Two weeks sailing up the river Gambia for 150 miles, and we are back to Banjul, ready to go to Guinea Bissau and Bijagos. What a beauty Gambia ! More salvage nature, animals, birds…the mangrove reaching more than 20 metres, laterit trails…We have learnt to live like the river inhabitants, doing our washing with the river water, eating what we could find, and as it’s the dry season, then winter, sometimes there is not much. But we always could find water, bread, and the kindness of the people. Plenty of kids, thousands it seem, coming in dugouts or swimming when we stop, quite before we can drop the anchor. Dick is always the star, Zoe hunt bats that she put with delicacy in my boots once killed….We wandered in the bush, have seen varans, chimps, monkeys, hippos ( from far), birds we don’t know the name, a very nice snake, swimming in the river…The crocodiles stay hidden, never mind. It’s less hot, the last part of the night and morning are even cool, 21-23°C. Difficult to leave from here, one more time, difficult to leave people who have nothing and give nonetheless.
