Today we are in The Gambia, the smallest country in the African continent. The population is 2 million, the capital is Banjul, and the official language is English. Bordered on all sides by Senegal, The Gambia has only 80 kilometers of coastline. The seaside area is full of sandy beaches, palm trees, lagoons and fishing villages. The Gambia River runs through the entire finger of the country and is full of wildlife. Over 600 species of birds migrate here in the Bijilo Forest Park, a 51 hectare reserve. Namely, the most seen birds are bee-eaters, grey hornbills, osprey, Caspian terns, francolins, and wild doves. Larger animals are green vervet, patas, and colobus monkeys. Monitor lizards call this home too.
Another area nearby is Makasutu Culture Forest which is full of wetlands, mangroves, and savannah plains. They are home to baboons, more lizards, and hundreds of birds. Canoe trips are common there. As easy day excursion is Abuko Nature Reserve with 250 species of migratory birds. Kachikally Crocodile Pool is a sacred sight where the crocodile represents the power of fertility. Nile crocs of all sizes fill this pond, which we have seen on past visits.
Albert Market near the pier was founded in the mid 1800's with a large produce market and a selection of fish. It is a main hub of activity since locals can bargain for fabrics, hair extensions, shoes, clothing, housewares and souvenirs.
Gambia has one of the highest population densities in all of Africa with 115 people to every square kilometer. Forty-five percent of the population is under 14 years old. Made up of various ethnic groups, most of the natives are Muslim with a small percent Christian.
Rice is a basic staple mixed with a ground nut sauce, tomatoes, fish and veggies. Seafood such as grilled ladyfish, barracuda, and butterfish are abundant. Spicy red beans are served with bread on all street corners. Fried fritters with chicken and rice are popular, and their favorite drink is a cranberry- colored juice. Restaurants are in tourist areas, but the best are located in hotels.
Tours here include the Roots Experience to Juffureh and James Islands, a three hour river cruise. You will see Alex Haley's Roots village and slave-trading station from 200 years ago. There is a visit to a slave museum and also to see a village chief to learn cultural history. Buffet-style lunch is served on the riverboat. The cost was $280 for 9 ¾ hours.
A Gambia Adventure drive for 8 ½ hours and $240 took the folks to a village with beaches and cultural heritage. Tahji Nature Trail would lead the walkers to see monkeys and birds. Visit a palm wine tapper, a village school, and stop at a fishing village. Lunch would be a BBQ on a beach with time to swim. The ride was in an open-air truck accessed by a ladder.
Banjul Highlights was 4 ¼ hours for $210 which went to the National Museum, Albert Market, the main mosque, and a gold and silver shop if opened. Kachikally Crocodile Pool and Bakau craft market were the other stops. Drinks would be served at the Garden Hotel.
A trip to Makasutu Cultural Forest and canoe adventure was 5 ¾ hours for $250. A drive went up the Gambia River where you boarded a boat to see the mangroves, savannahs, and dense forest. It was possible to see vultures, west marshal eagles, lily trotters, pied wagtails, warblers, black and Goliath herons, rollers, and kingfishers. Larger animals are monkeys, lizards, mongoose and baboons. A buffet lunch with one drink while watching a cultural show were part of the tour. Bring sunscreen and bug spray.
A drive to Abuko Nature Reserve was 4 hours for $156, and the drive was 14 miles from the pier. It is considered a bird lovers paradise and there may be sightings of turaco and paradise flycatchers, vervet moneys, bushboks, manatees, crocs, antelopes and lizards. With the extreme heat today, sightings were not guaranteed.
The capital of Banjul has a population of 31,000 people that do not speak much English. In the early days, this port city was used as a slave-trading port. Today their money is the Gambian Dalasi with 67.94 dalasi equaling $1 USD. Kimberly warned us all of using caution with our credit cards and cell phones as they have been easily stolen by quick thieves. Never let your card be taken away from you when paying a bill. Best to use cash. They all took the US dollars. Buy with caution and bargain carefully. There would be few taxis and the local buses are unreliable.
Free shuttles would be provided for the guests with a 15 minute ride to the downtown center. Some of the local sights could be reached on foot, but not recommended. Ladies traveling alone should stay in a group. And wearing short shorts would be frowned upon, as this is a primarily Muslim area. The famous Kunta Kinteh ferry would be docked near us, but do not take it, as their schedule takes 4 times longer to get anywhere. You would have no guarantee for getting back to the ship on time.
