The Gambia and back to Senegal

After two nights at Paradise Beach, it was time to pack our bags and explore some more of The Gambia. We definitely could have stayed there for many more days with its perfect climate of sun and gentle sea breezes, delicious freshly squeezed juices, and fabulous fish each day. 

We went further north to the city of Serrecunda as we wanted to visit Abuko Forest Reserve which was nearby. Serrecunda is basically the transport hub of The Gambia and not really a tourist destination, but it made sense to us from an ease of transport and cheap accommodation perspective. After finding somewhere to stay, (a cheap hotel which quite possibly doubled as a brothel as well!) we took the bus out to Abuko Forest Reserve where we spent a really pleasant afternoon wandering around seeing lots of birds, monkeys, crocodiles and duikers (small antelope). It was incredibly peaceful despite being near the city. Particularly memorable was getting really close to a troop of red colobus monkeys and seeing a kingfisher catch a tilapia.

It was something of a struggle to find somewhere to eat in Serrecunda. We found a local restaurant where the lady produced a bucket of pre-cooked chicken and fish as the menu options. Despite the questionable hygiene and length of time the food may have been sitting there, we had a decent enough meal of chicken, chips and salad. 

Thankfully we suffered no ill effects and were able to continue with our travels the next morning. It was quite a mission to get to our next location, Jinack Island. A local bus from Serrecunda to Banjul, then a shared taxi to the ferry port, and the ferry across The Gambia River from Banjul to Barra. That was the easy part. We then needed to get from Barra to the island which according to the website could be done by taking a shared taxi from Barra to Kayang village crossing, then getting a boat and finally a donkey cart to the lodge itself. Well, in Africa, nothing is ever simple and so far our transport had been going suspiciously well…  On reaching Barra, it seemed to be impossible to get a shared taxi and we were repeatedly told you had to take a 4 wheel drive vehicle at inflated tourist prices to get to the island. Once we finally managed to sort out transport at a reasonable price, our driver suggested that if we waited an hour, he could take us all the way to the lodge because it is possible to drive across to the island at low tide. You can probably guess where this is going… 

After having lunch, we set off an hour later only to arrive at the crossing to discover the tide was not yet low enough. Therein another hour and a half of waiting. Africans have an amazing ability to sit around and wait, and Gambian men even more so because they seem to spend their entire lives sitting about smoking weed and talking about the greatness of reggae and Bob Marley. Finally, after wading out into the river to test the depth, and numerous suggestions from us that we just take the longer route and get the boat, our driver in his infinite wisdom decides it will be okay to cross. If he had a decent vehicle and the ability to drive it, then yes it would no doubt have been fine but as neither of those boxes was ticked, we inevitably got stuck half way across and the engine cut out. Luckily by this stage, we had a couple of other guys in the vehicle so between them they got out and pushed it across to the other side. Miraculously, they got the engine going again and we finally made it to the lodge. It would have been a long walk otherwise!!

Jinack Lodge was an interesting experience. Billed as an eco lodge on a paradise island, it could have been that and may well once have been. However, like so many places in West Africa, it had rather gone to seed. We were again the only guests and if you wanted somewhere to get away from it all in basic surroundings, then it would certainly fit the bill. The island technically lies half in Gambian waters and half in Senegalese waters, although all the people living on the island speak Mandinka. 

After two nights on the island, it was time to make the long journey from their to Dakar and rejoin the rest of the group. It took the best part of ten hours to do that so for those of you who think travelling is all lovely and beautiful beaches and sunsets, sometimes it is really very far from that!! By 10am in the morning, we had not only crossed the border from The Gambia to Senegal, but were on our sixth different mode of transport. A 15 minute walk from the lodge to the river at 6.15am, a boat, an overloaded four wheel drive being attacked by sandflies, a local bus, a motorbike across the border, and a supremely uncomfortable sept-place for the remainder of the journey. I could bore you with the logistics of trying to balance remaining hydrated whilst also ensuring that you don’t need the toilet for long periods of time - suffice to say, it is a challenge! Still it is all an adventure with equal elements of frustration and amusement along the way. The Senegalese immigration was particularly entertaining. The police officer seemed most concerned as to why I wasn’t married with children. We had quite a chat, in French, I might add, about this! 

A long day, but we are now back with the rest of the group in Dakar in a surprisingly nice hotel for three nights. Dakar is rather more modern and cosmopolitan than any of the other West African cities we have come across. On the whole, it is quite clean with actual pavements and sewage systems, tarred roads, nice restaurants. Some of the group will end their trip here and some new people join for the next leg of the journey from Dakar to Marrakech, through Mauritania and the Western Sahara. Bring on the desert!