Essau

As the ship docked in Banjul a band assembled to greet us, complete with bagpipes and they played for a good hour as the various excursions got under way. We watched a market arrive on vans and carts;stallholders clambered about on the precariously overloaded roof racks before laying out their wares on the quay where they remained for the remainder of the day just for the custom of Saga passengers.
..It was Independence Day in The Gambia today. 59 years since Britain relinquished control and hence this was a national holiday and was quiet compared to normal. It was a very warm day as is usual for the dry season.
Fortunately our coach had working air conditioning,( others weren't so lucky) so our 4 hour expedition was ok.
The guide was excellent. We drove by the square in Banjul where the parade of all the military and various other services were assembling, dignitaries were taking their seats and a band was playing in preparation for the President 's arrival .
We headed first to Bakau, through mangroves and sandy roads to the crocodile pool. The mangrove roots provide anchorage for the local oyster trade. The oysters are cooked and removed from their shells and taken to market. The shells are then ground up to make the whitewash for buildings. Apparently mangrove roots when added to caustic soda produce indigo dye! The area is very agricultural producing vegetables, peanuts, cashews and mangoes.
The crocodiles at the pool are quite tame and fed only on fish so that they don't get the taste for red meat. It was the walk to the pool that was the most eye opening however. Through narrow, dusty tracks full of rubbish and surrounded by the shanty housing of the local people. We were followed by children of all ages, mostly boys, desperate to be given money. There was no aggression in their behaviour, just a trained persistence.
We then drove through the streets of Serrekunda, the most populated town in The Gambia with well over 2 million inhabitants. The photos I took as we manoeuvred our way say much about the poverty and life here. Driving down these streets is only possible on this one day in each year!
Back to Banjul, which is on an island in the mouth of the Gambian river, we stopped at the arch built to commemorate independence, which I climbed. I was fascinated by the high number of hooded vultures circling above and swooping quite low to the top of the arch. These large birds are magnificent at riding the air currents.
We stopped at the National Museum. Put together in an old colonial building it contains an attempt to reflect on the history and culture of the country. The displays are so tatty, unkempt and basic but the people are so proud.
We finished our tour with a walk through the Albert market. The way that fish is prepared and sold here makes the markets in Cape Verde positively splendid! No sense of hygiene at all, swarming with flies in the 35° heat. Most fish are heavily salted or dried only a few are fresh and all are local. Vegetables on the other hand look beautiful.
We bought a few presents in the artifacts part of the market, bartering on price. You just have to make an offer on what you think the goods are worth and then increase it until you reach a compromise. It's bad practice to ask ' how much?'.
Dinner tonight was a Portuguese buffet on the pool deck. We were entertained by a Gambian drum and dance group dressed in African costumes. The kitchen had gone to town preparing lots of seafood including squid, prawns, baby octopus, sardines seafood stew with giant scallops and muscles. There was also a giant haunch of beef. Quite a party on deck with lots of singing and dancing as we left port.Read more