Bakotu Hotel

... the children were terrified of Santa. They had never heard of the man and resented being forced to go anywhere near this strange toubab. On the other hand they each wanted a present and you could see the internal dilemma raging inside their heads as they eyed up the pile of gifts being guarded by the guy with the weird suit and bizarre facial hair. Eventually greed won through. But then I guess that's what Christmas is all about.

... 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 ...

... to draw anything, the students tend copy one or two other people, who may also just be copying a picture out of a book. During tests or on homework, coping is rampant in our experiences. And during other classes, students are often so busy finishing copying notes from the previous class that they won't even listen to the teacher. (but according to them, this is not a problem, as all the necessary information should be on the board, and they can just copy that from someone else who ...

... You can buy large tables, chairs, double beds all constructed and carved from the best mahogany hard wood at what must be a very fair price. Ziguinchor is a loud, dirty, busy and interesting town. Hammering, sawing, banging and shouting saturate the surroundings. All modes of transport fight for road space. Carts, trucks, beaten up taxis and cars, trucks belching out black smoke, donkeys, kids, hawkers all compete ...

... parts of the country that need it most if those who really know what they need are blocked from government? Sadly, the people from these areas, and Gambia as a whole for that matter, are not likely to protest the political set up (if, with only poor education systems, they are able to see past propaganda and a controlled press) because they are too focused on desperately trying to get out of the poverty gap, not seeing that their struggles are actually directly linked with the political system.

... nurses. One nurse arrived at 9am who was surprisingly vocal. This ended up being a very, very fortunate surprise. Bryan seized on the opportunity to ask exactly what was being injected into his body. The nurse explained that they were chloraquine shots, seven to be administered every 6 hours, and that he had already had three shots, was about to get his fourth. This was troublesome to us, however, because Bryan had had four shots, not three. Bryan spent about five minutes in a very ...

... things. We went on a rainy day when the market was comparatively deserted according to our amazing guide/Wolof teacher Baboucarr, yet we could still barely fit through some of the winding alleys packed with products, fly covered fish and meat, and people shouting at us and grabbing our arms. All the while we were walking on muddy ground where we're fairly sure the sewage had flooded during the rain. But there was also so much that was beautiful there - especially the colorful fabrics ...

... myself reassessing the crafty cunning of this creature. She knows which side her bread is buttered. In what seemed like no time at all it was time for roaming relations to return from whence they came. Sunburned and stuffed (their daughter having taken their visit as an opportunity to try out every eatery she couldn't normally afford) they galloped off into the sunset.* *Ok, they caught the coach to the airport but that is simply not the way to conclude such a story

... colourful and exotic birds. There were 12 of us in the group plus Chris and Malick. Chris' birding expertise and Malick's local knowledge complimented each other extremely well. We explored a variety of different habitats (bush, coast, jungle, plain, nature reserve, mangrove) and saw in excess of 150 different bird species in a 3 day period. Did you know that there is not a single naturally-ocurring blue feather in the world? I thought that fact was quite interesting ...

... and shows us a tattered piece of paper that other foreigners have signed and made token gestures of 100 dalasis (£1). To our chagrin we haven't bought any money with us to the beach and hear ourselves sound false when we say "We'll be here tomorrow" Sanna tells us that tomorrow he is going home to Basse Santa Su, about 10 hours drive from here, along the Gmabia River. But for us, he will wait an extra day. The next day we are a little late ...