Banjul, The Gambia
We arrived at the Banjul port at 7 am. We have a HAL tour and the meeting time is 7:45. The title of this tour is the Makasutu Culture Forest and Canoe Adventure. The title of the HAL tours rarely communicate what will actually happen on the tour. This tour was a replacement tour for one we had scheduled before the itinerary change. It was also a complimentary tour for booking the cruise before a certain date.
Our imaginations said we would be hiking through the bush and paddling some canoes. It sounded like fun.
We boarded a bus and took a 45 minute ride to the park. The road appeared to be the only paved road in this area. The Gambia is the smallest country in Africa. It may also be one of the poorest. Along the way we noticed dilapidated buildings along both sides. Garbage appears everywhere. It reminds me of weeds back home. If you don’t stay on top of them they get out of hand. Here, the old Pepsi bottle is like a weed. The difference is there isn’t anyone who cares enough to take care of it. The guide on the bus told us that The Gambia is very poor but you will always see the people smiling. No one was smiling on the bus. It appears that no one has a care in the world here. Maybe there is some kind of message here. It was difficult getting photos along the road. These do not convey what we saw.
We arrived at the culture forest. I don’t know what I expected but this definitely wasn’t it.
Two English men bought this property back in 1992. It was almost completely deforested by locals looking for food and timber. The men planted 15,000 trees and tried to bring the forest back and to create an Eco-Retreat. This is the most expensive resort in the country. That tells you everything you need to know.
You can make your own judgement on this photo. The man in front of the cart was smiling as much as the children were. They were all waiving at the folks on our bus. They looked very happy and very well taken care of.
After we arrived we made a pit stop.
We then climbed in to two canoes. I guess we weren’t going to paddle. We went up and down the river. There wasn’t much to see. Lot’s of mangrove on both shores. When we reached the resort lodges we turned around and came back.
Lunch was next. We were entertained by a man playing a Balafon. He had the instrument backward and seemed to only know one tune. He did have a “bad” look though.
There were remnants on the property of things that may have been nice at one time. A built in swimming pool (now empty). A four story platform to get a view of the area. I did manage to climb up. The stairs were made of steel and all were rusted. Some had spots where it was obvious that a foot went through.
After lunch we were led to a market area where people tried to sell you things. We didn’t spend much time here.
This tour just reinforced why we don’t do the ship excursions. They are really geared towards 85 year old folks. We are moving closer to that age but right now we can get around quite well. There wasn’t much to see. The ride through the city was probably the most educational.
We did get back early enough for dinner and then met the folks for trivia. What man helped the Lone Ranger both on TV and radio? (Tonto) Which pianist had a TV show in the 1950s and 1960s with his brother George? (Liberace) Which Gene Autry tune became a famous Christmas Song? (Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer) Which famous Soviet leader died in 1953? (Joseph Stalin) What is a fight between two rival gangs called? (Rumble) Which Ayn Rand novel described her philosophical system that included libertarianism? (Atlas Shrugged) Which television series featured Herman, Grandpa, Lily, Eddy and Marilyn? (The Munsters) Which dog food makes its own gravy? (Gravy train) Which group had its all time hit Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) Which famous quote is attributed to Joe Friday of the Dragnet TV series? (Just the facts ma’am)
The ship is rockin’ and it is windy. Too windy for cards out on the deck.