This last entry is getting a little overdue as we have now been back in the UK a few weeks. Just in case there is still some interest out there here is a little about our journey back which saw us travel up through Senegal before leaving Africa after 8 months.
I suspect that people will remember our departure, though not for the best of reasons. For our last weekend in the Gambia we organised a picnic with friends at our favourite beach spot – a sheltered bay which allows the children to paddle out in shallow, calm water for a good few hundred metres and also boasts some phenomenal rock pools. The only snag is how to get there - it is sheltered and almost deserted for a reason! You can either approach it by driving along the beach, though we always avoided out of that option as we were never organised enough to know what the tides were doing. The alternative was to try and pick the right off road path (sign posts definitely not included) that wound down to the beach. After the rains this path was easy enough to navigate and was beautifully decorated with wild mint plants. However, as the dry season progressed the “road” got increasingly sandy and the sand increasingly soft and deep. At the end of February we towed out a friend, though thought nothing of it as he was driving a Gambian taxi which is not the best off road car. However, for this last trip we managed to stall in the sand with a queue of cars behind us. We recovered to get ourselves through the sand, but left two cars behind us well and truly stuck in the sand. Their rescue was again relatively straightforward, but worse was to come. Our wonderful friend, Tamara, braved the picnic on her own with her three children. She made it all but the last 100m when her car started to sink into the sand. It took two hours to pull her out which was only possible thanks to some local farmers who knew all the tricks of the bush (and were happy to help their British brothers so called as one had been an underground train driver on the Jubilee line). Aubs didn’t see the funny side of this for the initial two hours of hard labour, but eventually seemed happy to let the farmers persuade him that this kind of experience made you African at heart. The day was then put right by finding an octopus, puffer fish, blue crab and some unexplained crustacean-like fish in a hole in the rock pools. We left via the beach route!
To alleviate the depression I feared was set in upon our departure we planned a two week holiday to ease our way back to Europe. Even so the goodbyes were difficult, especially for our Gambian friends (and especially Perinne and Alex who worked for us) whom we know it will be difficult to keep in touch with.
The holiday started with an argument about the all important issue of what time to leave (and therefore what time to get up). I managed to force our departure time back from 4 am to 6am, but Aubs would budge no further. The need for an early departure stemmed from the first stage of the journey entailing the crossing of the Gambia River at the main Banjul/Barra crossing point. A week prior to our departure the crossing was relying on a single ferry (instead of the usual three) which caused enormous queues with tales of folks waiting over 24hrs to cross the river. The wait is always worse for cars as there are fewer spaces, whereas the ferry’s capacity for foot passengers is truly something to behold. Luckily for our journey only one ferry was down which meant a relatively short wait and though it took a lot of skill for the MRC driver to just about squeeze the Landrover onto the back of the ferry. It was ABSOLUTELY the right decision to have organised an MRC driver as the “organised” chaos of “queuing” and boarding the ferry was something we were very pleased not to have to negotiate ourselves.
Next up was the Gambian-Senegalese border which appeared to be a crowd of people selling nuts and bananas around the few small buildings that constituted the border. After fighting your way through the banana sellers (of hoards of children if you give them your last 5 Dalasi (~12p)) to have your papers stamped in the Gambian immigration building you then drive a few metres and then fight your way through more sellers (though on the Senegalese side cashew nut sellers suddenly appear) to have your papers stamped this time by the Senegalese. Then you are on your way and it did seem as simple as that. We expected that the customs guards would make us unpack the entire back of the Landrover that was our luggage, but even there we were waved on (they must have been in a good mood that day). After that we didn’t come across a single police check point throughout out time in Senegal – they must have a plentiful supply of attaya (local tea).
Although I was prepared for a stressful first leg, the drive was actually enjoyable. The north bank of river Gambia appeared much more rural and the villages on the Senegalese side of the border were immediately more traditional with the tin roofs replaced by straw roofs for the clusters of round huts. We only drove for about 20mins north of the border to our first stop on the Sine Saloum Delta. Toubacouta, specifically by the waterside, was a breathtaking spot. The protected waterways of the Delta provide a beautifully green landscape with an amazing array of birdlife. We spent the next day taking pirogue rides through the Mangroves, being the only people it seemed for miles. Aubs was also able to indulge on some fishing off the end of the hotel’s pier. It really is a beautiful spot and there is so much more to see, wildlife wise, if you can take the longer boat trips out towards the ocean waters.
We were much more confident about the ease of the second leg of our journey and so had let the MRC driver go. Unfortunately, this did not turn out to be the case. We were expecting bad roads, but the size of the pot holes on the road to Kaolack were really something to behold. The upside was the off-road driving that was necessitated and wound through lots of picturesque local villages. I was certainly struck by how dry the landscape was showing the impact the river Gambia has on its country’s name sake.
