after about 15 min I headed back to the hostel and just stayed inside the room and read. I needed a break from Africa. I knew it wouldn't last, but I also knew that to fight against it would mean an miserable day for all. Peter also didn't enjoy Georgetown, so we decided to leave the next day and head back to Senegal. That evening at dinner though, we ended up chatting with the leader of a group of students from England. Roger is a professor from the University of Bristol and has been bringing goups of students to The Gambia for 11 years. His wife Linda had joined him on this trip and we enjoyed a pleasant evening chatting with them
about travelling. A professor from the University of The Gambia was also with the group and I had an excellent conversation with him regarding the crops of the area and also wildlife. He told us the road we walked on from Tendaba to Kwinella has lots of hyenas - yikes!! They are only active at night and he said the locals wouldn't let us walk if there was danger - whew!
The following day, as fate would have it, as we were walking to the ferry, a very nice Gambian man stopped and offered us a lift to the dock (no Mum, we weren't hitchhiking!). We threw our bags into the back of his truck and climbed in the cab. He told us that the town he was heading to would be better to get a bush taxi from and told us it was no trouble for him to take us there. Not only did we get to ride in a new truck, with lots of room (only 3 people instead of 20), he also took us directly to the Garage and helped us negotiate our fare to Basse Sante Su. After feeling like a Toubab money machine the
day before, it was a very nice change to have someone help us without the expectation of money. The transport over the border was in a small Peugot pick-up that had 14 adults, 4 children and a bunch of luggage stuffed into the back (yes, we were in the back) and a ton of luggage piled high on top. The truck had to be pushed to start each time we stopped - 5 times in total. I wish I had taken a photo of this vehicle, it really needs to be seen to be believed! The border crossing was our easiest to date - no hassles, no fees demanded and there were even a few laughs with the border officials!
We arrived in Tambacounda (Tamba to the locals) and found our hotel was very close to the Garage, so we were able to walk. This was good news as we had been in 6 different vehichles from Georgetown to Tamba. That night we had our very first burger in Africa. The burger patty itself was the thinnest I have ever seen. It consisted of the thin meat patty (unsure what kind of meat), a fried egg, cold french fries,
diced onion and a thin layer of mayo inside a drying bun. A side of cold fries came with it. The restaurant was called Best Burger, but we did not agree! We decided to seek out a different restaurant for future meals. The next evening, Peter spotted a little place quite close to the hotel so we headed for La Rose, Chez Ada Restaurant. Not only did we get a great meal, but we met Ami, a Grade 12 student in Tamba. Ami is taking English in school, so we conversed in broken English and French, and at the end of the evening, she invited us to attend her English class at the high school. As we were going to be visiting the Park for the next two days, we promised her we would come on Friday morning to the high school.
We were able to arrange a tour with our hotel to visit the nearby National Park of Niokola Koba. Visiting the park was something that we really wanted to do, so we were really looking forward to it. The park is a World Heritage site spanning about 900,000 hectares. Compared to the Masi Mara or the Serengeti
it is a fairly undiscovered park. There are 80 species of mammals and 350 bird varieties in the park. We left early on Wednesday morning and arrived at the park gate around 9:30 am to begin our first 4WD tour of the park. Travel through the park is all done by 4WD, walking is only allowed near the accommodation sites or with an armed park ranger. The predators in the park are lions, leopards, panthers and hyenas.
That first trip out we saw wart hogs, mongoose (is the plural mongeese?), bushbuck, roan antelope (which is rare to see apparently), Guinea fowl, crocodiles, monkeys and HIPPOS!!!!! It was pretty exciting to see the Hippos in the river, just sitting there like crocodiles do, heads out of the water, looking around. In the early evening we went out in the truck again and saw water bucks, quail, kob antelope, baboons, and dika (very, very small deer). We went back to the river where we had seen the hippos earlier (there were two), but in the evening, the whole family was out. There were approx. 15 hippos in the water. Two were fighting and splashing about, one came almost out of the
water and the rest were just hanging out, looking around. It was so great to get to see them, and for there to be only Peter, myself and our guide there. From the hotel we stayed in, we walked a short distance to a hide that overlooked a large green field. For us, it was a miniature version of what we expect the Serengeti to look like. There were water bucks, wart hog families, large baboon troops, bushbucks, kob antelope, monkeys, and tons of birds. The area is a bit swampy, so the grass stays very green and there is water to drink. It was a magical moment to witness all these animals in one place.
