"Good place for a quick and cheap... " a The Gambia Travel Page by Zarasher

It was alright for a 2 star, in terms of cleanliness and decor, but the lack of air conditioning was absolutel killing me. In 30 plus degree weather you CANNOt have a hotel that does not have air conditioning. It just should not be allowed!

On the day we arrived and Deborah and I went walking about we ended up at a fish market in Bakau, not far from the hotel. This part of The Gambia, being as close as it is to the Atlantic has the most fantastic fresh fish. The place to get it is straight from the sea your self or from one of the boats as they come ashore. We didn't buy any though, as we would have had nowhere to cook it!

I had just haggled with a cab driver to take us back to the hotel from a club for 50 Dalasis.

So around the corner from where the taxi driver picked us up he pulled into a petrol station. He asked if any of us wanted anything and I jumped from the back seat to make my way into the store to go and get a bottle of water. I stood in the wueue for a few minutes before becoming restless. I couldn't be bothered to stand in the long queue and so made my way back to the car.

When the driver saw that I was empty handed he asked why I didn't get anything. I told him that I couldn't be bothered to queue. He seemed outraged at the injustice of me having to stand in a line and beckoned for me to follow his lead back into the store.

Inside the store he walked over to the fridge with me trailing behind and pointed to each one of the two types of bottled water on offer. I indicated which one I wanted and he picked it up and swaggered to the front of the queue slamming the water down on the counter. I expected someone to object but no one did. He bantered with the cashier whilst holding out his hand to me for the money to pay for it. I gave him a 100 Dalasi note, and he handed me back the 75 change which the cashier had given to him. We then walked back outside to the car.

Back in the car we are ready to go. He goes to start the engine and it stalls again and again and again. After trying for a few minutes he gets out of the car and opens the bonnet. He fiddles around for a few minutes before getting back into the car and trying to start it again. This whole trying to start the car and then fiddling under the bonnet goes on for another ten minutes or so. The next thing we know there is a guy helping him start the car while he buries his head under the bonnet.

The guy trying to start the car tells us,

"Don't worry I can take you where you are going. You see my car, (he points to a small banged up red car) it's right over there.

"We're fine," I tell him

Despite him meant to be helping his friend and my refusal to want to get in his car he keeps repeating the same nonsense about him taking us home. The driver is not communicating with us about what is happening and his "friend" whispers (because he knows the driver will be pissed if he hears) whenever the driver is in earshot that we should go with him It was getting tiresome and we just ignore him. Half an hour passes and nothing new has happened. The car starts and then stalls and has not moved an inch. It is around 3AM and we just want to get back to the hotel.

At one point Deborah just gets out of the car without a word. I follow, not quite sure what she is up to. The driver is not pleased at her actions and shouts after us vehemently,

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

We keep walking

"COME BACK NOW! You are not going anywhere pay me my money."

Deborah shouts back at him,

"You must think we've got all night to sit in your car."

This makes him super vexed and he physically runs behind us screaming like a nutter,

"YOU WILL PAY ME NOW! I WILL SNATCH YOUR BAG AND TAKE EVERYTHING."

I'll continue the story in the travelogue