March 29th, 2023 day 85 of 128

Banjul, Gambia

Hello from the tiniest country in the continent of Africa. A tiny country tucked in between the country of Senegal with a very large river running right down the middle of it. Todays excursion got bumped from a morning excursion to a noon time meet up so we opted to take a relaxing morning. I got up around 8:00am and went to the Neptune Lounge for breakfast and to do some work on my computer. I came home about 9:30am and got Megan up for the day. She also grabbed breakfast in the Neptune Lounge because we’ll be off the ship all afternoon and I wanted her to get some food in her stomach before we headed out. We spent the rest of the morning tidying around the “house” and getting saturated in bug repellant and sun screen for Megan. We met with the group from Cruise Specialist at the Rolling Stone Lounge at 12:00pm. A local police officer was on our bus all day today escorting us to all our destinations. He was the first one off the bus and the last one on. I felt a peace having him there, knowing he was there to keep a watch over us. We headed out around 12:30 for our exploration around Banjul and the neighboring communities. Our first stop was the National Museum that depicts the history of Gambia. They had a 21 string guitar there that is indigenous to Gambia and we googled a video of someone playing it. A neat look if you get a chance. Our second stop was at Arch 22 which is a gateway to the Gambian capitol. Next, we visited the Katchikally Crocodile Pool. This is one of three sacred crocodile pools used as sites for fertility rituals. We actually got to get up close and personal with the crocodiles, I kinda can’t believe I did that…enjoy the photos!! Our next stop was a monkey sanctuary and our tour guide was kind enough to bring along a bag of peanuts so we could feed them. Just as we were getting ready to head back to the bus a monkey jumped onto my back and perched on my shoulder to enjoy his snack. It was definitely the highlight of my day. Next, we visit a tie die and batik factory. Megan was given the opportunity to try her hand at doing some batik work. A new craft project for her when we get home?!? Lastly, we stopped at a local restaurant where we had ten minutes for a snack and a cold drink, I went for a beer and Megan a coke. Along the drive there were sights to see. Colorfully dressed locals, goats and cows wandering around like pets, vendors selling all kinds of items from everywhere and anywhere they could set up a table. We again saw such poverty and horrible living conditions. But here in Gambia everywhere we went people smiled at us and waved. Especially all the children we saw today. Megan and I made faces back and forth with them from the bus when we were at stops and we all laughed! It was pure, and it was joyful. We got to touch these little ones lives and had our lives touched right back just through a smile. It was beautiful!! Today was the craziest and busiest excursion we have had. Originally booked for a morning tour, but I am sure it was modified by the tour operator, it didn’t start till 12:30pm. It was supposed to be a 5.25 hour excursion and they crammed almost everything we were supposed to do into a shorter time frame and it felt like it. We only had 5-20 minutes at each of our stops and it was a lot of rushing on and off the bus. Not my favorite thing to do. All aboard was 4:30pm and we didn’t make it. We arrived back to the pier around 5:15 only to discover there were three other excursion groups that had yet to arrive back either. Megan and I rushed back to the cabin, changed quickly for dinner and then went out to 3rd floor deck to watch them take up all the lines from the ship and pull up the gangway after the last passengers arrived back on board. Then, we went to dinner at the main dining room. It was almost 6:00pm at this time we thought for sure they would have given away our table by then, but they had not. So we got to sit at our regular table with Umam and Regy. We have reserved seating at 5:00pm at the same table every night. But they only guarantee they will save your table for you till 5:15pm. There is also a late night seating at 7:30pm every night, again where people come in and sit at the same table with the same servers every night. Lastly, there is open seating for guest who don’t want a set time and they can come in the dining room anytime between 5:00pm and 8:00pm. They get sat at different tables, sometimes with other passengers and with different servers every night. That is not our preference and I love being done early with dinner. But, everyone has their own preference. Something to consider when you cruise. Again I have lots of photos from today. Enjoy thumbing through them all and experiencing little bit of Gambia. It is my absolute pleasure to be able to share it with you. Love and Hugs, Debra