Gambia
Map
February 16...18, 2014
This is the smallest country in continental Africa. It looks like an appendix on the map. There isn’t really anything to do here, and the country is a lawless mess.
A popular local car brand: an old Defender.
A license plate.
Vehicle license stickers.
No stopping for commercial vehicles.
No stopping in general.
Inter-city minibuses are equipped with large roof racks for luggage.
A post office.
The main national drink is green tea with an insane amount of sugar. The main thing is to make it as frothy as possible.
Cow.
Speed bump.
On the ferry.
You can pet a live alligator that won’t bite you here.
Banjul
Map
The capital.
There are monuments like this on every corner. They’re dedicated to traditional Gambian wrestling and not to what some readers might have thought.
The National Museum. Very homey.
There’s absolutely nothing to do in the city.
A store.
A trash can.
Serekunda
Map
A traffic light.
A guardrail at an intersection.
A monument.
Another monument.
Loaders waiting for work.
A bus stop.
A fence.
The city dump.
Tourists entertaining a monkey.
By the way, my taxi driver got detained by soldiers at the entrance to the monkey park—just because he was trying to drive through to the park’s parking lot. There are no signs or warnings of any kind; soldiers simply fine and punish taxis for driving through. Other cars are left alone. Africa isn’t exactly known for its fairness, but this is something exceptional even compared to other countries in the region. And it serves as yet another testament to the total degradation of Gambian society.
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