Yesterday, I woke up feeling rather refreshed. The temperature, while not exactly comfortable, was not uncomfortable. Positioned under the ceiling fan, my sleep was better than I've had in a while. Despite all the noise just outside my door which opens straight onto the "lobby" where the locals hang out all night and all the noise outside my window which is right on the port. The pillows are big and fluffy. And clean. The mattress is a piece of foam with a sheet, but good enough.
I went out to take my shower. The owners had to shoo the person in the bathroom out. I guess paying guests get priority over the locals who hang out. That's nice at least. The bathroom is on the lower edge of what a Western traveler requires. The toilet has only the ceramic part and of course you need to supply your own toilet paper. The shower is only cold water (and it's a bit colder here than most of the places with cold water showers) and the drain runs slow. It's all sort of sandy. I'm paying a cheap rate, though, so I can live with all this.
I got ready to go out and check out the town. I walked by the museum, lots of shops, July 22 Square with it's statue representation of 2 white men leading 6 black men in bondage, the Arch 22. Then I found the highway to the Atlantic resorts. I started walking toward them. It was about a 2 hour walk. There is a bridge just next to a smaller bridge that looks like it should be destroyed. At the end of the bridge is a police checkpoint. I asked if pedestrians had to stop, but she didn't seem to understand my question. So I continued. I got to the edge of Bakau at noon and was extremely thirsty. A store offered an Orange Fanta for D10 provided I drank it there and left the bottle. No problem.
Thirst quenched, I decided to check out the resorts. For some reason, when I hear the word "resort", I think Maui. Perhaps the closer comparison would be the Wisconsin Dells. And not even that good. I looked for a place to eat in Bakau and nothing seemed appealing. So I headed further south. There are 3 resort towns. Eventually, I passed a sign pointing to The Clay Oven. I decided Indian food sounded good. I followed the sign and found a large complex with a sizeable Indian restaurant. I went in. It was dark and I was the only customer. I asked if they were open, and the answer was yes. I sat down and they turned on the AC. I asked for a beer. Large or small. Large, of course. They take credit cards, so I decided I'd treat myself to a nice lunch and celebrate making it after the grueling trip the day before.
I had 2 beers, Chicken Tikka Masala (medium-hot), samosas, raita, rice, and a garlic nan. It was so good (almost as good as Chutney's on 15th). I should have been able to finish it--normally I would be able to, but I'm not in top food consumption form these days. I had to leave a little bit on the plate. While I was there, there were 2 other sets of customers. Two Gambian men at one table and a foreign woman (white, but couldn't place the accent) and a Gambian man at another table. Everyone spoke English. English is everywhere here. Two hours after I started, I asked for the bill. D920. I paid by credit card and left a cash tip.
Then I needed to get back. I was feeling a little like a beached whale with all that food in me. I was in no mood to walk. I flagged the first taxi to come by and accepted the first quote--D200. He had a woman but dropped her off just down the road in Bakau--then it was off to Banjul. Shortly after we got under way, the taxi got a flat tire. I waited in the taxi while the driver fixed the flat. Then it was off to Banjul. About now, it was starting to rain lightly. We got to Banjul and I headed to my hotel. I bought a bottle of water, went up to my room, and tried to position my huge tummy so it could digest in as much comfort as possible.
That was it for the day for me. The rest of the evening was just playing games on my computer, light reading, iPoding, and recovering from the biggest meal I ate since Rabat. In retrospect, I probably was a bit too tired to undertake the walk I took. Today, I'll take it easier. Check out the town, visit the museum, try to find the internet, get a shave, eat a shawarma for lunch and Banjul's only nice restaurant, Michel's, for dinner.
August 12, 2008 8:41 Gambian local time
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