Sunday, April 29, 2012

They are gone.


   And there we go, the last charter flight left on Saturday, and now we enter the period of great calm. It will be strange to be in such a big and empty place. The seasonal guests have left and won’t be back until November. 



    Luckily for me, James, my walking “companion”, is still here for my regular 6 kilometres, as is Badou, a tennis coach who has been promoted to aerobics instructor. From the 80’s routines and his lack of knowledge in the subject, and from my past experience with years of dance, gym, skiing… oops I’m straying… as well as a whole range of classes in England, I try to motivate him so that he creates his own routines. On the internet, finding ideas is easy. Then, it’s a case of him choosing the movements that he likes but that are also fun and that particularly create a flow between moves. Our 1st session bore fruit and he has already twice experimented with his routine along with the local girls who regularly come to his classes. Now he will have to create a few more and, most of all, the challenge, stick to them because here, the habits come back quicker than they go and he’s not the most dynamic and motivating person out there!! However if this works, which doesn’t really bother me, it will be very positive because as a spouse, there aren’t that many things to do and particularly, I have many skills and ideas to pass on. Let’s hope that he keeps at it. Come on, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 1, 2, 3, 4. Ah yes, we will also need to find fitting music because trying to relax on a hard beat is… not relaxing whatsoever. Then there are some pieces of music that are so fast that we seem to be chasing a train (not to mention the skipping CD LOL)


   The number of maids is reduced to the minimum and the beds will be devoid of their lovely sets. This is normal because if the number of planes that land in the country drop to near-none, then there will be very few customers. This is the case for all the hotels, lodges, etc… It will be very calm until November. Only Bruxelles Airways keeps its regular flight four times a week from Europe (Brussels-Banjul-Conakry or Freetown). The country is working on promoting The Gambia, to other African countries such as Nigeria, as a destination because it would be a change of scenery for them in any case.
   On a plus, the next season should be good seeing as more arrivals are planned than last year.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Pascal 6 - Sylvie 2 - Pa 1

   Not able to snorkel or scuba dive, we'll go fishing. 
   If we’re not going to see the fish, well we’ll catch them. At the hotel, there’s a fisherman called Pa who organises outings on the sea, in Gambia or in the mangroves. He also organises outings that are called “Lazy Day”; a relaxed day let’s say, where people have a “boat with deck” to bring together the discovery of mangrove, fishing and solariums.
   As he wanted to make us discover the area, he took us on his biggest boat (top-left). It was probably for the best because seeing the small one, going on the Atlantic would not have been good for it.




   At Denton Bridge, at the police checks, we go onto a track to the micro-port. As is the case at Lamin Lodge, a number of boats were on their sides, which was a little strange (bottom-right). Strange also were the big stakes on either side, a sight whose explanation still evades me (bottom-middle and top-middle).
   At the bridge, we spotted some people who were loading up pirogues bound for Senegal, which is relatively close. It’s impressive to see the amount that they amass onto a single ship, man or goods (top-right).


     Once again, we saw a good number of herons, egrets and other kingfishers. We took a couple of photos but we were mainly there for fishing. It’s very relaxing to make our tranquil way over the calm waters of the mangroves (top-left). We took the seat mats for a bit more comfort.
   Each on one side of the boat with our rod, we have our backs turned to one another and we don’t talk… Well me, yes I do because 10 minutes without a word is a bit difficult . After a while you get accustomed to it and a sense of calm seeps through you, serenity is present and I forget to speak… for at least 15 minutes.
   For the bait, we had some magnificent shrimp, big prawns I would even say and I think that the fish under us were having a feast! More often than not, Pascal would retract his line with only the hook remaining. As for me, I learnt what I had done a little in Rodrigues and more importantly, I understood… you must be cruel. I made myself excuses by thinking that the fish was being “greedy” and had attached itself to my hook of its own accord, not because of my doing. In fact, I found out what to hook meant. When it starts nibbling, you have to give a hearty tug on the rod so that the fish is impaled on the hook. That makes the whole experience less rejoiceful and a bit harder for the conscience. Poor fish! On the other hand, the flying competition did not think twice and went for it to their heart’s content in these rich waters  
   Pascal caught the first fish and in the end, he caught the most (3 ‘somepat’, 1 ‘canava’, 1’joto’, and 1 catfish – the middle photo). I came in second with 1 ‘joto’ and 1 ‘jellynose’ who had a rather transparent snout. Pa, the pro, was very well beat with his little catfish ☺☺
   The fish were not very big in this area but we spent an excellent morning, and as we had caught a good few, the distraction was total.
Pa Foday Jammeh is based at the hotel, though here are his contact details just in case:
 Tel: + 220 729 37 85 and his email: bafodejammeh@yahoo.com

