We were recently privileged to have two weeks holiday in the Gambia, West Africa, which was very pleasant (in spite of the three day drive each way!)

Here are some reflections on holidaying in the Gambia. It is a good place for your hols if you like:

* Beaches: they’re clean, peaceful, long, sandy and the sea is relatively calm, certainly compared to Benin (see this post about Beninese beaches).

* Shopping for nice food at a decent price. There were several great supermarkets stocking many British and American products which we cannot get in Mali. This was a bonus for us (but not worthwhile if you’re flying there!)

* Wildlife: if you like monkeys, crocodiles and some other wildlife, then it’s pretty good (but don’t expect herds of elephants, giraffes or zebras – you won’t see them!

* Birdlife: if you’re a bird-watcher, then the Gambia is almost essential! Even without trying hard I saw at least three kinds of kingfisher, two kinds of hornbill, an owl, a violet turacao, and a grey plantain-eater. And all pretty close by too!

* Swimming pools and nice food! The two often go together. We found that – in ‘off season’ at least – if you buy a drink or something to eat you can swim for free at many of the pools. Our favourites were the Sun Beach Hotel at Cape Point and the Kairaba Hotel in Senegambia, but there were plenty of other good pools, all spotlessly clean and with excellent food.

The Gambia is not the place for you if you like:

* Hills and mountains, as neither exists in the country.
* Driving on nice roads! This is still Africa and whilst the tourist area had nicely tarmacked streets, elsewhere in the country they are not always as good. Ironically, the worst roads by far were between the Gambia and Senegal – are they trying to keep the French out???
* Complete peace with nobody bothering you. At the pools, yes, but on the beaches there are often ‘bumsters’ as they are called, who will follow you wanting to be your friend. Ignore them and they generally go away.
* Lakes as these are rare if there are any! However, we had a wonderful day on the peaceful inlet at Lamin Lodge.

There you go! We enjoyed our hols and one day (“when the kids have left home”) we may well fly back out there for a relaxing week of sunshine, who knows?

A Hummer like this one:

I remember seeing my first Hummer in West Africa a few years back – it was in Cotonou, Benin and was bright yellow. Then, a few months later, I saw a black one with tinted glass. For quite some time, these seemed to be the only two Hummers in the city.

Since moving to Bamako, I’ve seen somewhere in the region of a dozen Hummers, so maybe there’s something in the saying “Where there’s muck, there’s brass”!!

However, this particular Hummer caught my eye for a very BIG reason. Not because it was white, or nice and shiny, but rather because it was…

well…

very…

very…

L….O…..N…..G!!!

AMAZING! Who on earth is going to need – or even want – one of these here in Mali?! Presumably some rich folk with nothing better to do with their money! I’d like to see the window washing boys at the traffic lights tackle this baby!

I looked up other stretch Hummers on line and found this one, almost the same length but with one long window. I also came across this humungous beast of a limo, which has three pairs of wheels at the rear! Insane, but I’d happily take a ride in one if I ever got the chance – wouldn’t you?!?

What’s one of these an what does it do??

Answers please…

From a recent trip, here are four West African cities from the air. Can you match them with their names?

They are:
1. Bamako, Mali
2. Dakar, Senegal
3. Cotonou, Benin
4. Lagos, Nigeria

So, have a butcher’s and try and put A, B, C and D in the right order. Have fun!

A painting of a man in a suit playing the djembe

Seen on a wall above a door in Ségou. A decidedly random image indeed, and not one I’ve ever seen in reality! Also, he seems to have lost part of his nose, oh, and you can play a djembe well with your leg sticking out like that, you really can’t!

At the end of last month, I turned forty – a scary prospect indeed!
However, I don’t feel any different!

I guess that’s a good thing, I wouldn’t want parts to start dropping off all of a sudden! Mind you, passing such a major mile post did get me thinking and I’ve been ‘taking stock’ of my life. In forty years, I have:

* Visited 24 countries of the world, including Madagascar, Singapore and Burundi.
* Learned to speak five languages fairly well.
* Broken one bone (my left shoulder).
* Had twenty stitches (17 of which are on my head) from 3 accidents spanning 30 years.
* Composed a dozen organ works, several of which are published here.
* Produced three piano albums (see/hear/buy two of them here).
* Lived in 15 different ‘homes’ in 6 different countries.
* Married a wonderful wife and fathered three children.
* Had chicken pox, German measles, mumps (twice), giardiasis (twice) and malaria (7 times).
* Taught French, German, music, English, RE, general studies and…ethnomusicology.
* Never spent a night in hospital (not even the night I was born!)
* Experienced 66 aeroplane take-offs and 65 landings (you figure it out!)
* Weighed a maximum of 200lbs (now 170 or so).
* Owned nine different cars (a Talbot Samba, a VW Polo, two Volvo 340s, an Austin Montego, a Ford Mondeo, a Land Rover Discovery, a Peugeot 206 and a Mitsubishi Montero).
* Learned to play the piano, guitar, trumpet, drums, flute, djembe and (starting) kora.
* Met, chatted to and had lots of fun with 100s of people from roughly half the countries of the world (including Rwanda, Bhutan, Latvia, Jamaica, Suranam, Philippines, Rodrigues, Dominican Republic and Papua New Guinea).

