Hotel Palm Beach Kotu

... supportive, possibly in the quiet hope that the enthusiasm will eventually blow itself out. Gambians mostly don't celebrate the event of Christmas itself, but it is still a national holiday and many will use the opportunity to drop in on their bible-bashing friends. As I wasn't going to be in The Gambia for the big day itself, I wanted to organize an event beforehand that all my friends, Gambian and non could come to. This ...

... we all started to loosen up, splattering a free-flowing bule and white base around the hut. It was a beautiful sunny day (as all days are in Gambia this time of year), and we were surrounded by incredible natural and made-made beauty, and it was hard not to feel a little inspired. We all split off to different sides of the hut and became engrossed in our own spontaneous creations. It was a glorious day's work, and as it reached the time for us to leave to bike back to Kanifing before ...

... we all started to loosen up, splattering a free-flowing bule and white base around the hut. It was a beautiful sunny day (as all days are in Gambia this time of year), and we were surrounded by incredible natural and made-made beauty, and it was hard not to feel a little inspired. We all split off to different sides of the hut and became engrossed in our own spontaneous creations. It was a glorious day's work, and as it reached the time for us to leave to bike back to Kanifing before ...

... the main road outside the mosque, the noise of the traffic disappeared and for 10 minutes the sound of hundreds of men mumbling prayers filled the air. Carried on south to the Jibolob / Seleti border without any problems. I Volunteered all the information I knew they were dying to ask.. Where you are from, where you are going, home town, football team, marital status, job, impressions of the country and the people in their ...

... sticker on the top. So do I get my report now? I ask, already relatively confident in the answer. Of course not - back I go to the first police station. I arrive in the station to the dubious honour of being enthusiastically welcomed back by the cellmates who launch a rousing chorus of "Louise, Louise, we missed you". Thrilled to now be on first-name terms with the criminal underworld of the country, I optimistically produce my affidavit and request my police ...

... s rights are significantly threatened. I have always had the freedom and rights in terms of my gender to do what I would like. (though i suppose, if i were to actually do well at this whole cultural relativity thing, i would say that this is because i am a product of my culture, and Gambian women might feel the same way...) But I do not feel this way in The Gambia, as I think I've complained about before. Everywhere you run into the fact of the limited roles placed ...

... sure if this is normal, or if admitting to having these moments simply exposes my inexperience with traveling, or if they will slowly go away as more weeks here continue to pass. But I do have to say, even if they suck sometimes, and even if their weightiness can get in the way of the lighthearted attitude I might like to have here, I love that I have these moments. They're better than pictures when it comes to trying to capture time here before it's December and Gambia is just a ...

... snakes and blister-beetles (charming little bugs that spit burning acid). But in the last week, my attention has been focused on two particular pests; mosquitoes and lizards. Hostilities between mosquitoes and myself reached new heights last week when I developed malaria. This actually wasn't as bad as it sounds, mainly because I received medical attention so quickly. Other than the first evening which was possibly the least fun night of my life, once the meds ...

... way the colours of the spectrum reflect light and the ability of our eyes to see colour means that we see feathers which make birds appear to be blue. So my budgie, Blue, has been living a lie his entire life; he's still coming to terms with it. In addition to birds, I encountered many other wonderful creatures including dragonflies, monkeys, hyenas and crocodiles. The hotel I was staying in actually had a family of monkeys living in the trees right outside my room! Every ...

... 100 people. I am also not authorised to treat anybody who does not produce a diagnostic paper of asthma or HIV/Aids. One will asked what the Cuban and Taiwanese ambassadors are doing here. The aim is to share the treatment with them because in Taiwan traditional medicine are used. The asthma medicine can be mass produced and packaged and exported to them. The one on HIV/Aids cannot be mass produced because I am restricted to ten patients only on every Thursday and I ...