Our driver, hired through the hotel, seemed to know the good tracks and saw us safely to a popular café run by an old French couple in the middle of Kaolack. However, when we had finished lunch and stretched our legs and were just about to step outside to find the car, the café’s owner informed me that our driver wasn’t there. Just before the end of our lunch a lorry had sped down the road and knocked the car’s side mirror off. The lorry hadn’t stopped so our driver had commandeered a motorcycle and given chase. He had tracked the driver down and was now starting the police report procedure. This took 3 hrs in the sweltering sun (as the temperature was suddenly about 10 degrees hotter than on the Gambian coast) during which time our driver decided he didn’t need to tell us anything of what had happened and his progress. This was coupled with the frequent taking of the car containing all our baggage without any warning on various excursions to the police station or the garage. The silver lining was that in the end, with his car fixed up, the driver deposited us at a little auberge on the outskirts Saly, the main resort town on the Petite Cote, run by Christian, a very accommodating and well organised Swiss man.
If you ever end up in Saly we can highly, highly recommend “Le petit Jura”, a beautiful little auberge with only 6-7 rooms just set back from the quieter part of the beach. Christian arranged our life for us while we were there accommodating any request (except early meals for the children as in Senegal, as in France, nowhere opens for dinner before 7.30pm and that is an early stretch) in a truly tranquil atmosphere. We were not wowed by Saly: we had seen nicer beaches in the Gambia, though we loved the way we shared the beach with the locals at the weekend and in the evenings which we had rarely seen in the Gambia. Saly also afforded a trip to a local Safari park with lots of imported big African animals, such as giraffes and rhinos, which the girls were thrilled to see. I was slightly less thrilled at the monkey who barred its teeth and me and ran off with my pizza. After a few days relaxation we then headed up to Dakar for a bit of a culture shock.
Dakar is a huge sprawling African city boasting probably twice as many people as there are to be found in the whole of the Gambia. It therefore meant a slightly more frantic pace of life compared to what we were used to. The first thing you notice is the traffic and the car speeds. There are lots more people going a lot faster than in the Gambia, though the roads and certainly the states of the cars are not much better. I also felt that poverty was sharply accentuated especially in some of the districts on the outskirts where rubbish is piled by the roads with sewage spilling over it. This was in stark contrast to one of the nicer residential suburbs of Dakar which we stayed in – very peaceful with only the usual sand and dust to contend with when you stepped outside. I fear the highlight of the Dakar stay for the girls was the fact that our lovely little hotel had a wide screen TV in the reception and that the staff loved to indulge them with episodes of Peppa Pig and Teletubbies while we waited for the chef to arrive in the evening. After 8 months without TV the girls were completely gobsmacked at seeing anything in widescreen – no matter what or what the language (which certainly wasn’t English). The local patisserie we found probably ran a close second, but it would too long to describe our various excitements over the food and drink in Senegal (one thing to thank the French for).
From Dakar we did a day trip out to Lac Rose which isn’t really that pink, but does produce an awful lot of salt. Unfortunately, Elise had scratched Amelie that morning, so Amelie wouldn’t stay in the water to enjoy the salt water floating experience due to a nasty stinging sensation. Lac Rose stands in front of some beautiful sand dunes and we managed to fulfil one of Elise’s wishes of the last 12 months to ride a horse. The lack of health and safety regulations allowed a lovely ride for a 3 year old over the dunes to meet the Atlantic ocean on the beach behind. Overall we thought it was definitely worth the long journey in a battered taxi, though we could have done without the driver using our petrol money to complete his errands leaving us for at least 30 mins outside the Senegalese parachute regiment barracks while he went off who knows where.
Although we had been told that the Senegalese pride themselves on being able to sell anything and everything to you, we hadn’t found the “bumsters” to be much of a problem (must have been hardened over 8 months in the Gambia). However, a brief altercation with them at Lac Rose meant we decided against the tourist destination of Ile Goree and instead headed to the smaller Ile N’Gor. This is a five minute pirogue ride from a fishing port near the airport. The more secluded beach on the island was perfect: warm shallow water and rock pools and NO crowds - great place for the girls to say goodbye to the tropics.
On April 6th we got up ridiculously early again (3.30am is definitely ridiculous) and headed to the airport to finally leave the African continent. Unfortunately, all European flights leave Dakar between midnight and 6am. Fortunately, we had managed to get a 6am flight which seemed one of the better options. My overall feeling at leaving Africa was one of sadness. I think the wrench comes from my interactions with people over our time there. Despite the difficult nature of day to day living (for the locals as opposed to ex-pats) my interactions were also filled with such warmth that seemed to add a real vibrancy to life. If there was ever a place to work out what is important in life I think Africa is certainly a place to give some ideas.
We didn’t quite stop there. The girls were then treated to a few days in Paris to see the Mona Lisa and the Eiffel Tower and to eat lots and lots of cakes – but a description of all that indulgence would just take too long!
Friday, 29 April 2011
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Our final blog from the Gambia
We are down to our final two days in the Gambia. The packers have just left and the house is looking very, very bare.
