Newsletter editor – Nigel sends news from his volunteer placement in The Gambia

2.45pm Friday 29th

Adama picked me up this morning and took me to Serakunda and Banjul to have a look around and withdraw some money. Also went to the GIG farm project and met the guys there.
We also dropped into Adamas compound and met his lovely wife Lisong; we have met before in England at a people and places function so it was nice to see her again.

As I write this I am still damp from the pool at Safari Gardens, tough life as a volunteer but someone has to do it!
Transferring to Sandele at 5pm which I am REALLY looking forward to, this is a day earlier than planned but what the hell!

4.50pm
Adama arrived early, this is the second time he has done this, can he really be African!

11.45pm

I am writing this in my room at Sandele, had a lovely meal earlier with Geri and Maurice (the owners) Fred a Dutchman building solar dryers and a journalist and her family, she is writing a piece on Sandele for the Guardian. I did have one complaint for Geri and Maurice, my room is too near the sea and I am worried that the sound of the waves breaking on shore will keep me awake!

Adama has told me that the car he uses is at my disposal for the duration of my visit and there is a driver but I am welcome to drive myself, um I will have to think about that one, the driving here is how shall we say, interesting, indicators are purely optional (and I thought England was bad) cars just pull out in front of you, although Adama is a good driver.
And then there are the goats and cows to contend with, on the way here a goat wandered across the road but Adama didn`t slow down so eventually the goat sees us and runs back the other way and Adama said you don`t slow down for goats as they will always run away. He told me the story of why goats do this and it goes……………..

“There was a goat, a snake and a cow taking a taxi and just before it reached its destination the goat jumped out and ran away, the snake got into an argument with the driver who let the snake go without paying, but said he would have to pay next time, while the cow paid her fair and walked away, so whenever a goat sees a car it runs away but when a cow sees a car it just stays where it is.”

So to bed and then a dip in the sea tomorrow before breakfast and then I want to find out as much as I can about Sandele and the wind and solar power. Geri and Maurice seem such an interesting couple and Maurice is full of wonderful stories.