Farafenni to Panchang - Day 191

Date: February 25th, 2010
Distance: 64km
Country: The Gambia
Song of the Day: Evelyn - The Tragically Hip

Steve-O took me out to breakfast this morning. We had omelets. But not American style. This was an omelet sandwich. Really this is just deep fried scrambled eggs with a bit of onion thrown in. Then stuff it in some bread and throw on a bit of mayo and sprinkle on a little Jumbo. (Jumbo is a MSG flavoring that is sold all over the place here.) Not bad. After that I had to hit the road. To Steve-O, thanks man. Good luck.

More hard cycling today. I did have one great plan though. I decided to sit out the hot part of the day. It went better than I could have planned, actually. I got to the town of Kaur and was looking for water. The police/customs station was right next to the bitick (shop). When I went in to get some water the policeman standing there said "The other American is over there." It was a strange way to begin a conversation. But I decided to see who the other American was.

That was how I met Kyle. We hung out for a bit in the shade of a little shop across the street. The owner of the shop was teaching Kyle one of the local languages. He even let me charge my phone, though the power was only going to be on for about 30 more minutes. (That is how power works up river. Usually a bit in the morning, then a bit in the evening. But hey, having power for some part of the day is better than a lot of places.) So Kyle took me over to a place to get a bean sandwhich while I waited for my phone to charge.

Too soon I had to say goodbye to Kyle and head back out into the hot afternoon. It didn't really feel like I had missed much of the heat though. It did start to get reasonable after about 5:00 PM. I was still bundled to keep the heat and dust off of my face. A car rolled by by and the lady leaned out the passenger window and told me I looked like a mummy. It turns out it was a German couple I had me up in Nouakchott. I guess she had recognized me because of my watch. Having your own style does pay off. They pulled over and I stopped to say hello. It really was great to see them. Brightened my day. They were traveling with a van of other German guys they met along the way. Everyone offered me water. Out here that does mean a lot. They are headed out to Mali and I wish them the best of luck!

I got to Panchang almost an hour before sunset. There I met up with, Evelyn, another PCV. We sat around for a while chatting before dinner. She even fed me some M&Ms. So good. You can't really get chocolate here because it will melt in the heat. (In Banjul candy bars are usually located in the same fridge as the soda.) So real chocolate was quite a treat.

After dinner we just sat out in the back of Evelyn's compound and talked. Mostly about stuff we miss from back home. I am a bit envious of the Peace Corps. They at least have a place. All of the volunteers I have seen make whatever apartment/house/hut a home. They set it up the way it makes life easier for them. For me, I am never quite sure where I am going to hang my hat. So I don't have the same comfort in a sense of place. Ah well, we all choose our lot in life.

-Dravis