Previous country: Senegal
4th November 2023 – easy border crossing from Senegal to Gambia- around 50 minutes. They asked for money to stamp the Carnet but we said that there was no charge. Half of police checkpoints they ask for money. At the border they wanted 5,000 Gambian Dalasi to stamp the Carnet. We politely said that with a Carnet you don’t have to pay and it was no problem. At one of the Police checkpoints he said he liked Green Tea (they call tea Attaya here made with Chinese gunpowder green tea) and were we going to give him some tea! He later said that he wanted everything in our pockets! Half joking, half serious intent. They are not well paid so do this to locals too who will buy them breakfast or somesuch to continue on their way.
At a military checkpoint after the border he was very aggressive asking for money. I carefully explained to him that he wanted an argument but I did not. He eventually calmed down and let us go. But only after saying that we must have brought something in the car for him (phrased as the people of Gambia!). Some clothes for cold weather or a football!
We are staying in an Eco Lodge next to the Gambia river. It is run by the village for the benefit of the village. The village is 400 people and families appoint representatives depending on the size of their family. They took advice from a Belgian who runs a lodge. They have been operating for 23 years but have built new roundels with en suite showers and toilets. They are so well organised, they have a management committee and even an audit. Evidence of British colonial processes everywhere here. They have a borehole and a garden to grow vegetables. There are 90 acres of woodland including mahogany trees. We hope to do a boat trip later. The staff here are so friendly. They made us a delicious dinner last night. Obviously lockdown was disastrous for them and they are struggling to recover. The government closed all hotels here and sent police to check if they were operating illegally.
George is going to need attention. He is using a lot of coolant after his alternator seizure in the mountains of Morocco. I checked and tightened all the hoses and can’t see any leak anywhere. Slightly concerned that the overheating may have caused a problem for the head gasket (I pray not). It could be a water pump or P gasket though. We read that there is a legendary British Land Rover guy Dave (!) who has been in Gambia for 20 years and we plan to pay him a visit. George is shortly due an oil change too so may get that done while we can.
Our Moroccan gas bottle is nearly empty and there is a German guy who runs a campsite who is adept at arranging the filling of foreign gas bottles. He is conveniently close to Dave the Land Rover guy!
5th November 2023 – news on the overland West Africa WhatsApp group is all about issues in Guinea. The ex President was broken out of prison but has been recaptured but one of his compatriots hasn’t yet. Some are saying that the border is closed (some say that it reopened). We will keep monitoring it.
The Gambians are very friendly. They bill themselves as the smiling coast of Africa. Everyone we meet wants to talk and has interesting stories to tell. This morning at the Eco project one of them was telling us about his work as a herbal healer and another about a bee keeping and fish fertiliser project (to replace the use of urea based fertiliser with waste fish as a natural fertiliser that improves yields).
The creek from the Eco Lodge (Gambia river to the left):
There are natural oysters here, Tilapia and Barracuda.
We hope to meet a Gambian friend tomorrow in Brikama.
Went on a boat trip through the mangroves. So peaceful but not many birds about – some parrots and a snake bird. But so serene and beautiful. The boat is made from a single mahogany tree.
Beautiful sunset too:
Sorry about the wonky horizon!
6th November 2023 – having breakfast and I am told the wonderfully lyrical local name for bread is Tapalapa!
The second battery on George is flat this morning. I guess the fridge is having to work really hard in this heat. The solar panel is now giving charge but Lithium phosphate batteries don’t like being fully discharged. We will have to be careful when we are stationary for a day again. It is already very hot, there is a blissful time in the early morning when you don’t feel like you are in an oven and can sleep soundly! It is amazing just how good that can feel! Humans need some creature comforts for wellbeing!
The battery is fully recovered now. Unclear what happened except the heat and being stationary. At least we have solar and quite a lot of sun!
We gave ourselves haircuts this morning (we bought Wahl clippers with us, a legacy of lockdown!) which helps in the heat as any excess hair just makes you feel even hotter!
Our host at the Eco camp was explaining about their storytelling tradition here. They tell traditional stories around the fire and have songs that accompany them. They are thinking of doing them as a seasonal activity at the Eco camp, excellent idea.
When we came to put the tent down this morning I was gobsmacked to see one of the struts has bent like a banana. Rachel was lowering the tent as I was tucking in the canvas. We contacted the manufacturer back in the UK and they are going to DHL express 2 more struts to us. They believe that the tent was closed unevenly but I am more than sceptical of that hypothesis.
Bent strut:
We met my Gambian friend Abass outside Gambia College and went to his home for lunch. First real Gambian food. Rice with fish, quite spicy! We are going to hopefully meet up again tomorrow.
