When you live in a country divided in half by a river, travel is always a guessing game. Should I take the bridge or ferry? What time should I leave? How long will the trip take?It is very challenging, especially for visitors from the West to grasp this travel game. All these questions when we are only traveling about 35 miles. This is West Africa and we are not joking when we say WAWA (West Africa Wins Again).
I mentioned that this is a game and there is some strategy involved. Although there is no schedule for the ferry, there is an app (that usually works) where we can GPS track the boats and see how long the trip has been taking that day to gauge the length of travel. However, the app does not help you determine how many other cars are waiting to get on the boat and where you will be in “line”. Once you arrive at the ferry terminal you gain pieces of the puzzle for the game, but the “line” does not necessarily go in an order. Ambulances, military, those transporting bodies for burial and those that choose to bribe sometimes zoom ahead. So, you wait patiently accepting that you made your best “guess” about your route and departure time and see what comes next in the ferry game.
A little advice for those traveling in The Gambia and other places. Always set your expectations low, we call this a travel day. Hope to arrive before dark (that does not always happen). Stay alert and ready to move. Bring a book to read, food and water. Don’t drink too much bathrooms are scarce. And, embrace the Guessing Game.
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