As we were staying in the cheap rooms, we had a fan instead of air conditioning. The catch is that when the generator is turned off, so is the fan, and it gets pretty warm in the room. In the morning, I was sure if we opened the door a lovely, cool breeze would come through the room. As I opened the door (no breeze at all came through), I realized a large baboon family was passing right by our room. I called
to Peter and we watched these amazing creatures up close as they made their way across the hotel grounds, likely in search of some food. We saw mommas and their babies, small young baboons and larger, older ones pass within 20 feet of us. We love to see the large males as they have a thick mane of fur. We forgot all about how stuffy our room was!! We headed to the outdoor restaurant for breakfast, and were very quickly treated to a show of monkeys racing around the restaurant. At one point, one started to come towards our table, and I thought he was going to run under it, so I lifted up the tablecloth. Instead, he jumped right on our table, reached his arm out and snatched my breakfast of bread and jam right off my plate!!! The little brat then sat a few feet away and enjoyed my breakfast in front of me!! After breakfast we went out again in the 4WD to see more of the park and scope out more animals. We were amazed at the diversity of the landscape within the park. Some areas are lush and green, others are dry and dusty, some
areas reminded us of birch or aspen forest areas in the foothills of Alberta. It is very hard to describe what we saw, but it is a very beautiful park, even in the dry season. We can only imagine how green it would get in the rainy season. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the park and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Senegal.
On Friday morning we got up early to be sure we wouldn't be late for Ami's English class. Unfortunately, the high school was further away than we thought, so we were a little late - yes, typical of Laini and Peter! Ami had told the guard at the gate and her teacher that we were coming, so we were warmly welcomed and ushered into the class. It was very interesting to sit in on a high school class in Africa. The students were trying very hard to understand the eccentricities of English. These students already speak French and Wolof (the African language of Senegal), and some also speak Spanish and German. To be learning English at the level they are being taught is hard work! The instructor was very welcoming to us and told
us we could sit in on his class anytime and the students regarded us curiously, but they were very friendly and a few hung around after to chat to us.
That evening when we went to visit Ami and her sisters at the restaurant, she told us that her instructor wanted us to come back because we were rare white people who like black people. He said he knew we were very kind and genuine people because we liked black people. Ami also said that she was so happy we came to her class and that we like her, even though she is black and we are white. This talk brought tears to my eyes and put a lump in my throat. Are we not all the same under our skin? We were saddened to hear that most white visitors to the restaurant are not interested in talking to Ami. We understand a bit better now why local people regard us with a cold stare until we smile and say Bonjour and then they invariably respond with a large, warm smile and a Bonjour in return. It seems most white people want to see Africa, but they don't want
Beautiful Bird
Peter called it a "pretty blue bird", but I say it is "teal" or "turquoise"!to see Africans. I know I am being somewhat hypocritical here, because in Georgetown I didn't want to see Africans either. Meeting Ami has been a highlight of my trip, for she reminded me that most Africans are not out to make money from us, and they are a wonderful, warm, welcoming people. That evening as we sat with Ami she gave gifts of Senegalese jewellery to Peter and I. Again, this brought tears to my eyes, she was so kind and generous - a real wonderful young lady. We asked about her family and she told us that her mother passed away when she was nine and her father lives in Cap Skirring. She lives and works with her two older sisters at the restaurant, Adji and Adama. Adji is the cook - and a fine cook she is!! Adji's dream is to open a Senegalese restaurant in Rome, Italy. Adama loves East Indian textiles and fashions and would like to have an import/export business that brings Indian textiles to Senegal for sale. For Ami, her plan is to go to university in Senegal, although she would prefer to go overseas to study, but it is too expensive. After
Our Guide and Driver
From left to right: Kaly, our guide; Laini; Souleyman, our driver; Peter. her studies she wants to work in development in Senegal. Her best friend works in social development all over Senegal and she wants to do this kind of work too. There are nearby villages that have no schools or hospitals and she wants to make these projects happen.
After this wonderful evening with our new Seneglese friends we said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel to pack as we would be leaving the next day to go to Mali.
Heading off to Hot, Hot, Hot Mali,
Lots of love,
Laini and Peter
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Charlene
non-member comment
now that i'm crying
It always amazes me how some people just ruin things for the rest no matter what country they are in, there is always one ass who just has to be that an ass and make peoples lives like there own , cause that is the whole problem they are not happy so lets make everyone unhappy. It seems to be there goal and somehow makes them feel superior but it only makes them an ass.I'm glad you showed them that not all " WHITE" people are this way!!!On a happier note I WANT TO GO TO THAT PARK and see all those animalswill you come get me and take me too PPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEE!!!!!!!!by the wat the plants are fine no need to fret about them take your time and enjoy Africa they are behaving themselves and have not fussed while you've been away they do miss you though. Toodles for now