Welcome back to my Gambia Diary!
Because this vacation was focused on relax we spent the day 3 and 4 chilling in the pool, jumping through the waves in the ocean and just enjoying the sun, that burned us even more than previous day.
I had a chance to notice the dirt level of the ocean. It’s terrifying actually, all the things we found, that were brought by waves to the shore! We founds shoes, torn apart t-shirts, plastic bags, lots of undefined fabrics… lots and lots of it, it was very unpleasant to walk in the water, because you stepped on all those stuff or just had it tangled with your legs. I don’t know where all this trash comes from, is it because of being in the open ocean or is it because not far away someone decided to throw away things they didn’t need anymore straight into water. Either way, it was sad and worried.
Another thing, it becomes more and more irritating to have all those young man, the locals, trying to get to you, ask you about all kinds of stuff, like where you come from, when did you arrive, how long do you stay… They all trying to be nice and friendly, but at this point I find it annoying. You really have to tell them straight, that they are invading your privacy and you want to be left alone. Otherwise you’ll keep hearing this “excuse me, excuse me, what’s your name?”.
Other than that I find Gambian people really friendly, they smile all the time, every issue is “no problem, no problem” for them and they seem quite relaxed. They wish you a nice day at every step you take and you could really say they are the smiley coast of Africa. They don’t do big plans, living from day to day, focusing on the present, not past or the future. True mindfulness, some would say. And they are also helpful.
We went on a long walk along the beach towards the north, collecting seashells and admiring the view. There are few constructions of new hotels, which can give you an idea of tourism growing in Gambia. We drank some delicious, fresh pressed juice from one of the juice guys. There is lots of them during high season, now most of their shops were empty, but we found one and spend some time around there. We went swimming in the sea, which was exceptionally calm today and very clear. Sadly enough the shore was full of dirt, thrown from the ocean with the waves. At one point we had to take a boat to go to the other side of the river that happened to enter the sea exactly on our way. Of course the local friendly people helped us with that.
Because we went way too far than we were supposed to, we asked some friendly locals to take us back to the hotel. All of us, that is 7 people, fit in a car with a driver, that’s supposed to be for 5 people max. Police officers gave us way many time on our way to the hotel, everyone was so relaxed. Well besides maybe us in the back, 5 people hardly fit in the back of the car 😉
Days here go slowly, but on the other hand, very fast. That’s probably what happens on a good vacation time. I need to start searching for some souvenir for my beloved Romanian at home, something he would love. I have an idea and I hope I can visit a local market and get it. Plus visiting local market would be an awesome experience!
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