So we discovered the reason for the seahaze fog that has shrouded the skies the last few days. It is the sands from the Sahara Desert blowing all the way here. We did notice that sand was collecting in the ship's outside gutters and now we know why. In addition, the temperature started out being 77 degrees at 8am, but that number climbed all day. Almost to the unbelievable.
The Zuiderdam arrived with no apparent problems with the shallow channel approach. The tour groups went off after 7am, although the viewing of the sail into the harbor from the bow would have been in the dark. We were greeted by a native drum band with ladies dancing – what a workout they got. Amusing to watch as our lady officers were pulled into the dance circle. Some of the guests tried imitating the gyrations of the well-endowed local gals. ….even more amusing.
We figured by going off of the ship early around 9:30am, we may escape the worst heat of the day. Two small shuttles were waiting for the guests, and we climbed inside one of them. Good thing it was a short 10 minute ride to the center of town. Deep inside the Albert Market, the memory of being here was still fresh from last year's visit. It was fresher than the fish that were laying on the boards a few inches off of the ground. Freshly caught or dried, it was fish as we have never seen them or smelled them. More flies than fish, even the feral cats or dogs did not go near them.
One thing about this market that drives us nuts are the fellows that want to tag along with us. Their goal is to lead you to a stall of a friend who is selling carvings or art work. Even the little kids around 4 or 5 years old will attach themselves to you. We always say no thanks, we are simply looking. Sometimes they will go away, sometimes not. One of the guys pointed to a dark pathway saying our fellow shipmates went that way. Doesn't matter to us, we were not with a group, and no, they did not go that way. And this is not a market with a raised roof. Hanging overhead are tarps that dip low enough we had to stoop to walk under them. Claustrophobic is the best way to describe the narrow path between the sitting vendors. To add to the confusion, delivery guys with carts and wheelbarrows will push their way through the crowd. If we did not squeeze to the side, they would have plowed right into us. Did we feel welcomed here? Nope, but this is where the shuttles bring the folks, and we would at least get some photos….good or bad – it is what it is. Speaking of pictures, some of the younger locals will smile, but not the elderly. Once again, we moved through this part of the frenzied market rather quickly. One area that is of interest to one of us is the sewing circle of mostly men that are creating the nicest dresses, shirts, and jackets. The fabrics are good quality as well as really dressy, which does not go with the territory.
Realizing that we were about the only cruise people here, we made our way out to the street, then back to the bus stop. Now we know why so many folks did not get out of the shuttle once again. One whiff of the stinky fish and rotting produce was enough to send most back to the ship. And like last year, the shuttles were dropping people off in different spots. The drivers did not tell people where to catch the bus back, so some very unhappy people (some with walkers) were quite upset because they had been waiting for 45 minutes on a corner in the extreme heat for a shuttle that never came. Our driver kindly picked them up.
We were back to the pier by 11am and had plenty of time to search for some souvenirs. This time it was the best place to look for something useful like some woven trivets. We found medium sized trivets for hot dishes or pots and bargained for three of them for $10. A good deal, they are flat and will pack well. Speaking of which, we had the time to put another bag together in our room in between enjoying a couple of room service sandwiches. No lunch out today. We never even saw a place to have beers.
By 3pm, the thermometer soared to 108 degrees with 8mph winds and 16% humidity. Terrible. All aboard was 4:30pm, which meant nothing to some folks, the same ones that are always late because they can. In order to get some good close-up photos of hawks and vultures, we went to deck 10 despite the heat. It was also a great spot to watch the action on the pier below with people trying for last minute bargains. Henk M began to walk past the vendors reminding the few passengers to wind it up. Most listened but one lady that was undoubtedly getting the lowest price she could.
There was one bus of an excursion that arrived 15 minutes late. We finally left by 5:15pm, turned around, and sailed out of the harbor following the narrow channel again. We could almost feel the grittiness of the sand in our teeth by now, and we are certain everyone will be glad to be heading towards Cape Verde now and far from the blowing sands. Sure hope we are leaving the worst of the heat behind as well. Captain Friso said all looked good for a smooth crossing.
Dinnertime found some nice appetizers like arancini and a Thai beef salad. Entrees were a beef rib stew and one honey mustard chicken dish. Served extra hot. We indulged in a glass of ice cream….a good way to end a hot day. It was still in the high 80's at 10pm. Good news – the clocks went back one hour this evening.
Mark Sampson was the comedic entertainer in the World Stage. He was very funny for a change. Looking forward to a day at sea on the way to Cape Verde.
Bill & Mary Ann