With our last weekend we made sure that no one will forget us in a hurry: we went with a group of friends to one of our favourite spots where the natural formation of the rocks creates a beautiful bay with shallow, calm water and lots of deliciously warm rock pools that the children love exploring and swimming in. There are two ways to get to the Bay – you either drive along the beach which always makes us a little nervous as we never check the tides ahead of time; or you drive off road down a sandy track. We opted for the latter which proved to have become very, very sandy over the last few weeks. So sandy that our four wheel drive almost didn’t make it through and grounded two cars in our party. It took nearly two hours to dig our friend, Tamara, out with the help of some local farmers, but by the end of the day even Aubs was quite pleased that he can claim a bush adventure. The rest of the day was perfect and the children were thrilled to find an octopus, puffer fish and lobster in the rock pools.
As we are so close to the end of our time here, we have been thinking a lot about all the things we have most enjoyed and what we might not be so sad to leave behind. Here are our top five in both categories and you can let us know whether or not we have sold the Gambia to you!
Aubrey:
Best Worst
1) The friends we have made 1) The bumsters
2) The beaches 2) The police check points
3) The laid back pace of life 3) The laid back pace of life
4) The climate 4) The climate
5) The family being so happy here 5) Getting stuck in deep, soft sand
Marianne:
1) School and work being only 5 mins away 1) The dust in the dry season
2) The sense of space 2)The mould in the rainy season
3) The people we have met 3) Driving through deep, soft sand
4) The Gambians’ love of children 4)The lack of good chocolate
5) The sense of community 5) Mosquitoes whatever the season
Amelie:
1) Body boarding at Boboi beach 1) Sticky fish in Tanje
2) Rock pooling and swimming at the Bay 2) Biting ants
3) My school 3) Bumpy roads
4) My friends 4) The lack of red summer fruits
5) Climbing trees
Elise:
1) Jessica (a friend’s nanny) 1) Button (Raya’s dog)
2) Kankarangs 2) Being called “baby” by the locals
3) Claudio’s BBQs 3) The sea!
4) Making mud baths in the garden
5) Tree houses
With our last weekend we made sure that no one will forget us in a hurry: we went with a group of friends to one of our favourite spots where the natural formation of the rocks creates a beautiful bay with shallow, calm water and lots of deliciously warm rock pools that the children love exploring and swimming in. There are two ways to get to the Bay – you either drive along the beach which always makes us a little nervous as we never check the tides ahead of time; or you drive off road down a sandy track. We opted for the latter which proved to have become very, very sandy over the last few weeks. So sandy that our four wheel drive almost didn’t make it through and grounded two cars in our party. It took nearly two hours to dig our friend, Tamara, out with the help of some local farmers, but by the end of the day even Aubs was quite pleased that he can claim a bush adventure. The rest of the day was perfect and the children were thrilled to find an octopus, puffer fish and lobster in the rock pools.
As we are so close to the end of our time here, we have been thinking a lot about all the things we have most enjoyed and what we might not be so sad to leave behind. Here are our top five in both categories and you can let us know whether or not we have sold the Gambia to you!
Aubrey:
Best Worst
1) The friends we have made 1) The bumsters
2) The beaches 2) The police check points
3) The laid back pace of life 3) The laid back pace of life
4) The climate 4) The climate
5) The family being so happy here 5) Getting stuck in deep, soft sand
Marianne:
1) School and work being only 5 mins away 1) The dust in the dry season
2) The sense of space 2)The mould in the rainy season
3) The people we have met 3) Driving through deep, soft sand
4) The Gambians’ love of children 4)The lack of good chocolate
5) The sense of community 5) Mosquitoes whatever the season
Amelie:
1) Body boarding at Boboi beach 1) Sticky fish in Tanje
2) Rock pooling and swimming at the Bay 2) Biting ants
3) My school 3) Bumpy roads
4) My friends 4) The lack of red summer fruits
5) Climbing trees
Elise:
1) Jessica (a friend’s nanny) 1) Button (Raya’s dog)
2) Kankarangs 2) Being called “baby” by the locals
3) Claudio’s BBQs 3) The sea!
4) Making mud baths in the garden
5) Tree houses
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Nearly there!
I have no excuses for having taken so long to write the first blog of 2011. I also have no idea where the time has gone and what we have been doing with it! It may be a sign that we are truly settled that we are just pottering along and have little to report. Just as well we have only 3 weeks left in the Gambia and another change around the corner to inject some energy!
I expect no sympathy, but January and the first half of February proved quite chilly. Aubs spent a lot of time laughing at me as I wrapped several layers around myself to get through the morning’s school run (although “someone” advised me against packing jumpers and fleeces I can now advise that a fleece or two come in very handy in Jan/Feb in the Gambia). However, even Aubs was very grateful of the bedspread I managed to get hold off to stave off the cold at night. All that is now behind us as things have started to warm up and so no one wants to be outside between 10am and 4pm because of the heat. The other notable weather feature since Christmas has been the wind. There is a strong wind which blows down from the Sahara bringing with it unimaginable amounts of dust so that almost everything turns a nice reddy-brown colour. It also heralds the end of the malaria season and start of the season for all things horrible that can attack the respiratory system!
