Banjul, The Gambia
We’ve reached mainland Africa in the city of Banjul, The Gambia. Our prior two visits showcased the poverty, which is hard to absorb coming from a luxury cruise ship. It makes us so much more appreciative of our good fortune. Today was a much better than expected experience. We had a tour with our Cruise Specialists guests called "Discover Banjul."
English predominates here - all the street signs and billboards are in English and that was what we heard spoken at most of our stops. We drove quite a distance around the city and saw the manicured government buildings, as well as the extreme poverty, decay, and street garbage we remembered from past visits. Our guide was a very dynamic young woman - still in college but very enthusiastic about her country and working toward improving the lives of other women. She was inspiring.
We started our tour at the National Museum, which is quite small and intentionally not renovated to reflect a very traditional culture. Many of us happily donated to a shop on the grounds working to stop violence against women.
There was a photo stop at Arch 22, the tallest structure in the city known as "Never Again Arch." It is a memorial to mark the military coup that overthrew the democratically elected government on July 22, 1994.
The largest Mosque in the city was open for visitors and we were able to walk inside the spacious but relatively plain building - compared with the very elaborate mosques we’ve seen in Morocco.
On to the Batik Factory, where we were shown how they dye beautiful patterns. Many tourist dollars were left here.
The Katchikally Crocodile Park gave us all a chance to pet a crocodile before our final shopping stop at the overwhelming Albert Market where you can buy just about anything from hundreds of stalls. This is an easy place to get lost in and we had a hard time keeping our group together - even during our brief 20-minute visit.
The surprise of the day was the "Refreshment Stop" at the Fajara Garden Restaurant. Our "snack" turned out to be a complete lunch - yummy chicken winglets, meaty empanadas, soft and fluffy sandwiches which we figured out were liver and tasted great with French fries. Also included were wine, beer, soda, and locally made fruit juices. The purple hibiscus was our favorite. The dining room was a beautiful, covered patio surrounded by flowering gardens. No other groups were there - just a few locals on a different patio. It was a remarkable change from the city outside.
We were about 45 minutes late getting back but no one seemed to mind. For those who hadn’t had enough shopping, a large market had been set up on the pier and we heard the prices were reasonable.
Overall, it was a remarkably diverse tour and a rewarding way to spend the day.
Dakar, Senegal
Dakar, Senegal was an entirely different story. This is a huge city of about 5 million, with French and local dialects being the predominant languages. Our previous visits here had us going to visit Goree Island, known for its role in the Atlantic slave trade between the 15th and 19th centuries. After a 30-minute ferry ride, it’s a peaceful respite from the chaos of the city and a well-preserved memorial to the many people who disappeared after being forcibly removed. The House of Slaves is a museum and memorial site which contains “The Door of No Return,” part of the moving experience of visiting here.
We took a shuttle into the square and quickly decided to head back to the ship. Our best advice for this port - take a tour! The Holland America tour to Goree Island was expensive, but without the hassle you experience when jumping on a shuttle and navigating on your own. The Bandia Nature Reserve and Dakar Highlights were popular options and hopefully got people around the city in the comfort and security of their bus.
Two stops in Morocco will follow two days at sea.
Fondly,
Wendy and Steve
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