The boat trip

Last week it was necessary for me to go back to Kombo (Senegambia to be more precise) to visit my doctor (the rashes on my hands and arms were just getting out of hand - excuse the pun). VSO cover our health care costs and ask that we register at a place in Senegambia called 'Africmed'. It's not a particularly big place but they do everything there! They have a room which serves as a ward, another that they use as a labour ward, they have an x-ray room, 3 doctor consultation rooms, a pharmacy and even a room which they use as a laboratory (they do all the blood, urine etc sampling onsite as there is no central place to send them to).

I made the decision to leave Kerewan on Wednesday afternoon and after work I went home, packed my bag and made my way to Barra. It was particularly hot that afternoon and I had to wait for ages for a gelly to Barra and when one finally came it was very crowded and exceptionally slow! From the gelly park I made my way through the market to the ferry only to find that all crossings had been cancelled due to docking problems at Barra. (There wasn’t a notice explaining this information - just huge queues and it actually took quite a while to ascertain what was going on).

I was really disappointed, I wanted to get to Banjul so that I could go to the doctors and couldn’t face having to get a gelly back to Kerewan (from Barra you have to wait until the gelly fills up before it will set off and that can take hours). Suddenly I remember Paul telling me about the 'boats', an alternative to using the ferry so I decided to locate the boats.

I discovered the boats on the beach close to the ferry port. The beach was really crowded and lots of men had circled me and were asking me questions and telling me things in a variety of languages. I managed to block most of their chat and concentrated on what was going on on the beach. There were around four boats there and each was like huge rowing boat (what people might use as fishing boats here). One was 'unloading' and the others were 'loading up' - all of them were floating in the river about 20meters from the shore. At first I was confused and was wondering how people got on to the boats and then after some close observation I realised that people were being carried through the water to and from the boats!!

Panic set in and at the thought of someone having to carry me on their shoulders to the boat (I was worried that they wouldn’t physically be able to lift me and that I might cripple them, not to mention the risk of falling off their shoulders and getting completely soaked). I was really torn. What should I do? How badly did I want to get to Banjul?

I watched for a little longer and finally decided that the boat was my best option. I looked around at the swarm of men all offering to carry me to the boat (obviously for a price) and selected the biggest, strongest looking man that I could. He came up behind me, put his head through my legs and lifted me onto his shoulders. He then waded through the water and threw me onto the boat!

The journey itself was a bumpy one. I was sat in such a position that it meant that I couldn’t actually see anything so I had no idea where we were and how far away we were from land! I spent the whole 45 minutes rocking from left to right watching a little man with a bucket trying to scoop out the water that was filling the bottom of the boat! I think that was actually his job!! Anyway eventually I made it to dry land and though getting off the boat at Banjul was tricky it didn’t require me climbing onto anyone’s shoulders and potentially crippling yet another Gambian!!

I spent all of that evening (and most of the following day) at the Africmed centre waiting to see a doctor and then waiting for blood tests etc (apparently something they so routinely in the malaria season). I was worried that by the time I left I would actually have picked up something more severe than the skin rash I went in for!

 

Anyway, you will all be pleased to know that I am fine! He doctor believes that I was having an allergic reaction to the anti-malaria tablets that I was taking and after applying some cream and changing tablets my rash has virtually gone! Since returning from my boat adventure I have told many people about it and have gained serious respect (not strictly true as many people thought I was crazy) for braving the boats across the river!