The Gambia

I negotiated a taxi from our Hotel in Dakar (the Accor, near the ferry terminal) to the Gambian border for 120k CFA, and the safe return of Glen and Teresa to the airport the following evening. The owner of the taxi company paid me what I believed to be a compliment when he told me a bargained hard like a Frenchman. He started at 160k CFA for a one way trip for one person so I was pleased with what we ended up paying for three. Much cheaper than flying and we got to pick our leave time from Dakar – a very respectable 11am.

We didn't have enough local currency so we had our driver stop by one of the local money changers to get some USD exchanged so we could pay him. I tried to haggle over the rate but it was not going to change 460 CFA to the USD. Our driver spoke no English but the taxi owner, Mass Kane, called the driver regularly throughout our journey to make sure we were happy and making good progress. It was a nice touch.

Compared to the previous day, there was a haze over Dakar which trapped the heat the blocked the direct sunlight. The visibility was poor and it never really improved as we drove further south. We crossed the border at Karang and said goodbye to the driver. Glen arranged to meet him the following afternoon when he and Teresa would make the return trip to Dakar. On the Gambian side we met up with the Taxi owners ‘friend’ who would shepherd us the remainder of the way, whether we needed him or not. He actually proved to be pretty helpful and friendly but we knew he was looking for a tip for his local knowledge.

Welcome to The Gambia

After a short taxi ride to Barra on the north bank of the Gambia River we were forced to stop and wait for the next ferry. Two ferries usually ply the journey between Barra and Banjul but one was out of service and the other was as slow as anything I've seen on the water. We waited about 90 minutes during which time I changed some money and had a surprisingly good meal for less than $10 for the four of us (shepherd included). The quality of most Gambian paper money is awful, especially the smaller denominations (5, 10 & 25).

The Gambia River ferry coming into dock

 By the time the ferry left it was dusk, the mosquitoes were out and the river was angry. It took all of an hour to get to Banjul and by this time it was dark and I was anxious to get to our hotel. Banjul is not much of a city and there is very little to see and do there so decided not to stay. Unfortunately I had forgotten the name of the place I had booked and paid for on hotels.com the night before, which I knew was about 15km away – another taxi. I had a hunch it began with K and had the word Beach in it. On our shepherds advice we headed for the Kombo Beach Resort in Kololi, not far from Serakunda. They had no record of our booking, and neither did I because we had no internet access so I asked to use the computer at the front desk to check my Hotmail account. After a nervous few minutes I found the reservation, printed it out and made it to our room by about 10pm. The only wifi access was in the bar so we parked ourselves there for a later supper and drinks.

The Beach at Kombo Beach Resort

 The beach at Kololi & Kotu is very nice and even though the resorts are a little dated they are reasonably priced for the location and have free breakfast and comfy beds. We paid about USD$120 for a triple and after Glen & Teresa left a single room, which wasn't much smaller, was USD$70.

CROCODILES
It was sad to say goodbye to Teresa & Glen the following afternoon - it wouldn't be the same without them around. I've done a lot of trips with Glen and to have the pleasure of Teresa's company in Africa was something very special. But with them both gone I had to get out and about to get my mind off things so after some Dutch courage I walked up the beach to the crocodile pond and finally got to touch was of the adults. I was a bit worried at first but there was children running around so I figured if any of them were hungry they would likely go for them first. The pond has algae all over it so when the crocodiles emerge they have an eerie green glow about them.

Kachikally crocodile pool

Crocodiles really are misunderstood

There are a few markets around the place but the biggest is in Serekunda. It's difficult to know exactly where it starts and finishes but I wandered around for about an hour and ended up buying a South African football jersey so that I could tell people I’m from there instead of New Zealand since very few people can appreciate where and how far away it is.

Tomorrow I plan to do some hard core African traveling in sept-place taxis which are seven-seater shared station wagons that commute between major towns all over the place. The aim is to get all the way to Bissau in Guinea-Bissau but I’ll have to stop in Ziguinchor along the way to pick up a visa, and the consulate closes at 2pm.

THE GAMBIA QUICK GUIDE
Capital: Banjul
Currency: Dalisis (USD$1 = 40D)
Language: English, Creole
Drives on the Right, or wherever there are no pot holes
Beer of choice: Jul Brew