A full days excursion

Started bright and early this morning to have our full days 'tourist' excursion around The Gambia.  We were all packed into 3 open top jeeps and set off for our first trip to the Crocodile park.  This park also hosts a small museum, were our guides talked us through the very interesting history of The Gambia, the tribes, the war and the Juju (voodoo/black magic).  After the museum  **I started this blog at 6pm yesterday (27th Feb), but due to the many powercuts we receive here, this is the first chance I have had to carry it on, it is now 3.34pm on the 28th**  we were taken to the pool where the crocodiles live.  We were told there are over 100 that live in the pool, and each one of us was invited to stroke a crocodile that sat basking in the sun next to the pool.  So, one by one we all took the opportunity to stroke the croc, while many other swam around.  A number of the students were not convinced that the crocodile we stroked was real.  So Lisa paid one of the parks workers to move the crocodile once we were in a safe position...of course the crocodile was real!!

We then jumped back into our jeeps and was taken to the monkey park.  Armed with monkey nuts, we made our way through the parks paths - and once one monkey was fed a great number of them arrived.  There are many great photographs taken of the students with monkeys on their shoulders eating the nuts.  Another great experience for this trip!  The monkeys seemed very friendly, although sometimes not with each other as the occasional fight for food happened.

Once we had fed the monkeys we made our way to a 'tie die' factory.  Where there was also a small market for us to purchase some gifts, bartering is the key here!

And bartering was also the key to another market we were taken too but not until we had quickly made a stop at an abattoir, where you could witness many cattle eating and many vultures flying up above!  The craft market was also an experience, where each market trader wanted you to enter their shop and see their handycraft, it takes a lot of energy sometimes to get around these markets, but you can also purchase some great bargains!!

We were all desperately hungry at this point.  So we were taken to a secluded beach called 'paradise beach', were a large buffet was waiting for us.  We then took the opportunity to relax after our feast.

Our final excursion was to a liquor factory.   Where their owners had come in on their days off to talk us through the process of their very exclusive drinks.  We were all allowed to sample a few tasters before people purchased some gifts.

A great day for sure!  And we headed back to the hotel after this very full day, to relax for a short while.  We all decided to each at the 'curry house' beach house, just outside the hotel.  Our food was very late in coming but also delicious.  But during the wait for our food, we had great African entertainment with drummers and dancers and not forgetting the 'fire man' who danced in the flames of a fire, and also ate burning embers from the wood.  Crazy stuff!!

We have also had a wonderful day today - but I will explain all hopefully later in a separate post.