May 20, 2012

Weekend in The Gambia

By lisab

Yesterday was our first free day here in The Gambia. We visited Makasutu which means sacred forest in Mandinka. It is a cultural forest and a very popular Eco tourist destination. Many indigenous people still live there. We were taken on a walking tour of the forest as well as a quick boat ride down the Makasutu River. Our guides Oma and Benedict were amazing. Benedict told us about the local 'jungle juice' or locally known as palm wine. We happily took samples. They showed us how to climb the palm trees. Paul showed us all how it's done. The Baboons in the forest gave us quite a show. We could have stayed and watched them for hours. Scott had a moment of connection with a baboon who was not happy with the way he was eyeing his girl. The lunch was an incredible mix of fish, rice, vegetables and fresh juice. After lunch the local women danced while the young men played the bongos. Of course after watching them dance we were invited up to join them and the team was happy to move a little after a great lunch. The cooks here feel if you do not eat all the food that you did not like it and of course we don't want to offend so we needed to move a bit. It was a really nice way to start our weekend, as a group out in nature, learning more about the culture and the Gambian history and it amazing people. 

Our Sunday was a completely free day. Some team members went golfing. Some went shopping in the local markets to bring home a piece of Gambia for themselves and of course their friends and family. Some  stayed by the pool and just took a day to decompress and enjoy the African sun. Myself (Lisa) Alexandra, Edith and Claire went bird watching with our Guide Babucarr Sanyang. He is a tour guide but also a bird watcher for the last 10 years. He took us to Lamin Lodge which was on the Lamin River. Lamin Lodge was one of the last slave trading posts here in Africa. During our trip we went inland from the river to walk around the farmlands and saw what and how they grow fruits and vegetables. We saw the boat that was capsized from Gilligans Island and the Titanic. Alix is our birder on the team who left at the end of the day very satisfied she was able to see 40-50 birds and most important see 5 different varieties of the Kingfisher bird. Another amazing day here in West Africa. What an absolutely incredible opportunity missions for OneSight allow us to experience. Thanks OneSight. 

A girl dances for her elders in Makasutu
Our Bird Watching guide Babucarr, Alix, Edith n Claire.
3 little monkeys hoping for food during our lunch

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2 Comments

  1. Angie says:

    Sounds like a great weekend. I’m enjoying reading about where you are and what you are doing. Kudos to trying the new foods…I’m kind of a picky eater and would be very hesitant to try the local cuisine. Miss you Sister. Enjoying the pics, keep em coming.

    Posted on Mon May 21, 2012 9:40 am EST

  2. Debbie R says:

    Having fun catching up on your posts from the weekend. It sounds like you are really experiencing the culture of The Gambia. I am so excited to see all your pictures!

    Posted on Tue May 22, 2012 6:33 pm EST

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