Monday, April 23, 2012

A sunday... a place

    Known for its birds, Lamin Lodge is near Banjul. From the day we arrived, we were told it was one of the places not to be missed. Looking on the internet, I found “Three-storey construction on stilts facing River Gambia’s mangrove and close to Lamin village. Essentially a restaurant, though also a starting point for multiple excursions.” “Popular destination with an excellent restaurant and an open-air oyster factory visit.”



  An exciting-sounding programme, so all aboard! The holidaymaker obviously doesn’t go alone so no worries there; though for us, finding the road was a little more complicated and we had to try our luck twice seeing as last time, we had had to take other roads, all of which were as sandy. You must ask for directions on where to turn in Lamin (under the iron archway). Then begins the track in the village (top-left). After a number of forks (unsigned, of course), we found ourselves on what seemed like a track and we had to slow down and aim right (top-right). When we left Lamin Lodge again, behind a tourist van, we noticed that there was another road so I think that we could have avoided all this gymkhana!

   The place is far from the village though a website says you could get there by foot. Well good luck with that – 25 minutes of walking under the beating sun , not counting the return journey. No, no, not conceivable let’s be sound! The area is on the edge of the mangrove and boat trips are available. Good luck!



   As is the case everywhere, the moment you set foot outside the car, you are accosted by several people who surround you and want to be “welcoming and nice. Make you discover Gambia, etc…” in short, they don’t leave you in peace. As there is this “oyster factory”, it gave us a reason to accept this “close shadowing”. I accomplished my learning of one or two… but no more… bits of information on what they do to these oysters. Often a task allocated to women, it was they who pried open the shells and separated the later from the oyster. There were two sorters and …erm… one or two guys around the fires and that was about all there was in this “company.”
   Aside info from the “guide.” They don’t like having their photo taken as once, someone had printed postcards and the woman was not at her best, let us say.  Here and yes… well… that’s strange… I’ve already heard that story twice before; when we went to the market in Banjul, and when we went to Juffureh. Three times we’ve been told the same misadventure; it’s stretching the credibility somewhat, but hey, just ask their permission and when they don’t want to, there will be others who will smile for the camera. Respect their choices.
   What about the oysters then? Well the ‘animal’ is cooked for thirty minutes and is then sold on the market. As for the shells, come are put into a fire (bottom-left) for two days in order to make the lime (bottom-middle) which will be used as paint or cement. Other shells are crushed and mixed with grain to feed the poultry.
   The visit took a grand total of five minutes – also don’t expect to relax on the beach as there isn’t any. A baobab has made some art and its branches seem like they form an elephant’s head (top-right) whereas another looks like a hanging weaver-bird nests (bottom-right) which is surprising as up to now, I had never seen weaver birds in baobabs!

   Let’s go into this Lamin Lodge. The one who followed us asked permission to the guard to see if we could enter. Welcoming, it brings warmth to the heart! Actually, we knew before coming that one month beforehand, the place had been closed for sanitary and security reasons, though seeing as there’s a jetty from where there were still catamaran trips leaving (D250 for the one hour tour with drink), we wanted to go have a look.  The access to the jetty overlooking the mangrove was nice in itself and the area must have also been nice but for the moment, it was closed and much work would be needed for it to reopen. A shame because the area had a real charm and is an excellent spot for amateurs of bird-watchers and I hope to return one day with Lamin. 