Ate dinner at the local restaurant called Kingfisher. The chef/owner said that he had trained in the UK with the help of a sponsor who still visit him and his family each year in Gambia. He told us about his difficulties getting a UK visa (he was initially rejected) but the embassy received 75 emails within 24 hours supporting his case and his visa was granted. He had a very rare and fortunate opportunity denied to so many Africans. Pleased to say his butterfish, chips and onions Gambian style (they love them!) was delicious.
7th November 2023 – we visited Dave the Land Rover legend and he found that George’s header tank was cracked underneath by doing a pressure test. He unfortunately sold his spare header tank two weeks ago but has added a new one to his current order of parts (42 kilograms of them) coming from the UK via Brussels Airlines. Should be here in 6 days. He will flush the radiator when he fits the new header tank as it was full of sludge! Dave has been in Gambia for 23 years and is quite a character. He used to have a contract to maintain Land Rovers for the EU and was bringing in 300 kilograms of parts every week. The Land Rovers have all sadly been auctioned off. His compound is full of Range Rovers and Land Rovers of every kind including some old military 101s (there were 10 at a local camp now sadly in disrepair). Dave’s Gambian wife was eating mince pies, ever resourceful Dave gets an online Tesco order relayed to the Gambia!!
The header tank has been repaired with epoxy glue for the time being and is holding well so far (Inshallah). The header tanks are plastic and are notorious for cracking on repeated heating and cooling. There are aluminium ones available (might consider that in the future!).
Cracked tank (along the moulding line and outward):
It has to be said that the environment (dust and heat especially) is harsh in Africa. It takes its toll on things mechanical (and on us humans too to be honest).
We are staying at Sakuta Camp & Lodge run by a German couple which has lovely shady gardens with Avocado, Malayna, Eucalyptus and shrubs. It is beautifully laid out (and is currently for sale if anyone is interested!). They also have a vehicle storage unit which is used extensively by overland travellers in rainy season. There is an amazing “open air” shower with a tree and bromeliads in it!
Had hoped to meet up with Abass today but he had been called to the college so will probably meet up tomorrow.
Visited the gas bottle place and they know a place that can refill our 3kg Cadac bottle from South Africa. They tried to explain how to get there but then one of them kindly said that they would do it for us. He will phone me tomorrow when it is done! Super friendly people the Gambians.
8th November 2023 – so we are waiting for parts but we plan to go down the coast a bit and come back so it isn’t a serious issue.
Went to pick up refilled gas bottle but some excuse about transport being broken and come back tomorrow.
Spent the day with Abass chatting. I learned a lot about the Gambia’s chequered history since independence. Also about his Public Health studies. Abass is an exceptional student and Vice President of the Student Union (for Gambia College which has 13,000 students). He is adept at public speaking and is passionate about health issues. It was great to spend this time with him. We will meet up later when his semester and exams are finished.
He bought me a Gambian type Djellaba. I think it looks so much better on him than the Toubab (white European)!
9th November 2023 – plan to move down the coast and come back for the parts next week.
Went to try and get the gas bottle back but it isn’t there so we have left it until we return to Sakuta.
We are staying near the beach under a grove of mango trees. We were going to walk to the beach but it is still quite hot so we will walk there later. We met Lamin who has a plot of land where he is growing Okra, Lemons, Oranges, Banana, Guava, sweet peppers, tomatoes and various flowers to sell at market. He has a well with a bucket (around 9 metres deep) to water the garden. He told us about his ideas and plans for the future.
The Gambians are so friendly but inevitably they often wish to make acquaintance with Europeans. Some can be quite a nuisance at the beach and have been named Bumsters.
We see on DHL online tracking that the replacement strut for the rooftent is now in Nigeria from Belgium. It is going to be well travelled by the time it gets to us! It is well off course at the moment.
It was cooler last night and today. Rather hoping that this may continue (some locals are saying so).
Some Gambians are having drum practice at the campsite tonight and they are really good.
10th November 2023 – it is one year since my father passed away. Inevitably feeling sad but equally remembering his extraordinary kindness and generosity to his children. He changed our lives in so very many ways. He was a man of honour and a real Gentleman. Sorely missed. A long life well lived. Bless him always.
We walked down to the expansive beach which was completely empty of tourists. We had some freshly squeezed orange juice in a juice bar run by Moses. They claim tourism is returning but there is little sign of it.
The area has lots of trees and sandy tracks:
There are lots of huge coconut palms:
The place we are staying makes Pizza so we are having that tonight. Not very Gambian but a pleasant change. The chef is originally from Barbados but lived for 8 years in Harlow! Small world indeed. The chef Ansell showed us the Pizza oven after dinner. Impressive traditional wood fire arrangement, it can cook a Pizza in 4 minutes!
11th November 2023 – the replacement gas strut is now in Dakar according to DHL tracking. On the next available flight but doesn’t say when that is or an ETA. But at least it is moving!
