3.03.2009

Banjul and Serrekunda

The largest populations in the Gambia are what I believe is called the Combos (kombos?). This is a name for the city of Banjul, the city of Serrekunda and I think the villages near by. After the cities one of the next largest populations is the town/village of Gunjuru (I think. It was awhile ago we were told this so I could very well be wrong). Anyways my point is that the Combos is kind of like saying the greater Washington D.C. area, or in this case the Greater Banjul area.

Banjul is the capital city of the Gambia and while is said to be on a peninsula jutting into the river towards the North Bank, it was originally an island right off of the South Bank (where I live and the city of Serrekunda is and the town of Gunjuru resides) that now has a bridge connecting it to the South Bank mainland. Banjul, the capital for British colonization of West Africa shows the few visible vestiges of British existence in the Gambia, so I think. Banjul has old British homes that now house Gambian government branches as well as the former British offices holding court systems and libraries and the like. Banjul is also one of the few places that I have experienced, that has sidewalks. Much of where people walk is off to the sides of the roads in the red dust or on the very edge of the road, which is dangerous.

Think how driving was in India but not as aggressive and that the size of the vehicle does not factor into the driving judgment equation. Many of the roads in Banjul and Serrekunda are better maintained than upcountry but districts (such as Bakau) that vote wrong in the election tend to have their road maintenance budget cut (not that they would necessarily have gotten the money anyways).

Serrekunda, the city where I live has a number of large neighborhoods in them (again think greater D.C. area with Arlington, Alexandria... except more compact). The neighborhoods I know well are Old Jeshwang (where I live) which is also I believe closest to the highway leading to Banjul, with Kanifing which shares the Old Jeshwang Border and reaches to the main drag. Then to their west is Bakau (a tourist/ex-pat bit of upscale neighborhood) which has Fajara border it to the main road. There are also other neighborhoods in Serrekunda and bordering it like New Jeswang and Sukuta and Senegambia (the tourist drag of hotels, bars and restaurants). See the map below (I live near the prison camp). It doesn't actually show Banjul just Serrekunda and their neighborhoods.



By the way, the picture slideshow of the fula village and dune trucking were taken near pink lake in Senegal.

2 comments:

bellinghamster said...

The pics are really great too. What a lot of sand!

Cait said...

it is but as you move further south the more lush it becomes and green. the sahara is moving south apparently the gambia is the next to start getting drier. this year was the end of a 30 yr draught.

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