Friday, April 20, 2012

Bref

No translation on this one. It relates to a program that exists on Canal+ and will not have an equivalent in english, so brush up your french ;)

   Les enfants font de la musique avec leur crayons. Il faut les poser sur la table. A l'hôtel on a des chutes de bois après la fabrication d'un repose-pied. Bref je demande au charpentier de me faire un plumier. "Une boite un peu plus longue que les crayons et assez large pour les attraper facilement". Bref, il m'en faut 8.
  Une semaine passe, puis 2, puis 3. Bref la boite est prête. "Super les gars. Il y a 8 groupes de table donc il m'en faudrait 7 autres""Pas de problème".
  Une semaine passe puis 2. Bref, j'aurai 3 boites à amener ce matin, mardi 17 avril.
   J'ai mis mon pantacourt, mon t-shirt blanc et mon sac est prêt avec les boites. Bref, les vacances sont finies. 15 minutes de marche et je suis à l'école. L'affiche signalait une reprise le 16 et la maîtresse avait dit :"On se revoit le 17". Bref, l'école est fermée. J'ai juste l'air un peu con devant le portail mais bon plus rien ne m´étonne. Bref j'ai qu'à rentrer, mais par la plage pour varier les plaisirs. 
  1 ère activité de la journée à l'eau.
  17 heures, le moment tant attendu de la classe d'aérobic/step. Pas de prof alentour. J'appelle Eddy : "Badou n'est pas là". Il dit : "Je me renseigne". Il rappelle : "il est malade aujourd'hui". Bref il n'y a pas de classe. Je suis seule, le concept de remplaçant ne doit pas exister ici. Bref, je rentre. Je ressorts mon fidèle ami l'ordi et ce sera pilates sur mon tapis.
    Bref une journée bien ordinaire !

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Allo, allo ? France is not responding !

   Work and visit other countries discovering other cultures is cool, fascinating and even if we prepare ourselves to surprises, I am not amused by the communications, or lack of them.
   One survival condition essential for me is keeping the link with the children, friends and family through either the blog, e-mails or skype. When you are told you're going to get 512 Kb you keep cool knowing it is slow but reasonable in such countries... but then you realise you share these with 140 something bedrooms there the nightmare starts. Thankfully after fews weeks of up and down, an ethernet cable crossing the building and arriving in my suite through the roof and the window, I got my own box "512 Kb" as they say, well not quite but it does work better and I am more or less able to write my blog, though I have got to pick the right time when there is more power usually early mornings.
   For skype it is quite strange as even when I cannot open a page on internet I can still write messages on Skype even have a video conversation, not often great but most times good enough.  On the other hand, calling a land line is always trouble and the conversation often is : "all. ...... ..  kay? It is ... ... .... ... great, and you ?" "well, we ... ..... ..... ...terday and..... with .... ...there". We just have to hang up!

   This phone box represents what I often encounter here : "there used to be..." and I want to reply "yes, well, why isn't there any more ?". No easy explanations that's for sure and I will not judge but "hey lad, make an effort and drop the webs for The Web" 

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Me Sylvie ... Toubab

   When kids see you in the streets, they always shout “toubab, toubab.” An acquaintance told us what that word signified. In the past, the shilling-era English called their small change “bob” and the children took up the habit of asking for “two bob” (2 pennies). The saying remains to designate white people. 

   I got here three months ago, and after two renewals (each costing D500, or €13/£10.50/$16.70) it’s high time that I get my resident’s card. There isn’t really an appointment process but it’s better to know the system… and its components… if you don’t want to be there for four hours.



   It’s always interesting to observe how things happen and there, a lot of things happened. Firstly, we have to find the “right” office up top on the third floor of the immigration building (top-right). From there, we were sent to another office on the same level. Every time with a few minutes to say hello and to smile because most conversations are done in Wolof, excluding us from them. Not to worry because we have our Baba (R. H.) with us who takes care of everything. We obtained the papers that we needed, paid D1500 and went down to the ground floor, or rather in the street because we find ourselves on the other side with Baba who fills out a form, then gives it to an open-air “office” (top-left). My God it was hot!

   Next comes the presentation at the entrance at the bottom of the building, but a passport copy is still missing. “Obviously, the guy upstairs kept them.” Right, well we’ll have to go to the shop next door. Five more wasted minutes, we must now have been there for at least ½ h at 33 degrees in the shade. Back to the offices where we’re given a card that we’ll laminate ourselves (bottom-left). ‘Well there you go’, we say to ourselves, ‘the process has finished quickly’. Nope. After that, we’re sent back to the other side of the road where there’s a photocopier that’s held together with cellotape (bottom-middle) to copy the two sides of this masterpiece of a non-laminated card. Hmmm, should I now tell them that ‘Pascal’ is with an ‘l’ and now an ‘i’ … Pascai? … Let’s not, otherwise we would have to start from the beginning again.