Went to the beach this morning with Lamin and his friend. They take his sheep once a week to the sea to wash them to keep them clean and healthy. I have never seen this anywhere but if you are near the sea I guess it makes sense!
We are staying at a place called Boboi Beach Lodge. One of the staff here was climbing the coconut palms and cutting them with a machete. Some of them were jelly coconuts that you can eat with a teaspoon. A couple of Europeans were trying to climb using the hoop but it is impossible. The Gambian made it look so easy!
We took a walk along the beach this evening, we are nearly at the most southern point of Gambia. The beach is beautiful but (again) sad to see so much plastic.
We ate food at Boboi where we are staying because there are Gambian food options but they seemed to have to send someone out to buy the ingredients for a lot of the options chosen! My food claimed to be spicy hot on the menu but was rather disappointingly not hot at all.
Sunset.
12th November 2023 – the gas strut is still in Dakar (despite there being daily flights). It is on African time! We are going to stay here another night even though it is full as it is next to the beach and really chilled. When we arrived yesterday the owner had just rushed his son to hospital as he had been found face down in the sea by some German overlanders (with a Land Rover TD5) who had been teaching him to swim. Thankfully he is shocked but fine.
Updating this site using SIM card data connections is working well. I can do it on the phone without having to use a laptop too. Not taking anywhere near as many photos as usual but that may change. Uploading photos is more problematic than text of course. Photo files are big and mobile data upload speeds slow(ish).
Cows on the beach this morning :
Met two Gambians visiting the lodge to relax, he worked for an NGO distributing US food aid across West Africa (including currently dangerous spots like Mali and Burkina Faso). She clearly wasn’t his wife (!) and wants to come travelling with us! Interesting to hear of the development challenges that Gambia faces which are clearly very great indeed.
Gambian friend Abass is planning on visiting us here today and staying until tomorrow. There were no rooms left (busy at the weekend) so I took Abass to catch the bus home. I don’t like driving at night in Africa but it was only 10 minutes drive each way.
We went swimming, it was beautifully warm but the waves are big.
13th November 2023 – gas strut still in Dakar (coming in African time!). Hopefully the header tank for the Land Rover arrives today so we can get it fitted tomorrow.
Gambia is a great destination, stunning deserted beaches (altough we are in the quieter south furthest from cities) and really friendly people. We will certainly miss the tapalapa bread. It is supposed to be sold in Senegal though (perhaps more in the South, we will see). We mostly got baguettes in Northern Senegal (at least the French left them something without payment) which don’t stay fresh as long. The Sonia pepper sauce is great but very hot indeed (hope to buy some). Gambia has great food traditions, often eaten from a shared bowl with your hands (although spoons are fine), you eat the section closest to you and the host often takes the flesh off the fish for the guest and tosses it into their section of the bowl.
When I am travelling I really like to meet local people (not always easy if you are in a lodge for Toubab). Meeting locals gives you unique insights into a country and it’s culture.
DHL are reporting that the parcel left a DHL facility at 9:30am. Unclear what this really means but sounds hopeful!
Daniel (aged 14) came to collect fruit. Rachel tasted it and it was quite unpleasant! The smell is enough to put you off!
14th November 2023 – the gas strut has arrived in Banjul. So we will head to the DHL office and collect it. We will hopefully collect the refilled butane gas on the way.
Enjoyed time with Lamin in his garden. He brewed Attaya (tea) which is done with huge amounts of tea leaves in a tiny tea pot over charcoal. The tea is poured from glass to glass maybe 20 times until it is half foam and repeatedly returned to the pot. It is quite a process that is done with great reverence and care. Lamin making Attaya:
We picked up the gas strut from the DHL office near Banjul. The road was very full and progress very slow but at least we have the new strut and a spare now. Having opened the package now I see the replacement gas struts are rated at 750 newtons and the previous ones 820. We have asked for advice as the two sides are now uneven. The advice seems to be to match the struts and keep the higher rated one as a spare but no reason given.
We picked up our South African Cadac 3kg gas bottle replenished with gas. Amazed it was possible here because the fittings are different. We now have 2 gas bottles and loaned one to a german neighbour until his is refilled today. It is pretty bonkers that there are so many different fittings for gas bottles.
15th November 2023 – it can be a strange life on the road, itinerant. But every day is different and there are different experiences every day. I love it as a way of travelling. You see a country in a very different way to flying in and staying in a hotel especially if you are free camping (which we haven’t done this time yet but expect to further South.
The German owners of the campsite refused to take our rubbish yesterday! Extraordinary. They did want to take the cardboard packaging however. How cheeky is that? The price tariff here is incredibly detailed €1 for a hot shower, the wifi is extra, signs everywhere telling you what to do (and, of course, what NOT to do). Quite Germanic and slightly Basil Fawlty!
