What an amazing week we’ve had – much too much to try and write it all down. We’ve been on a trip up country into Gambia along the Gambia River and across to a small town called Janjangbureh. The drive was wonderful but it was seeringly hot and by the time we arrived there I felt my blood was going to boil. My friends took a kettle and dipped it in the river and poured water over my head to cool me down and sat me under a tree for a while till I felt better.
The town itself was fascinating though so very hot I found it very uncomfortable. We got no sleep the first night with the heat, the mosquitoes and the smell of nearby burning rubbish so the next day we managed to find somewhere else to stay in a lovely place next to the river which was cooler and we played music and relaxed. We visited places of interest there relating to the slave trade and colonialism.
On the way back we stopped at a place called Wassu which had an amazing Stone Circle where you could literally feel the spirits calling from deep under ground.
There was a wonderful market there too where people come from all over (especially from Senegal on horses) to trade every thing from mangoes to horses and carts.
After a very eventful journey and a horrendous four hour wait at the ferry we ended up in a very minor car accident and car chase where the police caught the guy who’d pranged us and after much shouting and debate the matter was settled!
We are now back in our usual place tying up loose ends of the festival, thank you letters etc and it’s now only a week till we get back to the UK – what an amazing three months it’s been!
Here’s a LINK to some photos of our recent trip – enjoy!
missminda said:
What an incredible adventure! I love the stone circle.
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deejay said:
What a wonderful experience you’ve had over the past three months. I’ve loved reading about it when you’ve had time to blog. Have a safe trip home, Chandra!
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tonybrookes said:
I envy your wonderful experience Chandra. It may sound morbid but I have a dvd of my mother-in-law’s funeral celebration in serrekunda and it is enlightening to feel a part of the wonderful cultural experience.
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drdog said:
Water over the head is an effective way to cool off rapidly. Hope you were keeping your head covered. Glad you found a cooler place to sleep.
As ever, your photos are a welcome trip far, far away. But I’m glad you’ll be back in the U.K. soon.
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logis said:
I wonder how old that stone circle is? Maybe Stonehenge is a copycat?
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chandramoon said:
Stone Henge is older – this one is about 2,000 years old from carbon dating records
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