Vicky in The Gambia: Motorbiking

I have now completed a whole week (well 5 days) of ‘in-country’ motorbike training. Everything that I have ever been told to avoid during my training in the UK (grit, sand, rain, holes in the ground, mud etc) was par for the course during the lessons here! However my bike (a little Yamaha AG 100cc complete with pizza delivery style box at the rear) seemed built for this purpose! For those interested in bikes these Yamahas are kick start only and the gears are all up, including first!

Day One – I went down to the yard carrying all my kit (of which I have a lot and considerably more than anyone else, instructors included) only to find that we wouldn’t be riding the bikes on this day! The day was spent discussing how to look after and maintain the motorbikes (as tempted as I am to go through this with you I will spare you the details)!

Day Two – We spent this day at a ‘field’ very close to the yard, (it was more like a muddy sand pit) going round and round in circles. Sounds easy but it was quite difficult in the sludgy conditions.

Day Three – Back to the field this time weaving in and out of stones. We are encouraged to use our breaks as little as possible here and to try and control speed with throttle (this is because brakes often cause the bike to spin or tip on the types of surfaces we are riding on). My friend Marcus came along on this day and took some photographs and did some mini film recordings, one of which he made black and white and speeded it up – it was very arty! It’s like a mini (2sec) film; I’ve called it ‘The Biker’. The films are on YouTube, you can find them at the following links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xXU45vxW1U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYyE3_fTsA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gidRdWAQq10

Day Four – Wow what a day! We were allowed out of the field for a little biking adventure. We did a few main roads and then headed out to the beach – yes the beach – an obvious place to take a motorbike? We all parked up and then took it in turns to ride across the sand. I went first and was so scared. The front wheel of the bike rocks violently from left to right as it desperately searches for a better route through the sand. You have to hold it really firmly and put as much of your weight as possible to the rear of the bike. I did really well and was very pleased with myself (there were many excited onlookers) I even managed to stay on the bike! Sadly lots of people fell off during this outing and consequently the following day everybody ended up borrowing motorbike jackets from the instructors!

Not only was day four an interesting biking adventure but it also turned into a fascinating fishing experience as well! Whilst we were on the beach we saw some fishermen putting their nets out. They then made two lines about 40 metres apart and began to pull the nets to shore. We left our bikes and went over to help the fishermen. It was hard work, my motorbike gloves really came in handy as the nets and ropes could easily cause blisters. The men pulling the nets in were very muscular. The fishermen really appreciated our help (actually I think they appreciated that fact that we were willing to help more than the actual physical contribution that we made)! I met my ‘brother’ at the beach, a guy with the same family name as me ‘Siisee’! When we finally got the nets in there were a few fish all of different sizes and colours but there was also a huge sea turtle. I heard some of the fishermen saying that they were rare and that it was best to put them back into the sea however it was also apparent that the rest of the catch wasn’t all that great so I’m not sure what the fate of the sea turtle was!

Day Five – We spent the whole day out and about, both on the road and off the road. The day began with a ride through Serrekunda market. It had been raining heavily the night before and the market was busy and muddy with puddles everywhere. It was very scary! As we left the busy market and ventured into rural Gambia our ‘motocross’ adventure took us off the beaten track, through pools of mud and water, past horse and cart and through tiny villages where children ran out and called out to us with excitement. At one point as I was riding through a muddle the water reached my wait and the only part of the bike that was visible were the handle bars and big blue box on the rear. In a panic I stalled and then was sat for a few minutes whilst trying to find the kick start which was hidden by the muddy water. Obviously I got very wet but it was all quite thrilling and the children laughing at the puddles edge made it even more comical. It was an amazing experience and at the end of the day I felt really proud of myself!

So that’s it for my motorbike training. I managed to stay on the bike the whole time and by the end of the training my rather hot gear was the envy of the group!!!