Recipe

Chicken Yassa

Chicken (or Beef)
2 – 3 Cloves of Garlic crushed
3 Tablespoons of Mustard
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Chicken Stock Cube
1 Large Onion sliced
Oil
Water
Rice

1. Add all the ingredients except the water to the chicken and mix to coat.
2. Separate the Chicken and fry until brown.
3. Add the other ingredients and continue frying.
4. Add water just to cover the chicken, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Serve with rice.

Rugby Game

This morning Paul took himself off to La Parisienne, myself and the children followed shortly behind. When we arrived Paul was deep in conversation with a guy called Nigel after a quick introduction he told us he had come out here for five years to set up a business in media. He used to work for the BBC and has made some short films, he is hoping to do the same here. He has even offered to do a short film on introducing rugby to the Gambia much to Paul’s delight, free of charge.

This afternoon we all went along to watch Paul coaching a rugby team in Serrekunda. We had to be there for 3 o’clock so we made our way by gelleh to Westfield junction then had to jump on another gelleh to take us to the buffer zone in Serrekunda. We made our way to the football ground where they would be playing. Quite a few of the guy’s were already there getting changed. After a quick introduction Paul started to change this was when he realised that he didn’t have his wallet, at some point he had lost it from leaving the gelleh. His wallet contained a little money, credit cards, VSO and residency alien cards. He decided to continue with the coaching with the plan to call at the police station on Kariba Avenue on our way home. The team made their way to the pitch and the game started. Whilst this was happening the footballers were warming up ready for their game. Bakau were playing Seaview, there was already a small crowd waiting to watch. Thirty minutes later the rugby match had finished and the football team took to the pitch. We stayed to watch the kick off before making our exit.

On the other side of the road there was a play park so we took the children in to have a quick play around. As soon as the local children saw them they became the centre of attention and it became a game of follow the leader. As they played I took a few photos however I soon decided to put it away as the locals were getting as close to Abigail or Bradley as possible so they could also be in on the photo. Whilst I was taking photos Paul was approached by a young guy apparently he was a journalist for a small paper. It was only when I saw Paul talking into what looked like a small phone that I realised he was actually doing an interview with him on rugby, he felt very much like a celebrity with all this attention. We soon decided to make tracks to the police station only to have a VSO truck pull up to give us a lift. When we got in the driver informed us that someone had found Paul’s wallet and he was on his way to pick it up. We pulled up and met a couple of young guy’s Paul checked his wallet the money had gone plus a small key however everything else was there which was a relief. I was a bit suspicious about the incident wondering if Paul had actually had his pocket picked rather than dropping it. We left the driver and made our way into Serrekunda market as I wanted to get some groundnut paste for domada. With this purchased we jumped on a gelleh seating ourselves on the three seats at the rear. We set off only to hear a loud bang and the rear of the gelleh hit the ground. We all had to get out, when we looked it was the suspension which had snapped. Paul and Abigail were blaming me and my lardy backside as it was my side which had collapsed. We now had a short walk to Africel were we would be able to get another gelleh or taxi home.

Bintang Bolon

The children have broken up for half term all be it they only get three days off returning back to school on Tuesday also it is independence day so Paul is also off college, he is still not sure whether he will need to go in tomorrow.. We decided to take a trip out for the day the plan was to drive along the south bank to see how far we could go before the road got too bad for the car. We were also dropping Rachael off at Brikama college so she could meet up with Amy. Rachael is one of the new volunteers who will be working at the college. We arrived at the college in good time Amy was already there she had decided to go into work today so as to tidy the office. We left them as Amy decided to give Rachael a tour of the college. We were soon back on the road and passing the village of Pirang which is where we recently had a walk through the forest. The road was quite good tarmac through the next two villages then we were diverted off the road and on to a track which ran parallel to it. The road was still in the process of being built and there were large boulders dotted along sections to stop vehicles using it however it looked in better condition than the one we were travelling on. The track which we were taken along was a mix of tarmac and sand which was full of ridges however the gellehs and trucks just speed along no problem throwing up red dust as they went. We passed a number of villages along the way with locals sat outside there houses or out in the fields working, and the usual variety of animals, donkeys, goats, cows and sheep. The road which we were travelling on was very wide and flat so you got a good view of the horizon up a head and was bordered by baobab and palm trees. Unfortunately we didn’t see any wildlife it was probably too late in the morning. We passed a couple of areas which looked as if in the wet season they would be flooded and possibly home to crocodiles.

As we entered the village of Somita we looked for any sign posts to Bintang Bolon unbelievably it was signposted so we came of the main road to travel along a sand track. The road was in very good condition and not too sandy so no fear of getting stuck. We passed through a village with children running out of their compounds and shouting toubab at us. They even had street lights which consisted of a light bulb in a icecream tub and make shift lamppost.

We arrived at a water front restaurant and lodge which was built on stilts across the mangroves and river. The restaurant had a jetty and gave an excellent view of the river which was bordered by mangroves and trees. The manager and a couple of women were busy fishing for crabs which they were catching in a circular hoop net which was baited with fish eyes and fins. They were throwing it over the jetty and leaving it a while before hoisting it back in to a catch of a couple of crabs which were tipped into a bucket with others. We relaxed in the sun enjoying the views with julbrew and pop in hand. Abigail wanted to use the toilet so Paul took her down one of the plank walkways. There was suddenly a bit of a commotion from the women behind me when I turned around a load of bats had flew in to the restaurant and attached themselves on the ceiling before flying back in to an adjacent tree. Apparently Abigail had disturbed them when going to the toilet. They also saw a couple of monkeys scurrying along the planks and into the mangrove trees.