Bakau - Day 188

Date: February 22nd, 2010
Distance: 50km (around the city)
Country: The Gambia
Song of the Day: Don't Gimme No Lip - Pearl Jam

Woke up and started looking for a new place to stay. I had met a guy named Bob the previous evening. He said he knew a good place to stay and would take me. I don't generally like over-zealous help, but the guy seemed okay. It turns out he didn't actually know anywhere to stay though. His method was pretty much the same as mine would have been. Walk around and ask people.

It did work out in the end. I found a guest house to stay at run by a guy named Mr. Barry. I got the impression he was almost like a mob boss. When he showed me around he kept mentioning things that he owned. "This is my bakery. This is my internet cafe. All the shops along this street are mine." He also had this little warren of houses. Three courtyards. The place I stayed was in the farthest back courtyard near Mr. Barry's house. I would't accuse the place of being clean, but it was cheap and there was lots of space. Good enough for me.

Once I got checked in, I headed out to get some visas. I wanted to get a visa for Ginnea-Bissau and Ginnea. The embassies weren't that easy to find. I passed the embassy for Guinnea-Bissau three times. My skills at direction golf are still coming in handy. The process at Guinea-Bissau was pretty stright forward. The visa only cost me about $14. Plus I got a reciept. The office for Guinnea was a bit more sketchy. That one was expensive. A multiple entry visa cost me about $120 bucks. Ouch. No reciept either. At least that was accomplished now. So I am set to continue on my journey.

I went back to Mr. Barry's place and took a shower and did laundry. I also went out to find some dinner and do a little shopping. When I got back I started talking with Mic and Jenny, a British couple. Most recently though they had been living in France. They were traveling around Africa, with their two little kids as well. Mic even invited me over to have a beer. I don't drink beer but was happy for the company. They were fun to talk with about life and traveling.

Around 10:00PM I left to go meet up with Bob again. He had invited me out to a Reggae show. This was a big mistake. When I got there Bob was hanging out with two friends and they kept talking about how good the show was. Only 50 Dalasis (about $2). But when we get to the door I go to pay for me and they are looking at me like hungry dogs. They wanted me to pay for everyone. It was then I realized this was just a scam. So I walked.

Sadly Bob and one of his friends kept following me. Telling me how good friends we were. How poor Bob was. If he had money he would buy me a ticket. That kind of crap. Finally I got tired of it and said I would give Bob 50 Dalasis so he could see the show. He had been helpful in finding Mr. Barry's place. That wasn't good enough. I now needed to get Bob a drink once inside. No way. From there on out it was a horrible mess. The two guys followed me all the way back to my guesthouse. Then Bob got into an argument with Mr. Barry's grandson. I got accused of breaking some fictitious agreement. Finally one of the other guests just told me to go inside and lock the door. That was actually helpful because afterwards they went away. Still, it really pissed me off and left a bad taste in my mouth.

My advice to any travelers to Bakau, ignore ANYONE who starts talking to you on the street. If you are walking around minding your own business, keep it that way. Everyone who tries to start a conversation with tourists is just looking for money. Be rude if you have to, but don't hang out with them.

-Dravis