After an early breakfast at the hotel, getting out of Dakar on Monday morning traffic was an interesting experience. Traffic is almost as bad as in Guatemala. A motorcycle in these parts always helps to wiggle through but a little bumping is sometimes also needed.
Once I reached the "Autobahn" that goes out of Dakar, things started moving fast ... and then the road was empty ... I guess everybody was gong to Dakar an not out.
Uneventful riding for a while ... the highway ended ... a 2-lane rural road followed going through chaotic and busy towns as always ... lots of Baobab trees ... and monkeys!
Eventually, I had the option to go through the Saloum Delta, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve or keep going straight ... I had to ask if the Delta road was dirt or pavement and was reassured it was paved so I went for it.
What an incredible region ... wetlands as far as the eye can see ... this is the dry season so there are many dry areas too ... lots of birds ... a great new impressive bridge to go over the main part of the river ... a fishing village ... very cool.
Finally, made it to the Senegal-Gambia border ... decided to not get a fixer this time because I heard this is an easy border ... and it was. Simple, straight forward ... but Americans need a visa (oops) to enter The Gambia so I had to go through the process of getting one there. I was through both borders in about an hour. A record for this trip.
And now, on to the ferry to cross The Gambia River into Bajul and Serrekunda, my final destination for the night.
One of the 2 ferry's operating this route broke down so there was 3 hour delay ... I was having flashbacks of my crossing in Suriname-Guyana were we had to wait for 4 days for the ferry to get fixed.
Once the ferry showed up, it was a stampede to try to get on it ... cars, people, motorcycles ... nobody wanted to no get on ... the ferry was packed to the tilt ... all of sudden, African boat disasters came to mind ... and now they made sense ...hundreds and hundreds of people, all packed tightly, on top of each other ... and nobody knows how to swim!
The boat was so heavy that instead of a 30 minute crossing, it took 1.5 hours. A very African experience.
Made a lot of friends on the boat ... Mamadou, a chef that spoke a little Spanish he learned in school ... a couple from Banjul ... Europeans from Netherlands, Sweden, Brussels.
I definitely felt I had arrived ... I was finally off the deep end in the heart of Africa ... felt a bit like Malawi ... basic, simple, chaotic, crowded, friendly, dirty, unique .... nice!
After we landed in Banjul, rode for 15 kms to my hotel for the night ... a great find in a chaotic place ... the hotel is run by a Swede that arrived in Gambia in 1969 ... after dinner at a simple restaurant across the street, went to bed ... a very long day!
Tomorrow is a no-ride day to check out the beaches around here and to learn more about what else The Gambia is all about.
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