Arrival in Gambia

I've made it to western Africa. I was a bit panicked that my bag didn't make it with me though. Everyone here would have bet good money that my bag was lost forever. Without the contents of that bag, I was doomed to ride shotgun in the Landcruiser the whole way to Spain as there are no stores that sell motorcycle gear between here and there. That would have been a bit of a disaster being that the goal is to ride across the Sahara.

Anyway, the US$ being so low is hurting even here in one of the poorest countries on the planet. Their currency is pegged to the Euro which I can only change at .61 to the US$.

I love all the colors on the clothing around here. The men in Gambia really just wear the same thing you'd see anywhere, tshirts and jeans. In Senegal (my stopover in Daakar) I saw many women in traditional full robe garment you see in many Muslim cultures. The women though wear super color wraps and blouses. Its pretty striking. Most are all quite lean and a handsome people too.

The towns are like Mexico on steroids. Similar dusty streets (most are all dirt) with hard to identify shops along the sides. The difference being that these people can mostly not afford cars, so everyone walks. The neighboring village is basically a strip with a road about 50' wide and the pedestrians really only make space for the vehicles right as they drive thru the crowds... on what is supposed to be the main road.

I have been mostly stationary for a couple days though as my lower-back went out just reaching down to pick up some water. Fortunately with my baggage here now, I have the Ibuprofen and muscle relaxants and have been slowly healing.

We leave The Gambia for Senegal on Monday morning. There are only 2 other motorcyclists on our trip, one is a woman. Originally there was supposed to be 16, but one by one they have dropped out. Only 3 of us remain. Will be interesting with such a small group. We do have 5 riders in all though with the guides and a 6th driving the Landcruiser support vehicle. The bikes were all new when they left London a month ago for the ride down here. They look like they've seen a fair amount of droppage though. Quite dinged up. One rider on the last trip actually went into a pothole on the road that swallowed the bike. He went flying quite aways and suffered a concussion. He just wasn't watching as well as he should have. Won't happen to me though... 'safety first' is my middle name :^)

We are staying at a campground now. One of only two in the whole country. It's a pretty eclectic mix of hardy people who are traveling thru Africa in 4x4s or motorcycles. A great bunch of people with lots of interesting stories.

Internet access is likely going to be more sparse than I originally thought, so I may be several days in between checking in. Just wanted to let everyone know I'm OK, the bag did finally arrive, we ride out on Monday where we cross the river Gambia on a ferry and on into Senegal.

I'm enjoying myself immensely even with my back in bad shape. Send good vibes so I can get on the bike Monday.