While I am not sure that any of us took on any New Year’s resolutions, the girls are at least trying to learn some new skills. Amelie has taken up African drumming, though she seems to be limited to a single song (so I wouldn’t request a concert just yet). The drum also seems to be the perfect height to use as a pillow rest as I usually find most of the class slumped over their drums at pick up time! Amelie is also doing gardening as an after school activity, though since week two this has mainly a watering activity and a weekly competition of who can come home covered in the most mud. As the corn is know about knee length I am hoping we at least get to sample that before we leave.
Elise is mostly concentrating her energies on bouncing and swinging. I estimate she spends approximately 4 hours a day swinging – a quick go on the swings at Amelie’s school at drop off and pick up times followed by a solid core of the morning at nursery and then opportunistic visits to friends’ houses and local playgrounds. She now goes frighteningly high and has started to jump off while in mid air. This coupled with a new ability to climb up the rope attaching our tyre swing to a branch about 5m high is doing my nerves a lot of good!
We indulged Elise’s love of jumping this weekend at her birthday party by hiring a bouncy castle. I am pretty sure she will never get a party with as many children and activities so I hope she enjoyed it! Amazingly the party for 25 odd under 5s seemed to go smoothly and with nothing more serious than a few mosquito bites, though Amelie is still maintaining that pass the parcel was in no way fair!
With Elise’s birthday out of the way there are no excuses left – time to start thinking about clearing up and how to cope with the imminent fall in temperature!
I expect no sympathy, but January and the first half of February proved quite chilly. Aubs spent a lot of time laughing at me as I wrapped several layers around myself to get through the morning’s school run (although “someone” advised me against packing jumpers and fleeces I can now advise that a fleece or two come in very handy in Jan/Feb in the Gambia). However, even Aubs was very grateful of the bedspread I managed to get hold off to stave off the cold at night. All that is now behind us as things have started to warm up and so no one wants to be outside between 10am and 4pm because of the heat. The other notable weather feature since Christmas has been the wind. There is a strong wind which blows down from the Sahara bringing with it unimaginable amounts of dust so that almost everything turns a nice reddy-brown colour. It also heralds the end of the malaria season and start of the season for all things horrible that can attack the respiratory system!
While I am not sure that any of us took on any New Year’s resolutions, the girls are at least trying to learn some new skills. Amelie has taken up African drumming, though she seems to be limited to a single song (so I wouldn’t request a concert just yet). The drum also seems to be the perfect height to use as a pillow rest as I usually find most of the class slumped over their drums at pick up time! Amelie is also doing gardening as an after school activity, though since week two this has mainly a watering activity and a weekly competition of who can come home covered in the most mud. As the corn is know about knee length I am hoping we at least get to sample that before we leave.
Elise is mostly concentrating her energies on bouncing and swinging. I estimate she spends approximately 4 hours a day swinging – a quick go on the swings at Amelie’s school at drop off and pick up times followed by a solid core of the morning at nursery and then opportunistic visits to friends’ houses and local playgrounds. She now goes frighteningly high and has started to jump off while in mid air. This coupled with a new ability to climb up the rope attaching our tyre swing to a branch about 5m high is doing my nerves a lot of good!
We indulged Elise’s love of jumping this weekend at her birthday party by hiring a bouncy castle. I am pretty sure she will never get a party with as many children and activities so I hope she enjoyed it! Amazingly the party for 25 odd under 5s seemed to go smoothly and with nothing more serious than a few mosquito bites, though Amelie is still maintaining that pass the parcel was in no way fair!
With Elise’s birthday out of the way there are no excuses left – time to start thinking about clearing up and how to cope with the imminent fall in temperature!
Monday, 3 January 2011
Our Gambian Christmas
A lot of people, our girls included, were very concerned that Santa wouldn’t make it to the Gambia due to the lack of snow. I can assure you that he did make it and that his preferred form of transport in the Gambia is a white stretched limousine. Luckily, the was sufficient focus on Santa Claus at both girls’ schools (including an extensive correspondence, visit from Mrs Claus and learning of an impressive string of Santa themed songs) that the girls’ belief was sufficiently strengthened to have no qualms that the man himself did have time to make a trip to a local Gambian toy shop while swapping his reindeer for a limo at the local airport – there was even fake snow (that was good enough to cause a lot of slipping and sliding) to make Santa feel at home.
The Christmas spirit was also re-enforced by Aubs’ parents using most of their baggage allowance to supply the girls with an unnecessary number of presents. It also ensured I had a nice little supply of Green and Blacks chocolate so I can probably keep going until we are back in the UK.