   Finally, we’re ready… but they’re not so we have to wait, where we can, until we’re called for. A good 20 minutes later, I can finally go into the office where they’re preparing biometric cards. I’m third in line, there are seats and the air conditioning is on so we’ll pull through… Well no as the two people have their turn, exit, and then come back with a flow of people who quickly fill up the room. They gesticulate, they speak loudly and actually, you never know if they’re speaking or if they’re arguing. A woman came in with her brat and a basket who seemed annoyed that the staff didn’t want to buy her fruit. Actually, seeing the long wait outside, there are always vendors selling fruit, water and fried goods that go by and by again.

   At this point, there is still D1100 to give (D3000 in total) and I get a receipt that has been made out to SylviiceClaupe (bottom-right). Woops, so if the final card is based on this, I’ll have a very original name! The guy at booth 2 isn’t there so nothing advances for at least 15 minutes. When he finally arrives, he calls the names with such a strong accent that I’m not even sure if he’s calling mine or not. After four people who “overtake” me, I go to the immigration guy who is helping us and he goes off to search through the piles of papers on the different desks to find my form. There we go, I can finally get my thumbs “photocopied” and have my photo taken for the final card. They tell me “see you in 15 days” to pick it up, but seeing as though Pascal had it done three weeks ago and that he still doesn’t have it, they’re not going to see me again. So now we’re in order, not that we weren’t beforehand, but like this we can finally go round the country without having to take our passport out of the safe every time. Next stop; driving licence. Actually, can they do it with a provisional card or must we wait for the final one because they said that our one was valid for three months? ... To each day it’s worries!


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

In the birds family ...

... I would like the Allaheim River birds at the southern border between The Gambia and Senegal. 2 hours of water-faring allowed us to admire some truly magnificent birds. 

   This sunset view of these pelicans, each on their own branch, seduced us. It’s surprising to think that these short branches can support such an imposing animal!
   They may be “small” pelicans but they nonetheless measure between 1.25m and 1.55m and weigh between 4kg and 7kg.


   Along the Allaheim River, we especially saw them grouped together on trunks of dead trees (bottom-middle)
   I also managed to observe it from quite up close on Tanji beach and to admire its take-off. The wings need to be strong to make such a large body leave the water. In fact, it has a wingspan of between 2.15m and 2.9m and keeps the same grace during take-off and landing. It can be identified by its greyish back and particularly by its white beak with a yellow tip. The inferior section is slightly greyer and the baby pelican will feed by plunging its beak within.
   It most often nests in trees and in groups (top-left). Its nest is made of twigs and is returned to by the pelican every year. If the tree dies and falls, the pelican will make another nest in the same area. They feed on fish and amphibians and don’t go into deep waters. Even if they prefer water with a lower salt-level, Tanji beach is a good place to observe them.
   Seeing as they’re quite heavy, if they have to move about, they wait for the heat to rise so that there are hot air-currents to carry them. Who invented the parasail? ☺☺☺



   The one that lives on the edge of the water is mostly a fish eater; the waters are abundant with fish and they seem to have an infinite patience to wait for the one that will get close enough to them. Most stick around for the entire year, though some, for example the Common Greenshank, are only there for winter (top-left). They come from afar, even very much afar, as it can be found particularly in sub-arctic areas such as northern Scotland, and the northern reaches of Europe and Asia.  “Hey, we may have already met on Staffa or in the Hebrides?” Its plumage changes in summer and turns to brown.
  Very common, egrets come in a variety of colours. The Great Egret (Egretta alba) is perfectly white, and can be identified among its species due to its slightly longer neck and the line that goes along the bottom of its beak. This being so close to the eye makes me think of “I put on some khol pencil to go out.” In flight, it pulls back its neck into its shoulders like the grey heron. 
   Dark grey, which sometimes gives off the impression of being black, belongs to the Western Reef Egret (also known as the Western Reef Heron), Egretta gularis. Common, it can be found on beaches, mangroves or marshes and is of moderate size (55 to 65cm) with a maximum wingspan of 95cm.
   It stays in shallow waters to fish and, similar to its long-legged and long-necked relatives, it can remain immobile for hours, waiting for a prey to come by and then impaling it with its powerful beak. It also eats crustaceans, lizards, and worms, and nests in trees in a nest made of twigs and branches.