It’s been a wonderful life so far. Even if I died tomorrow (which I hope I don’t) I can be satisfied that I’ve had a fulfilling and rewarding time on thie earth. I thank God for these many exciting opportunities, that’s why John 10:10b is one of my favourite verses!

Jacky Raturi, founder of three great Indian restaurants, passed away on 25th February this year.

I first knew Jacky in Cotonou in 2004, when we ate at his restaurant, “The Royal Garden”, where I had this birthday curry in 2005. (Also listed here in places to eat in Cotonou). He also had a restaurant in Dakar, Senegal, called the “Indiana.”

Most recently, we were delighted to learn that Jacky was opening a new Indian restaurant in Bamako – the only one in a city of over 1.5 million people! This was the Namastae India, in Niaréla. I was there for my 40th Birthday Curry on 25th February – the very day Jacky had a heart attack and passed away, whilst visiting Niger. Sad news indeed. Thankfully, his delicious food lives on.

Here’s an older photo of me and a colleague having fun showing the size of our bellies with Jacky. Fun times!

Crossing the Old Bridge

We only have two bridges in Bamako and this is the smaller, older one. During rush hour, it becomes one way (into town in the mornings and out in the evenings) which helps ease congestion to some extent. However, the Chinese are building a third bridge, almost 2km long, downstream and it should be finished in the next few months. Here are some sites showing the third bridge in various stages of construction: making the pillars, the finished pillars, putting on the horizontals.

(Roughly in order of preference)

After completing my thesis in May, I rediscovered the joy of reading for sheer pleasure. For a year or two previously, I’d mostly been reading (these books and others) for research purposes, and a lot of reading it was! Enjoyable too, but being able to choose what you read and when now seems like a luxury!

So, here are 9 books I’ve read this year (mostly in their entirety):

(NB click on titles below to see the books on Amazon)

1. The Daily Message (Bible)
A great way to re-read the Bible in a new and enlightening way. The modern idioms and up-to-date language may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for me it has been a great help. 10/10

2. How to Win Friends and Influence People
Of all the secular books I’ve read, this one has had the greatest effect on me, so I thought I’d read it again. If you’ve never read it, buy it now and do so – it will change your relationships with others for the better! 10/10

3. The Heavenly Man
Two things: (i) read this book and (ii) believe every word of it. It’s an increadible testimony of Brother Yun and the sacrifices he made for the Gospel (and the amazing experiences he had in doing so). 9/10

4. Où es-tu?
Another great novel by Marc Levy, one of France’s best I think! A gripping and moving tale of international travel and unrequited love! A wonderful read. (In French) 9/10

5. Dark Star Safari
Paul Theroux’s true story of his journey from Cairo to Capetown. I really enjoyed his meticulous descriptions of places and people, which brought the journey to life. However, his constant whingeing about Africa and how filthy it is became wearing after a while and I think it should’ve finished 3 chapters sooner. 8/10

6. L’Attentat
I’ve read almost all of Amélie Nothomb’s books and always enjoy her bizarre outlook on life and humourous narratives. This is the tale of a hidiously ugly man who ends up participating in fashion shows across the world. It also has something of Beauty and the Beast about it. (In French). 7/10

7. La Noisetière
Picked this up 2nd hand in Ségou; I’ve never read any Antonin Malroux before, but this was a pleasant read of a middle-aged man’s return to Provence to face his somewhat troubled childhood. Lots of Pagnol-esque descriptions of the region and plenty of emotion. (In French) 7/10

8. Dead Aid
I read Dambisa Moyo’s book about why Aid to Africa isn’t working thinking I’d disagree with most of it. In fact, there were bits that made sense and might even work! Still a bit of a pipe dream though, I fear. 6/10

9. China’s Christian Millions
After reading Brother Yun’s moving first-hand account, this book seemed clinical and impersonal. Still a fascinating and encouraging account of church growth in this country over the past few decades. 5/10

Happy New Year to you all!

Remember the time I saw Santa Claus, all dressed in red and white? Here he is:

This was in the port of Benin, a few years back – and ‘he’ comes from Lagos! Fascinating (and at least they got the colours right!) I wonder if they drink Coca Cola on board?? No sign of his reindeer, mind.

Happy Christmas to all the blog readers!