All in all we had a fabulous Christmas. A large part of this was thanks to our friends Katie and Claudio who managed to organise a Christmas event at Boboi beach (down near the Southern border with Senegal) for 15 children and 17 adults. Although Boboi’s owners took a very Gambian approach in giving us Christmas lunch about 4 hours late, the location meant a delay could be tolerated as the children were very happy to amuse themselves bodyboarding, climbing in and out of the beach treehouses and practising their African drumming and dancing. I think Amelie’s highlight was roasting marshmallows on the camp fire, while Elise delighted in scarring me half to death by continually climbing ridiculously steep ladders up to ridiculously high tree houses. My personal highlight was watching the stars on the beach after dinner – absolutely fabulous in a place with no electricity and therefore no light pollution and we managed to see three shooting stars!
The children’s holiday was made by having their grandparents here which meant lots of attention, lots of ice cream and finally a visit to the local crocodile pool. It was as bizarre as promised – at least forty (visible) well fed (not thanks to the human visitors) crocodiles lying around a small pool with very little secure fencing to keep them from venturing further afield. I was relieved to hear that women take away water from the pool as a fertility aid rather than actually having to bathe with the crocs. Amelie was delighted to have another opportunity for a close encounter with a dangerous animal (so we have the requisite photos of her stroking a 2m plus long croc to add to her python pics) while Elise was much more bemused by the whole affair – so at least one of my children shows some sense.
For New Year we were invited to the compound of one of Aubs’ work colleagues. Simon lives with his six children and various other extended family members in a village about 30mins drive inland from us on the coast. We spent a lot of the morning memorising the names and ages of his children only to find that most of the Simon’s extended family and close neighbours were also in attendance so we had no hope of politely remembering any names. Despite having taken great pride in providing my latest hit recipe chocolate cake, the boys all preferred the Jenga game we bought with us and at least 20 local boys enjoyed crowded around a small coffee table for a tournament. The girls also worked their charms: Amelie (I’m convinced due to her straight hair which is a real source of interest among local children) managed to swing an introduction the family’s secret Fanta store behind my back (as I am continually battling against fizzy drinks here) and Elise manaed a trip to the local store for some biscuits (despite the delicious benechin on offer). Simon and his family have now set a very high standard of hospitality that will be very difficult to reciprocate!
So now back to work and school. It seems that everything now will be geared up to our return – we have only 3 months left!
The Christmas spirit was also re-enforced by Aubs’ parents using most of their baggage allowance to supply the girls with an unnecessary number of presents. It also ensured I had a nice little supply of Green and Blacks chocolate so I can probably keep going until we are back in the UK.
All in all we had a fabulous Christmas. A large part of this was thanks to our friends Katie and Claudio who managed to organise a Christmas event at Boboi beach (down near the Southern border with Senegal) for 15 children and 17 adults. Although Boboi’s owners took a very Gambian approach in giving us Christmas lunch about 4 hours late, the location meant a delay could be tolerated as the children were very happy to amuse themselves bodyboarding, climbing in and out of the beach treehouses and practising their African drumming and dancing. I think Amelie’s highlight was roasting marshmallows on the camp fire, while Elise delighted in scarring me half to death by continually climbing ridiculously steep ladders up to ridiculously high tree houses. My personal highlight was watching the stars on the beach after dinner – absolutely fabulous in a place with no electricity and therefore no light pollution and we managed to see three shooting stars!
The children’s holiday was made by having their grandparents here which meant lots of attention, lots of ice cream and finally a visit to the local crocodile pool. It was as bizarre as promised – at least forty (visible) well fed (not thanks to the human visitors) crocodiles lying around a small pool with very little secure fencing to keep them from venturing further afield. I was relieved to hear that women take away water from the pool as a fertility aid rather than actually having to bathe with the crocs. Amelie was delighted to have another opportunity for a close encounter with a dangerous animal (so we have the requisite photos of her stroking a 2m plus long croc to add to her python pics) while Elise was much more bemused by the whole affair – so at least one of my children shows some sense.
For New Year we were invited to the compound of one of Aubs’ work colleagues. Simon lives with his six children and various other extended family members in a village about 30mins drive inland from us on the coast. We spent a lot of the morning memorising the names and ages of his children only to find that most of the Simon’s extended family and close neighbours were also in attendance so we had no hope of politely remembering any names. Despite having taken great pride in providing my latest hit recipe chocolate cake, the boys all preferred the Jenga game we bought with us and at least 20 local boys enjoyed crowded around a small coffee table for a tournament. The girls also worked their charms: Amelie (I’m convinced due to her straight hair which is a real source of interest among local children) managed to swing an introduction the family’s secret Fanta store behind my back (as I am continually battling against fizzy drinks here) and Elise manaed a trip to the local store for some biscuits (despite the delicious benechin on offer). Simon and his family have now set a very high standard of hospitality that will be very difficult to reciprocate!
