Bakau (Banjul), The Gambia - September 28, 1998

. OnHiatus.com > Journal 1 > Day Index > Journal Entry: September 28, 1998

Monday, September 28, 1998

Bakau to Bakau (Banjul), The Gambia

Bakau (Banjul), The Gambia:

Latitude:	13° 28' 6" North
Longitude:	16° 40' 57" West
Altitude:	215 feet
From Seattle:	6788 miles
Lodging:	Hotel - New Town Guest House

Today's Travel:

Country:	The Gambia
Region:	Kombo Peninsula
Route:	Shared Taxi: Bakau - Banjul - Bakau
Start:	Bakau
Stop 1.	Banjul
End:	Bakau (Banjul), The Gambia
Weather:	Partial Sun / Rain (Stormy)

Click on map to Zoom in...

Trip Stats to Date:

Day:	536
Linear Dist:	126257
Countries Visited:	37
Regions Visited:	153
More stats...
Hotels:	143
Friends / Family:	154
Camping:	42
Hostels:	141
Transit:	49
Other Lodging:	6
Beers:	1956
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Journal Entry:

Well not the most successful day. Got up reasonably early, got into Banjul, searched for a reasonable exchange rate on a travelers checks, and went looking for the Malian consulate. I followed the directions in both guide books, looked, looked some more, kept looking, asked, looked again, asked again, and got shown. It was in a marine engine shop, no sign on the outside or inside, you just had to know that the Malian Consul worked (?) there. After all that effort I was told they stopped issuing visas in 1997. So now the issue is do I go back to my original plan and take the train out of Dakar and get a Malian visa before I leave, or do I go into Guinea without a Malian visa and try my luck at the border without one? I was also told today that there was difficulty getting Malian visas in Dakar, although I'm not sure how much I trust the source. Right now I'm tending on trying my luck without the visa. If I can't get through I can either head to the coast and try to get a visa in Conakry, or just skip Mali and head South to the Côte d'Ivoire. I'll see about getting a visa for Guinea tomorrow (the office was closed when I tried today).

I spent some hours wandering around the Albert Market, somewhat disappointed in the variety. There were some amazing cloths (they're especially good at the batiks). The rest was sort of lack luster bracelets, pendants, and mediocre supposedly ebony carvings. Went to the bookstore hoping to pick up a couple new novels but the selection consisted of maybe two dozen novels from the early 80's.

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