Crossing Into the Gambia: Roads, Reunions, and Stories of Resilience

Crossing Into The Gambia

October 23rd, it was time to make our way into Gambia since we didn’t do it last night. Today we had opted to go the road that would get us over the Gambia River by bridge as opposed to relying on a ferry, which we’d heard only one of the three was running. There’s a lot of waiting and uncertainty inside Gambia to get to Banjul, the capital, so we opted to go around all that.

Journey from Kahlak to the Border

After leaving Kahlak and the Paris Hotel, we made it to the border without too much of an issue. Actually, it was relatively easy and that cut us into The Gambia. It’s “The Gambia,” not just “Gambia.” I had not really researched the roads—there’s one on each side of the Gambia River, north and south. We opted for the south road to be on the right side of where we wanted to be. We had a few police stops, but everyone was much happier, friendlier, and less hostile than in Senegal, especially the police.

Scenic Drive Through The Countryside

The road turned out to be like a freeway, great asphalt in good shape. We were just sailing through, and the countryside was absolutely beautiful. By about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, we ended up in Serrekunda, the main city, while a special event was happening.

Reunion with Maria Rose

My niece, Maria Rose, occasionally visits The Gambia once a year and had arrived the day before. We arranged to meet at the hotel so we could have dinner together. I hadn’t seen Maria Rose for a very long time, with her living in the Netherlands and me in the US, so it was a really great time to reconnect and catch up.

Meeting Modu and Learning His Story

Her boyfriend, Modu, lives in an area of Serrekunda. Modu has quite a history—helping people migrate to Spain as a fisherman and now working as a taxi driver. He drives one of the 40-year-old Mercedes taxis and keeps them going. It’s amazing how some of them are still on the road, but they make it work. It was a very nice visit.

Sunset Beach Hotel

We spent time at the Sunset Beach Hotel, a resort on the coast with a sizable swimming pool. It was probably the best place I’ve stayed on this whole trip. I wouldn’t have been staying in as many hotels if it weren’t for Johan, who is still traveling with me. It was pretty amazing.

Stories of Resilience

That night, we met another person in the pool from The Gambia who had spent almost two years in Tunisia trying to get to Italy. He had been caught once on a boat and sent back, and eventually returned home. It’s fascinating stories like these that remind us how fortunate we are not to have to risk our lives to leave our country.