I’m near the end of my training, staying at Tendaba Camp, which is allegedly a birder’s paradise. We took a long trek through the bush (14.5 miles), aptly titled ‘Marathon March’. (Okay, so maybe it’s more like a half marathon). We started early in the morning and walked through Kiang National Forest. This was no ordinary hike, for what it lacked in elevation changes it made up for with the searing heat, shin-deep mud, and flooded rice fields that required a bit of a swim. This is all the more interesting because our Gambian guide, Lamin, couldn’t swim. It kind of baffles me that in a country that is almost entirely a river, its people can’t even dog-paddle.

Along the way, we saw a lot of baboons. The alpha male in a troop can be pretty scary. All in all, The Gambia is a really beautiful country. I hope to see all of it before I’m gone.

Here we go......

The river on the horizon

There's something in the trees.....

A collective effort to rescue our Gambian guide