The Garden Guest House Bakau

When our wallets were seriously slim from the delights of Dakar we decided to move on but although Basse Cassemance in the south of Senegal sounds like such a special place it is plagued by separatist issues and so seemed unsafe as our next stop. Tempted by an overnight ferry trip to the region's capital city, Ziginchour that would see us wake up amid the stunning scenery and ...

... at bakau, botanical gardens and a crocodile pool where we touched crocodiles! The next day after some serious shopping we went to Kololi and went on a forset walk where there are wild monkeys and the monkeys ate out our hands and followed us! So turned out to be a pretty awesome trip to gambia even if the gambian men who approached us were annoying as... Now back in dakar and had a lovely bucket wash as there is no water... Heading to ghana tomorrow eve

... a pound coin into my hand. I was outraged, yes, but not enough to give back the money. Being back was in some ways unsettling. Many things have changed whilst I have been away. My friends have bought houses, climbed career ladders, established nest eggs, got married, started families... I, on the other hand, have no permanence whatsoever. I freeload in a rented house, work in an absorbing but temporary job, have a ...

... pointless. This is made worse when statements are so general and not based in fact that it is impossible to debate them. I'm not in the position to assess just how typical this situation is, and I definitely do not have the expertise to judge why it occurs, but from my perspective it is a dangerous and overly-common trend. All of this was basically a very long introduction to an organization that is struggling - at some times more actively than others - to challenge these tendencies ...

... pointless. This is made worse when statements are so general and not based in fact that it is impossible to debate them. I'm not in the position to assess just how typical this situation is, and I definitely do not have the expertise to judge why it occurs, but from my perspective it is a dangerous and overly-common trend. All of this was basically a very long introduction to an organization that is struggling - at some times more actively than others - to challenge these tendencies ...

... water, no flushing loo, only a cess pit with a hole. The bathing area was a bucket filled from the well and a cup. You get what you pay for, which was 1 pound a night. Anyhow, I was getting used to the lack of facilities in some places, but always managed to get washed changed and prepared for a explore of the town. Diouibou is famed for its market town pulling in major traders from Mali, Mauritania, Guinea, Senegal and ...

... and more often than not, instantly resolve any outstanding work matters. I've learned more about projects, staff, and issues in these mini-breaks than I have in any formal meeting. It's not the channel of communication that maybe I'm used to, but somehow it works. For the last month, this ritual has been a rather quieter affair with only the small number of toubabs and the rare Gambian Christian in attendance. Saturday was Koriteh ...

... to avoid (one of the girls even has a sort of stalk** now). It is hard for all of us to accept any limits on who we can be friends with or what we can do, and I p**sonally hate the feeling of having to be withdrawn or closed off. Sometimes the diff**ent treatment we receive - not being able to shake some men's hands, being expected to get men wat** or bring in the dishes, or to take a passionate int**est in cooking is just a source of jokes for us, but it gets to a point wh**e ...

... for granted - I managed to keep my Christmas tree up for 10 straight months without friends removing/desecrating/setting fire to it. It's not all been a bed of roses. There have been times when I have been sad, mad, bad, or all three. I've been homesick, I've been sick, I've been frustrated. I've been bored. I've been exhausted. I've been ****** off. I've been appalled. I've had moments where I've had enough and wanted to come home. I'm really ...

... of great debate and appears to eventually rest on personal preference. The problem was compounded by the "sensitization" exercise carried out when the lights were first built, which involved a very terrified-looking policeman in white gloves standing in the middle of the junction and directing traffic. Due to a small oversight, no one actually first explained to him how the lights were supposed to work and so applying his initiative, he used the flashing green chap as his ...