So now back to work and school. It seems that everything now will be geared up to our return – we have only 3 months left!
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Some visitors!
It is difficult to explain exactly how excited we were to have some visitors from home at last, all the way from Finchley!
We are slowly recovering our spirits following the departure of Jeanne, John, Alessia and Marnie as we had a fabulous time. It soon became obvious that with four girls aged five and under the more adventurous plans (dawn bird watching canoe trips, forest hikes around Makasutu) were going to be put on the back burner and we concentrated on the more child friendly activities that involved lots of sand and water.
The highlight of the sand/water play was a trip to Footsteps, an Ecolodge near the southern border with Senegal. The owner organised a beach fishing trip for the boys while the many girls (plus one token Brazilian male not so into fishing) stayed around their freshwater pool. I cannot do justice to Aubs’ excitement around the fishing and current his disappointment that the fish he caught were whisked away so quickly by the chef so you only have our word for the size of captain fish that he managed to catch.
There were also some wildlife adventures. We were all educated by John who actually had a “bird book of the Gambia” with him and so we finally learned the names of the birds we see on a daily basis (though we over 550 species there are quite a few to remember). We re-visited the reptile farm where Alessia (aged 3 years) surpassed Amelie’s previous bravery by diving straight into the python cage to emerge with a striking reptile necklace. This also gave Elise a chance to show that she has grown more courageous since our last visit – not quite brave enough to have a snake round her neck, but she was very happy to stroke the non poisonous ones and salmonella ridden terrapins (much to her father’s horror!). Jeanne and John did what we have failed to do in 4 months and made it to the sacred crocodile pool that is less than 5 mins drive from our house. Their descriptions have left me torn – they reported that the crocs are really very approachable and very well fed (aka docile), but some concern lingers as there are apparently several hundred crocs in close proximity to where we live that appear to escape into the local sewage system with alarming regularity.
The second half of November has also been a time of holiday/festivities with lots of time off school! The middle of November was Tobaski, the Muslim holiday remembering when Abraham’s son was spared as a sacrifice and replaced by a ram. It is a very family oriented time with people travelling back to be together for the holiday. Poeple also splash out on new outfits keeping the tailors very busy. Most strikingly it is marked by the killing (DIY style at home) and cooking of a ram – the bigger the better. Amelie embraced the getting dressed up part of the festival, but wasn’t so sure about the ram side of things. She spent a lot of time the day before Tobaski trying to persuade me to rescue, and bring home, the large ram that was tied up in front of the administrative buildings at the MRC for the day.
Last week was Thanksgiving which Amelie celebrated in full through her American School. She was a bit happier with the food there (everything apart from the cranberry sauce I think). I am still in awe of the teacher who managed to get hold of and cook a turkey for all the children and staff. Unfortunately, we were slightly lacking on the dressing up front. Amelie was cast as a pilgrim, but we discovered that a five year old’s wardrobe is not abundant in dark coloured, plan, long dresses – she may have been the first pilgrim to have been seen in pink leggings.
We are now starting to look forward to Christmas, though this has brought one of my stranger experiences in the Gambia: a local shop with a huge fake Christmas tree adorned with tinsel and Christmas pop tunes blarring out. So it looks as if we will have a tree after all this year!
We are slowly recovering our spirits following the departure of Jeanne, John, Alessia and Marnie as we had a fabulous time. It soon became obvious that with four girls aged five and under the more adventurous plans (dawn bird watching canoe trips, forest hikes around Makasutu) were going to be put on the back burner and we concentrated on the more child friendly activities that involved lots of sand and water.
The highlight of the sand/water play was a trip to Footsteps, an Ecolodge near the southern border with Senegal. The owner organised a beach fishing trip for the boys while the many girls (plus one token Brazilian male not so into fishing) stayed around their freshwater pool. I cannot do justice to Aubs’ excitement around the fishing and current his disappointment that the fish he caught were whisked away so quickly by the chef so you only have our word for the size of captain fish that he managed to catch.
There were also some wildlife adventures. We were all educated by John who actually had a “bird book of the Gambia” with him and so we finally learned the names of the birds we see on a daily basis (though we over 550 species there are quite a few to remember). We re-visited the reptile farm where Alessia (aged 3 years) surpassed Amelie’s previous bravery by diving straight into the python cage to emerge with a striking reptile necklace. This also gave Elise a chance to show that she has grown more courageous since our last visit – not quite brave enough to have a snake round her neck, but she was very happy to stroke the non poisonous ones and salmonella ridden terrapins (much to her father’s horror!). Jeanne and John did what we have failed to do in 4 months and made it to the sacred crocodile pool that is less than 5 mins drive from our house. Their descriptions have left me torn – they reported that the crocs are really very approachable and very well fed (aka docile), but some concern lingers as there are apparently several hundred crocs in close proximity to where we live that appear to escape into the local sewage system with alarming regularity.