Met our first British overlanders yesterday. Surprised there have been so few.
Hopefully Dave the Land Rover legend will have our new header tank today and can do the radiator flush (without being too grumpy!).
New header tank arrived on schedule and fitted by Dave the Land Rover legend! His Gambian assistant was tasked with removing the bottom hose to flush the radiator but was under the car so long I thought he had fallen asleep!! Slight oil weep from the rocker cover so we took a gasket in case it gets worse.
Dave gave me the guided tour of his compound (as he wants to sell and I have a contact in the UK who knows everyone in the Land Rover world and I agreed to contact him to see if he may know of anyone).
Had lunch of amazing tiger prawns (huge) in breadcrumbs and fish by the beach.
Now maintenance chores are done we are ready for South Senegal.
16th November 2023 – we have some hornbills nesting in a tree above us at Sakuta Lodge. They make a racket when they roost in rhe evening and two times every morning at around half past six, like an alarm clock!
There is also a bird (I haven’t even seen it) that I call the “What what” bird because of the sound it makes. I think West Africa is a birders paradise. The calls of some of the birds are so complex.
Met some experienced German overlanders yesterday evening who are wondering about whether to continue further south (their original plan being Benin like us). I am mystified regarding why. I think you would always regret it if you don’t continue. We keep in touch with the Swiss couple we met on the ferry and will meet up with them in Senegal as we are both going to the same campsite. It is useful when they are meandering differently to us because we can get an idea of places worth visiting on the way back.
Return to Gambia
Return
10th February 2024 – We are back at Sakuta lodge after 3 months. It doesn’t seem possible but we have done 6,600 miles since then.
11th February 2024 – went to try and get spare wheel balanced but too many places are closed on a Sunday but we know a place with a machine now. In Senegal it was impossible we just couldn’t find a place with a machine (they are few and far between). We changed the tube with a slow leak to a spare one and the guy wouldn’t let us pay! A great kindness.
12th February 2024 – tried to stay at Eco footprints but they have turned their camping area into a garden. We asked if we could stay in the parking area and they agreed and then declined. We are back at Bird’s nest where we stayed before. It is getting sadly run down however. We went to eat at Eco footprints. Very disappointing sadly. It claims to have its own organic garden etc. The portions were measly and part of the food was cold (rice). It also took ages, everyone to eat at 7:30pm but mains didn’t arrive until well after 8pm. Not good value either.
13th February 2024 – moved down the coast to Boboi Beach resort (stayed here before).
14th February 2024 – finally got our spare wheel balanced in Sakuta. Very few places to do that. We have been waiting since Guinea to get it done! Stayed at an ecolodge which is a community project funded by Spanish at Hawba. The staff were great and the food good. We chatted to the manager before we left. I love projects like this.
15th February 2024 – finally picked up our refilled gas bottle after some days of being messed around (again!). He had to go to a funeral etc etc!! Staying at Bintang Balong on the edge of the mangroves (Balong is Mandinka for a creek).
There are oysters here (collected by the women):
There are gardens of onions and also of mint that are grown by the women and that they sell in the market in Brikama each day:
16th February 2024 – A bus turned up at the lodge late and was making a lot of noise disturbing us and some Dutch overlanders next door. I asked them to keep the noise down and switch their music off. The driver ignored me and walked off leaving the keys in the ignition. I got up and removed the keys. One of the passengers in the bus started ranting that it was a government registered bus and he was going to have me arrested for interfering with it!. I just climbed the roof tent ladder and left him ranting (he seemed to have anger management issues). People can be so selfish.
Abass came on the bus to Bintang Bolong lodge for most of the day. It was 41 Celsius today. Nice breeze in the mangroves but still way too hot.
17th February 2024 – moved to near Yassu. There is an island where you can see Chimpanzees, hippos and crocodiles. We have a boat trip booked for 3:30pm.
We saw Hippos, Red Colobus monkeys and Chimpanzees! Really good but so hot out on the water. A high of 41 Celsius again today. Photos quite difficult (especially with the misbehaving camera). I will try to add tomorrow. Visitors are not allowed on the island because of disease risk to the Chimpanzees.
I talked to one of the river boat Captains aged 23. He had tried to go to Europe through Libya and spent 8 months in prison there. The UN repatriated him on a UN flight with 160 other Gambians. Of course the traffickers were keen to use him considering his skills with a boat. His family sold their Grandfather’s land to get him out of prison but he was further twice rearrested. He realises now that the risks are too great and is happy to live and work in the Gambia and put it behind him. African youth faces many challenges, there isn’t enough work.
18th February 2024 – visited the stone circles at Wassau. Strange monolithic structures that are thought to be a royal burial ground. Made from a kind of limestone that looks volcanic.
Where we are staying tonight has Vervet monkeys:
19th February 2024 – went on the ferry across the Gambia river:
