Banjul, Gambia 4

The River Gambia is not entirely saltwater, but it is a mix of freshwater and saltwater, making it a tidal estuary in its lower reaches and freshwater further upstream. The water is saltwater or brackish in the lower part of the river for about 250 km from the mouth, especially during the dry season, while the upper sections remain freshwater.

Lower River: In the lower, coastal part of the river, saltwater intrudes and can make the water brackish or saline, particularly during the dry season.

Upper River: Further upstream, where the river is no longer influenced by the tides, the water is freshwater. The point where the freshwater begins varies, but it starts around 120 km from the mouth and extends for hundreds of kilometres inland.

That the water is saline up to 250 km from the mouth of the river, which corresponds to the western half of the country, where most of the people live, makes the Gambian population particularly dependent on fresh groundwater, which is found at shallow depth throughout the country.

As an aside, I have been impressed with the ample pipe borne water supply to homes here in the Gambia. People have water meters and pay water bills. One might think this was a rarity if one's experience was limited to the DIY water supply situation in Nigeria, my home country. But this, in fact, is the more common case across the continent.

Swimming

The River Gambia is known to have crocodiles, which are common along the length of the river and in tributaries, and hippos, which reside upriver in the central regions. One should avoid swimming anywhere along the river, as well as various streams as one could encounter some of these animals.

Swimming in freshwater creeks can hold other risks such as contracting various diseases. Tiny flukes released by freshwater snails harbour the disease schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, which can be passed onto one by the parasitic worms, which enter through the skin.

Banjul, Gambia 2

In avoiding heavily touristed areas and touristy things, I have often gone out of my way to seek out quiet, less travelled spots in every travel destination I have newly arrived at. The belief is that hanging out with the locals is a good way of getting a more authentic and unvarnished experience of whichever location I'm visiting. This approach has worked out positively, and not only in the experiences which I might not otherwise have had if I was cocooned in some tourist enclave, resort or hotel, or if I moved around the place as part of a tourist excursion group. And this especially in my travels across the African continent where meeting local people, eating local foods, using public transport and so on, and making new friends, is more to my preference.

The Gambia is a major destination for tourism, with tourists mainly from Europe. So beach tourism is a big thing here, as are the organised curated boat trips up and down the Gambia River. There are also river lodges along the river targeting those foreign tourists. And while I understand the economic reasons behind these activities, and have nothing against any of them, for me personally, it has not come naturally to think of myself as a foreign tourist. I have always wanted to experience the places I visit in the same way as the locals would experience it. On this trip I stayed in a Gambian home located in a fairly densely populated residential district of the capital, ate Gambian meals, drank Gambian 'green tea', enjoyed Gambian jokes, and learned a lot about the different Gambian peoples. 

Of course there was the beach too, this is after all a big part of the lifestyle here. I sought out the beaches frequented by the locals, not being keen on the stereotypical tourist beach experience that, in my opinion, is the same, whether in the Bahamas, in Bali Indonesia, or in Mombasa. I wished for something uniquely Gambian.

Brufut Beach

Tanji Beach is an area for the local fisherpeople, traders and merchants of fish and other seafood; suppliers of fishing equipment and fuel for the fishing boats, and so on. It is not a tourist area.

So while everyone else was braving the waves and splashing around in the Atlantic Ocean, there I was resolutely remaining on dry land, utterly convinced that I am not an aquatic creature. This beach, though, is heavenly. If I lived anywhere nearby, I would be here every single day. At Brufut Beach,

Banjul, Gambia

Banjul was founded in 1816, when the British Colonial Office ordered Captain Alexander Grant to establish a military post on the river to suppress the slave trade and to serve as a trade outlet for British merchants ejected from Senegal, which had been restored to France. Grant chose Banjul Island (ceded by the chief of Kombo) as the site, which he renamed St. Mary’s. He named the new settlement for Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst, then colonial secretary of Great Britain.

Bathurst became the capital of the Crown Colony and Protectorate of The Gambia in 1889 and was granted city status in 1965 when The Gambia gained independence. The city's colonial grid layout and architecture reflect this period.

In 1973, the city was officially renamed Banjul. The new name is derived from the Mandinka people's word "Banjalu" referring to the fibres they used on the island to make ropes.

After a period of decline in the 1980s, much of the population moved to surrounding areas, forming the Greater Banjul area. Today, it remains the political and economic centre of the country, with infrastructure reflecting both its colonial past and modern development.

Banjul city is an island in the estuary of the Gambia River, and it is the central business district of this capital city most of which is however, located in Kanifing/Serrekunda, on the mainland.

Banjul island has the State House, National Assembly, the Supreme Court, in short, the seat of government. It is also where the Police Headquarters and the Port of Banjul are located, and some government departments, major banks and commercial enterprises, as well as the popular Banjul Market. It's a bustling little island, and like in most places in Africa where people gather in numbers, is lively and full of life.

We visited the ferry terminal from where the ferry from Banjul to Barra on the north bank of the Gambia River carries those whose intent mainly is to travel onwards to the Gambia/Senegal border, and then have a direct run to Dakar, Senegal from the border. We were still undecided whether to use this ferry to cross when we embark on our journey to Dakar, or whether to travel by the longer, 12-hour more scenic land route, which would guarantee that we pass through Senegalese towns like Kaolack, Fatick and Thies. I personally preferred the land route, but it wasn't I alone to make the decision.

Last Sunday we drove to Banjul island, also sometimes known as St. Mary's Island, This island is the central business district and the seat of government, but only on weekdays. At the weekend the island turns into a quiet, beautiful, quaint little treasure trove of history for enthusiasts like myself. I was so lost in enchantment as we drove through the quiet narrow streets that I even forgot to take photographs, with my mind replaying its imaginations on a loop of what the island might have been like two hundred years ago, and then drawing a connection between that time and what my eyes were seeing. I vaguely remember involuntary gasps of "Oh wow, Oh wow".