   The Goliath Heron can be found all over Gambia on the edge of rivers or in the mangroves and is timid and solitary. The biggest heron in the world, it can measure between 1.2m and 1.5m, weighs in at around 5kg, and has a wingspan than can reach 2m. It’s a beautiful species from its magnificent wing plumage to its slate-grey back; from its reddish underside and to its white neck, speckled with black. Magnificent!
   The Black-headed Heron, common, appears more often during the dry season (winter). Quite big, it measures around 85cm with a width of 1.5m. Its flight (bottom-left) is slow and it pulls back its neck (bottom-right).


   When we were looking for the haggis in the far reaches of our dear Scotland, the one with the right leg shorter than the right… or was it the other way around? Do you remember, kids? Well, in those outings, we often heard of the rare “Ospreys” whose eggs were the victims of such a strong trafficking that they being pushed towards extinction. I only ever saw one in mid-flight and the registered nests had to be closely observed and guarded.
   Here, no problems, the ospreys are plenty and we saw a few on the Allaheim. They can be spotted close to the coasts in the mangrove and on the riversides, particularly between October and March. They have a funny little head compared to the size of their body and their beak also seems rather small. It’s the Jack Russell of the birds!It lives diurnally, weighs between 1.4kg and 2kg and measures between 54cm and 58cm though has a nice wingspan of between 1.5m and 1.8m. It eats fish and has nostrils that it can close when it dives in and talons that have a reversible exterior finger. The other fingers are two by two on the front and the back to better catch the fish.
   Me the Mauritian fish aficionado, I think I'm going to dream birds now 

Sunday, April 8, 2012

A croc in the night.

    As was mentioned a few months ago, the next step after the reptile farm would be to go out for a crocodile counting and capturing sortie.





  The outing starts in the afternoon at the reptile centre where Luc explains all about the crocodiles that can be found in Gambia. There are three kinds, one of which we’ve already come across – The most common one that I called Nile crocodile (c.niloticus) but who has been reclassified as its own species five months ago: West African crocodiles, Crocodylus suchus. It’s the most common one and the one that we will see and handle. It can be recognised by its non-protuberant eyes and its excellently soft skin, prized for its use in the leather trade as opposed to other crocs. A distinctive sign is its 4-4-2 scale formation on its nape, that is, plates that form a carapace on its nape (top-right). Not sure if we would close enough in the wild to make this distinction though!
  We also find the dwarf croc Osteolaemus tetrapis (1.5 metres approx.) though these are rare and had even been thought to have disappeared. It’s more compact, has a shorter snout, black eyes and its scales on its nape are arranged two by two. To find water, it can walk for days on end to find a pool. It’s a predator which feeds on vertebrates, though also on crustaceans.
  The third species is the Crocodylus (or Mecistops) catphractus, more commonly known as the African slender-snouted crocodile. It can reach 5 metres in length and varies in colour, though the young ones have a stripped snout. Its tail is proportionally longer than the average for crocodiles. The dwarf and slender-snout tend to live in stagnant fresh-water environments. It has a long snout which allows it to catch, fish, snakes, amphibians, and crustaceans.
  After the theory lesson, we moved onto the practical one… just in case. Luc caught a young croc, tied its snout, and placed it back in the basin. Then it was our go to try and catch it (bottom-middle & bottom-right) nimbly and whilst making sure that we didn’t hurt it, or indeed that it didn’t hurt us or escaped. Even a small croc like that had a lot of vigour; in particular for the first amateur wranglers because it soon got tired and lost energy. It was very entertaining! Luc always uses a small croc. When it becomes too big, he releases it back into the wild and finds another.
  Whilst we were at the centre, a Gambian brought a chameleon (albeit not the most active one I’ve seen). It was dark (top-left) which Luc explained was because it was stressed. And my one the other day seemed yellow? Also a type of stress but not the same. This one seemed totally ‘flacid’ and dehydrated and Luc put him on a tree. In but a few minutes he went back to his usual bright-green self (bottom-left), though was hanging from its tail so Luc had to reposition it elsewhere and ‘freshen it up’ a bit.
Every time that a Gambian brings him an animal, Luc gives him a small note to encourage and raise awareness among locals to not massacring snakes and to save animals. They sick ones, or the ones that are just about ok, stay for a while in the ‘farm’, help instruct the visitors, and then are released in their natural habitat.



