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Travel notes from Serekunda
Hi Everyone,
I woke up on Sunday morning under African skies. For those of you who didn't know I am back on the road for a while travelling through West Africa. Departed a very wet and windy London last Saturday and flew to Banjul in The Gambia via Brussels and Conakry.
You'll be pleased to know that the weather here is perfect, maybe a little too hot. Blue skies and sunshine, temperatures around 30'c. I'm staying just outside Banjul in Serekunda just inland from the Atlantic coast resorts. Found a nice cheap little hotel, the Malawi Guesthouse just off Kairaba Ave. It's a very peaceful relaxed place, run by an ex-pat from Hampshire, UK. Well it's peaceful when the generator has been turned off. Otherwise it sounds like someone left a tractor running in the courtyard.
Since my arrival, I have been taking life easy, adjusting to the change in climate and at last taking a chance to sit down and relax after what was a very hectic few days of work before I left. On Sunday I went out to the Abuko Nature Reserve, near the airport. It's only a small place but with a large and varied number of plants and animals. I was the only person I saw there. I went along in the late afternoon and spent a couple of hours wandering around the reserve and sitting in hides watching the wildlife. Saw a couple of crocodiles and loads of monkeys, the green, the red colobus and patas monkey.
Today I went into Banjul to take a look around the city. It's a very small place; you could walk through the whole city in about 30 minutes. It had the feel more of a small town than a capital city. I went to the National Museum and viewed the rather dusty exhibits. There were some interesting old photos and newspaper cuttings about the colonial times and the military coup in 1994.
Went to the Arch 22, a giant gateway into the city built to celebrate the military coup of 22 July 1994. It looked rather out of place surrounded by the rest of the city, which mostly consisted of one-storey houses with corrugated iron roofs. From the top of the arch there was a good view across the city and to the Gambia river and the Atlantic Ocean.
Spent a bit more time wandering the streets. Headed down to Albert market, the biggest market in the country (this is a small country though).
Tomorrow, Tuesday, I start my journey east to Mali. I'll be travelling upstream to Georgetown, about 300km east of Banjul.
So far this place has been very hassle free. The people are very friendly and helpful. It makes a change from my last few journeys to start my journey somewhere very green and tropical. I've almost got used to being in deserts for the last few trips.
For those of you who followed last years trip around Tunisia and Morocco, you can now read in detail about that trip in the Reports section of my website.
Regards,
Geoff.
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