Day 1: I felt
really bad because I was an hour and a half late picking my dad up at the
airport. The driver is a friend who
really wanted to be there to pick my dad up, but he had to take his brothers
and sisters home from school before he could drive to the airport. We came to a
small hotel on the beach and got right to catching up and smoking a cigar. Then
we took a walk to get my bag from the Peace Corps house and stayed up talking
some more while he unpacked. I neglected to put the mosquito net down when going
to bed, and found a large population resting on the wall in the middle of the
night.
Day 2: I brought
my dad some breakfast, but he slept til 11 and wasn’t in the mood for food
anyways. We left the beach and walked up to see the Peace Corps office. He got
to meet the Country Director and a few other really nice people. As we were
leaving the deputy chief invited us to ride with her down to the Peace Corps
house to look around. We had a slice of carrot cake and club soda then went
back to the beach and smoked two more cigars. We walked down the beach a bit
and then got ready and went out to dinner with my friends Beth, Lizzie, and
Alyssa.
Day 3: My dad
slept in again while I had coffee and breakfast. When he finally rose we packed
our bags for the trip the next day out of Kombo, leaving his big suitcase
behind. We left the beach and had a local lunch, my dads first Gambian food was
rice and peanut sauce. We walked to the countries best bookstore and drank a
cappuccino on the beach. It was too early for dinner so we went to another
beachside spot and watched the fishing boats going out. Then we went back to
our hotel and met a small group of volunteers. We smoked cigars while the sun
went down. We dropped my dad’s bag at the Peace Corps house then walked into a
small neighborhood and met Alyssa for another local dinner of beans and
cassava. Then we went and found sweet rolls for dessert.
Day 4: We took a
cab to the bus station and got out of Kombo. We rode halfway up the country to
the town of Soma, took a cab to the river and crossed on the ferry, then took
another cab up to the town of Farafenni. We found a guesthouse called Eddie’s.
There were two volunteers drinking soda, and we sat with them and cooled off
from travel. Then we had lunch and came back and spent the afternoon smoking
cigars in the courtyard. At night, Stephen and Rebecca came over and we visited
with them. Then Stephen took us out and we walked around exploring Farafenni.
We got bean sandwiches on hot fresh bread for dinner, and ate them in the dark
sitting on the road.
Day 5: We were up
close to seven and at the bus station to leave Farafenni by 8. We got off at
Wassu and walked a few kilometers to the riverside town of Kuntaur. A boat from
Baboon Island National Park picked us up shortly after noon. We rode back to
their camp, and when we got there had juice and lunch, while the administrator
told us about the Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Project. After lunch we went out on
a boat ride and saw baboons, chimps, a few
crocodiles, and some hippos, and a lot of birds. After the boat ride we sat on
the porch of the camp. We had dinner and chatted with another guest. My dad
excused us to go up to our tent, where we sat outside on the lawn chairs
smoking cigars and looking out at the night sky and the river Gambia.
Day 6: The camp
brought us hot water at 7 am, and we had coffee and then went out on a walk to
look at birds. We came back, had breakfast, and then caught the same boat back
to Kuntaur. When we got to town, we took a donkey cart to Wassu, moved into a
vehicle, and drove to the ferry crossing in Janjanbureh. There we caught a bus
to Basse. We walked to the house and smoked a cigar, then my friend Lamin Sorra
came over to greet my dad. We cleaned up and enjoyed having power and internet,
and I made eggs and instant potatoes for dinner.
Day 7: We went to
the car park and asked for a ride to Garawol . The vehicle wasn’t ready, but
waiting in the car park in the few hours was really enjoyable because I had my
dad with me. We rode to my village and everyone came out to meet us. Some of my
favorite people in the village came by to greet my dad, and then my family let
us relax in the backyard for most of the night.
Day 8: My dad and
I rode up to see Garawol and buy a bag of rice. Then we came back and got to
relax a little before a big group of women from the village came by to greet
and dance for my dad. After the dance we rode with my uncle Salung to the
riverside to watch him fish and relax a little. When we came back my dad gave
my host dad some gifts from America and we spent the evening in the backyard.
Day 9: I took my
dad on a big bike ride to Fatoto. I wanted him to meet my favorite people from
the maket, Hawa and Bakary. We drank some cold water and ate some bread. On the
way home we stopped and climbed a hill that looked out over the nearby
villages. I use the hill for its phone service and it was special to be up
there with my dad instead of being up there to call him. When we got home my
dad fell asleep and then lunch came. In the afternoon we just went outside and
sat under the shade tree. We packed up to leave early the next morning and all
my host mothers brought peanuts to the room for my dad to take home.
Day 10: We left
my village dark and early around 5:15. We rode to Paige’s house in Garawol and
left our bikes then all went to catch a vehicle together. We made Basse around
8am and were the first group on the bus back to Kombo. We made it in aroun 3 pm
and I left my dad drinking coffee to go retrieve his bags and hail a cab to
drive us to Kartong. We changed cabs three times, but were delivered to our
resort at dinner time. As soon as we arrived they showed us to our room and
took our dinner order. There was a man sitting in the dining room with his
shirt off getting a massage. My dad saw that, and then the room we were given,
and agreed this place would suffice. We cleaned up for dinner, and the
electrical socket caught on fire.
Day 11: We had
breakfast and coffee, then went to the beach and got some sun. Our only chore
was to come back and have lunch. My dad smoked a cigar while laying in the hammock.
Around 5 we went down and walked the beach for a while. Then it was time to go
to dinner. A very nice British lady named Pavanne came over and said hi to us,
as did the owner of the resort. It turned out that the night watchman was also
the masseuse.
Day 12: After breakfast
and coffee we went to the beach. There were four or five other guests there as
well. An hour in the sun and we went back to the room and relaxed before lunch
with some more hammock and cigar time for my dad. We went back to the dining
room in the afternoon and my dad had a really nice talk with Pavanne. That
carried the day into the night and it was time for dinner, reading, and
relaxing.
Day 13: Another
coffee and breakfast morning, then to the beach for a dose of Vitamin D. It was
more melancholy today as the trip was ending. It wasn’t just the three days in
the resort that were a vacation, it was the whole time my dad was here. The
resort was nice enough to let us spend the whole day in our room while waiting
for the evening flight departure. So after lunch and some hammock time we both
packed up, and walked back down to the restaurant. The taxi came around 5 pm,
and the staff on hand at the resort all lined up on the sidewalk to wave us
goodbye. I got out of the cab and walked my dad into the airport and said
goodbye.