 

  At about 16h15, we left by car to the South of Kartong and the Allaheim river, which makes up the border between Gambia and Senegal. Of course, you must always have your papers with you as there are road-blocks in Gambia as well as immigration close to the borders. The journey upriver will be made in a boat made of a single piece of wood. Smaller, but much more stable than the swaying pirogue that we had to go to Kunta Kinteh. The only rapid and cheap crossing method for many, it can transport many things such as bags of rice, a mattress or bikes!
  Luc’s wife, Maritou (top, middle) was with us as she’s the most experienced at spotting crocodiles. Actually, we won’t be catching any, but it wasn’t really planned in this zone seeing as they are regularly in the mangrove that we can’t approach with the pirogue. A relief.
  We navigated the river for two hours and were in awe of the spectacle of fauna before us. Next came the dinner break in a huge ‘salt-marsh’. Everyone grabbed a bag, a cooler and went to fetch some wood; then we ate Maritou’s excellent cooking. We had planned ahead and worn long-sleeved trousers and shirts though to our great surprise, there wasn’t a single mosquito that bothered these moments of pleasure. Once night had fallen, it was time to go back into the pitch-black water. We had torches and the aim was to spot two “green lights.” It turns out that crocodiles have a layer behind the retina that acts like a mirror and reflects light. Did we see any? Well, maybe, but we’re not 100% sure so let’s just say yes, at least from my point of view. On the fifteen or so potential views in the past, I thought I saw two pairs of eyes. Luc spotted something on 4 or 5 occasions. He also said that the salinity was too high. Crocodiles are a softwater species who can normally subsist in salted water thanks to glands at the base of their tongue that extract the salt. However, if the salinity is too high, they tend to go further upstream.




     All along the river, be it on the Gambian or Senegalese side, there’s mangrove on which were attached oysters. Nearer the month of June, they are large enough to be harvested; a job which is generally carried out by women who unlatch bunches of oysters and then sort through and open them in zones similar to where we had our dinner break. Normally, they make a fire to cook or to dry them (depending on the wanted usage). There was kilometre after kilometre of these!
  We saw a sand fiddler crab (top-left), a marsh mongoose (middle-left), some baboons in the distance but also an incredible variety of birds such as the cormorant (top-right), osprey (middle-right), herons (bottom-right), pelicans, and also kingfishers. We got more than an eye-full! ... as did the camera’s memory-card so watch this space …

Monday, April 2, 2012

Naka Subasi


  "Jamma rek".
  Let me translate: the title first: hello. The answer most of the time will be Jamma rek (I’m good).

  "Nanga def ?"  "Jamma rek".  "How are you?"  "good"
  Yes, I’m starting to learn how to speak local. Which language, seeing as there are many tribes? Well, most people understand and speak Wolof, so I started with that. It’s fun and I listen carefully in order to copy the accent. No intentions of achieving a conversational level but I still wish to be able to use courteous phrases… and also that which will be useful at school like "Balalma, tegal pencil citaboul" (please, pencils on the table) or perhaps the ever-useful "Baiima tijama" (leave me in peace) addressed to the people who always harass you on the beach on in the streets. Quite efficient it must be said, as it has the advantage of being clear and courteous with regards to religion and politeness :)
  Do you want the note? Well say: "Balalma billo" simple! There are no books, but I listen and I will learn phonetically, so don’t trust writing. Alright, allow me to initiate you just in case, as this language is also spoken in Senegal:
"Naka bechek bi" – good afternoon
"Naka ngon si" – good evening
And very important "jerejef" – thank you.
"Lekabeh dafané ?" How was the food?
"dafané" Good.
  You can immediately tell who isn’t Wolof as a greeting of "Naka subasi" will not be met with the corresponding "Jamma Rek". So then, I go with the other majority language, Mandinka, and say "Essama". Yes, yes, it sort of becomes a game and when I repeat these small words every day, it starts coming naturally to me.
Now all that’s left is to tell them to speak slower and especially to articulate ☺.