The second half of November has also been a time of holiday/festivities with lots of time off school! The middle of November was Tobaski, the Muslim holiday remembering when Abraham’s son was spared as a sacrifice and replaced by a ram. It is a very family oriented time with people travelling back to be together for the holiday. Poeple also splash out on new outfits keeping the tailors very busy. Most strikingly it is marked by the killing (DIY style at home) and cooking of a ram – the bigger the better. Amelie embraced the getting dressed up part of the festival, but wasn’t so sure about the ram side of things. She spent a lot of time the day before Tobaski trying to persuade me to rescue, and bring home, the large ram that was tied up in front of the administrative buildings at the MRC for the day.
Last week was Thanksgiving which Amelie celebrated in full through her American School. She was a bit happier with the food there (everything apart from the cranberry sauce I think). I am still in awe of the teacher who managed to get hold of and cook a turkey for all the children and staff. Unfortunately, we were slightly lacking on the dressing up front. Amelie was cast as a pilgrim, but we discovered that a five year old’s wardrobe is not abundant in dark coloured, plan, long dresses – she may have been the first pilgrim to have been seen in pink leggings.
We are now starting to look forward to Christmas, though this has brought one of my stranger experiences in the Gambia: a local shop with a huge fake Christmas tree adorned with tinsel and Christmas pop tunes blarring out. So it looks as if we will have a tree after all this year!
Monday, 25 October 2010
Venturing out
Although I am really enjoying not having to drive more than 10mins in any direction on a daily basis, it has been nice over the past few weeks to venture slightly further afield.
Our first trip out (outside of the more touristy coastal area) took us south along the coast towards the border with Senegal. Between the last two villages on the Gambian side (Gunjur and Kartong) is a reptile farm run by a Frenchmen. By farm we mean someone’s garden off the main road filled with a series of pits, and some larger cages, cement or glasshouses containing a variety of snakes, tortoises and lizards. Although it was slightly disconcerting that the puff adders (very poisonous) were kept in the same sized pits as the more benign snakes with only a loose wire covering, this didn’t hold Amelie back. She went with the intention of emulating her friend, Jean Maurice, who had a picture of himself with a snake round his neck from the same farm and came away having had a python hung round her neck and having caressed a very large, but sleeping rock python (these are enormous). Elise was a little more suspicious, or some might say sensible, only daring to touch the tortoises. Still we learned a thing or two about when to run and when not to worry too much – at least in terms of snakes. Gambians are terrified of snakes so the farm actually has the aim of serving as a valuable educational resource for children trying to lift some of the ingrained myths, though part of me thinks that being scared of snakes is not always a bad thing.
Yesterday we headed towards the River Gambia, which runs through the middle of the country, to visit Matasutu. Makasutu, or “holy forest” is a mangrove forest sitting on a tributary of the river Gambia. Makasutu is called a “culture forest” as the daily tour involves traditional dancing, fortune telling with a traditional healer and a visit to the in-house craft market. However, as high season is not yet here we did not get the full cultural experience. We were the only people there which meant 1) it was incredibly peaceful, a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the coast and 2) the more touristy activities (craft market, dancing etc.) were stripped away leaving us more time to just enjoy the surroundings. We definitely adapted the Makasutu experience from the norm – shortened canoe trip as Amelie was petrified in the boat, shortened forest walk for the girls plus the poor guide ended up carrying the huge lump that is Amelie back to the camp, and lunch at the exclusive Mandina lodge attached to Makasutu. Usually the day tourists get a buffet at base camp, but as we were the only people visiting we were allowed to drive up to the lodge, which only houses 16 people at a time in floating river houses. We therefore got to enjoy some very salubrious surroundings that we think may usually be out of bounds to children. Despite, the abundance of nature with baboons roaming with their babies, kingfishers swooping down from the mangroves, crabs scuttling around in the mud at low tide; the girls were most excited by the pet dog, Yassa, who followed us around for a lot of the day. The cats at lunch were also much appreciated so from now on we are sticking to the local streets where it is never difficult to pick up a stray dog or cat!
In between these trips Amelie had her half term. This mainly involved lots of swimming, but was wisely used as she learned to swim underwater low enough and for long enough to swim through my legs. Unfortunately, she has developed expensive tastes and managed three trips to Coco Ocean which is one of the nicest hotels on the coast with spa, 5 star restaurant. She has shrewdly made some good contacts at school and her friends Tiguara is in turn friends with the hotel owner’s niece which means it is never a problem to use one of the three very nice pools. It wasn’t too much of a chore to take her there several times, but I am thinking it will be hard to come back home to the Finchley Lido!
This week is Elise’s half term – I am now acclimatised enough not to be surprised that schools do not co-ordinate their holidays. At least it means more time to prepare for the Halloween extravaganza that is belonging to an American school community – pictures of costumes and much pumpkin paraphernalia to follow.
