Home sweet home

As I said we spent a few hours in the lounge at Brussels airport, it was one of the best transfers I've had at an airport. It was quiet and nice, we had free access to refreshments, snacks, drinks - everything from tea and coffee, juice and soda to wine, beer and spirits. There was also free internet and of course more comfortable furniture than out among the shops and gates.

When it was time to board we went down to our gate for our 1 hour and 15 minute flight to Copenhagen. Time for new snacks because we flew so-called "flex". Not the best I’ve tasted, but free.
Once in Copenhagen, we got our luggage and went out. It was time to wave good bye to my travel companions and thank them for a wonderful week. They went on to take the train across the water back to Sweden, while I pulled the luggage tag on the suitcase and went up to the counter to check in and get a new one. Tried to make an earlier flight to Stockholm, but everything was fully booked. So it was another wait for three hours at Copenhagen airport. Found a nice recliner and sat down to read my book. After a while I dropped the book in my head and realized it was a risk to sit there and fall asleep. Time to walk around to stay awake.

The flight took off and landed when on schedule. Also on that flight, I was invited to a snack, which actually tasted good.

Got my luggage out, and with the long leg first I took off to the train station. Missed a train with about a minute, but luckily there was another just minutes later. The last leg of the trip started. On the way, I called for a taxi to avoid walking home in the cold. Instead I got to stand out in the cold and wait for the car. The driver was kind enough to turn off the meter just before we arrived as compensation for them being late. Thanks!

Unlocked the door and stepped into my own home almost exactly 24 hours after we left the hotel in Serrekunda, then I had been awake almost 36 hours! Tired, happy after a wonderful week and happy to finally be home I was just a short step from my own bed ...

I feel wonderfully refreshed and with fully charged after a great week of sun and warmth!

"Just what the doctor ordered!"

THANK YOU Mom and Dad for a wonderful week!

PS. You can now find pix at: https://picasaweb.google.com/carwahl/GAMBIA2011

The days that pass

A normal day starts with breakfast outside and then preparations for a day under the sun. We pick our favourite spot and get three sun beds. The next few hours we spend in the sun, in the water, in the shade, in the water… Later when we’re hungry we go to the restaurant at the beachfront and then back to the sun bed for more sun, shade and swims.
When the sun begins to set and the skin had enough it’s time to go back for a refreshing shower and a drink to get ready for dinner. In the room we have an air con and a fan, but neither is very effective and I am constantly sticky… But hey, I can take that.
We have a late dinner and then we’re so tired we fall asleep. Strange how tired you can be when doing nothing might be the heat. The other day I put my thermometer in the sun next to me – it was 48 degrees. When I moved it in under the umbrella it dropped to 36. In the mornings and evenings it’s normally only 30.
This is our normal days.

A not so normal day started the same way, with a good breakfast and then we decided to have a look in the neighbourhood. Walking up the road from the hotel we passed only pizza places. More or less all of them wanted us to come have pizza at their place. It was 9.30 in the morning.
On the top of the road we found a small craft market. Looking around everyone was selling the same in their small shops, and everyone wanted us to buy something from them. We did buy some small things and the best prices were given us from them who were selling things from their brothers or sisters shop…
When we got out of the market we went to the pharmacy. After that nothing was in our hands anymore. We got to see the “real Gambia”. We met a guy that asked if we enjoyed our breakfast this morning and told us he was working at the hotel. He also told us he got married the day before and wanted us to come and greet his wife. She was just around the corner.
Well, just around the corner was many corners away… We were taken to his place and where his grandfather was a holy imam. We never got to meet the holy man, but we got his blessings and a coke. And yes, we got to greet the lady he said was his wife.
After the visit we were taken to “his sisters” place. Now we were deep into a neighbourhood with big fancy properties laying next to simple houses and chacks. The “sister” had a nice place with a wonderful fruit garden. In the middle there was a grapefruit tree full of fruit, they had papayas, lemons, bananas, avocados you name it, and a big mango tree, but sorry enough the mango season has passed.
It was in this garden I changed my style the first time.
So our little look around in the neighbourhood took us on a little adventure to see the real people. Very interesting day.

But I guess one of these days is enough and it’s back to our normal days by the pool!