Our first trip out (outside of the more touristy coastal area) took us south along the coast towards the border with Senegal. Between the last two villages on the Gambian side (Gunjur and Kartong) is a reptile farm run by a Frenchmen. By farm we mean someone’s garden off the main road filled with a series of pits, and some larger cages, cement or glasshouses containing a variety of snakes, tortoises and lizards. Although it was slightly disconcerting that the puff adders (very poisonous) were kept in the same sized pits as the more benign snakes with only a loose wire covering, this didn’t hold Amelie back. She went with the intention of emulating her friend, Jean Maurice, who had a picture of himself with a snake round his neck from the same farm and came away having had a python hung round her neck and having caressed a very large, but sleeping rock python (these are enormous). Elise was a little more suspicious, or some might say sensible, only daring to touch the tortoises. Still we learned a thing or two about when to run and when not to worry too much – at least in terms of snakes. Gambians are terrified of snakes so the farm actually has the aim of serving as a valuable educational resource for children trying to lift some of the ingrained myths, though part of me thinks that being scared of snakes is not always a bad thing.
Yesterday we headed towards the River Gambia, which runs through the middle of the country, to visit Matasutu. Makasutu, or “holy forest” is a mangrove forest sitting on a tributary of the river Gambia. Makasutu is called a “culture forest” as the daily tour involves traditional dancing, fortune telling with a traditional healer and a visit to the in-house craft market. However, as high season is not yet here we did not get the full cultural experience. We were the only people there which meant 1) it was incredibly peaceful, a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the coast and 2) the more touristy activities (craft market, dancing etc.) were stripped away leaving us more time to just enjoy the surroundings. We definitely adapted the Makasutu experience from the norm – shortened canoe trip as Amelie was petrified in the boat, shortened forest walk for the girls plus the poor guide ended up carrying the huge lump that is Amelie back to the camp, and lunch at the exclusive Mandina lodge attached to Makasutu. Usually the day tourists get a buffet at base camp, but as we were the only people visiting we were allowed to drive up to the lodge, which only houses 16 people at a time in floating river houses. We therefore got to enjoy some very salubrious surroundings that we think may usually be out of bounds to children. Despite, the abundance of nature with baboons roaming with their babies, kingfishers swooping down from the mangroves, crabs scuttling around in the mud at low tide; the girls were most excited by the pet dog, Yassa, who followed us around for a lot of the day. The cats at lunch were also much appreciated so from now on we are sticking to the local streets where it is never difficult to pick up a stray dog or cat!
In between these trips Amelie had her half term. This mainly involved lots of swimming, but was wisely used as she learned to swim underwater low enough and for long enough to swim through my legs. Unfortunately, she has developed expensive tastes and managed three trips to Coco Ocean which is one of the nicest hotels on the coast with spa, 5 star restaurant. She has shrewdly made some good contacts at school and her friends Tiguara is in turn friends with the hotel owner’s niece which means it is never a problem to use one of the three very nice pools. It wasn’t too much of a chore to take her there several times, but I am thinking it will be hard to come back home to the Finchley Lido!
This week is Elise’s half term – I am now acclimatised enough not to be surprised that schools do not co-ordinate their holidays. At least it means more time to prepare for the Halloween extravaganza that is belonging to an American school community – pictures of costumes and much pumpkin paraphernalia to follow.
My half term by Amelie
I have just had my half term holiday. My favourite thing in half term was our visit to Makasutu. Makasutu is a safari park (mummy says a forest park). They had a pet dog there called Yassa. Yassa and I played a lot together. There were also cats that we fed at lunchtime. We went on a boat trip at Makasutu (as it is a mangrove forest on the banks of the river Gambia). The boat was a hollowed out tree trunk, but it wobbled a lot and I didn’t like it. We saw mud skippers, which were like little tadpoles that shot away into the mud, and lots of crabs at low tide. There were also lots of baboons. They were big, but not scary and had lots of babies with them riding on their backs.
Half term was a good week as I went swimming a lot with my friend Tiguara from school. Tiguara’s dad is from Brazil and her name means bird of the water. It is a good name for her as she is very good at swimming. My mum even took me to have my nails painted, but the pink colour came off as I went swimming straight afterwards.
We are planning a big Halloween party this Friday at my school. My mum and I are helping with some of the stalls – the slime one is going to be the best: you have to put your hand in slime and pull out a scary prize! I am very excited about Halloween and have been making a skeleton costume with my dad. My sister is going to dress up as a pumpkin.
Half term was a good week as I went swimming a lot with my friend Tiguara from school. Tiguara’s dad is from Brazil and her name means bird of the water. It is a good name for her as she is very good at swimming. My mum even took me to have my nails painted, but the pink colour came off as I went swimming straight afterwards.
We are planning a big Halloween party this Friday at my school. My mum and I are helping with some of the stalls – the slime one is going to be the best: you have to put your hand in slime and pull out a scary prize! I am very excited about Halloween and have been making a skeleton costume with my dad. My sister is going to dress up as a pumpkin.
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