Cream Cake

The cake management committee, Yasally in red, Maimuna in yellow and Mr Choi with his hat on because it's winter here!

Thank you all for the generous Christmas parcels - all have been safely received (and consumed) with only one minor casualty (ant attack on the salami). I believe the ants to be a local gang as the package had been opened by Gambian customs. The accompanying Christmas card stated it was "a test package to see what would get through". I'm currently under surveillance by CSI Mansa Konko! The second Pebworth packaging (excellent Cabernet Merlot) was so good that we also had a game of pass the parcel!

My remaining compound VSO celebrated her birthday recently and I arranged for her to receive a surprise birthday cake. Our local Lebanese mini-market had long since run out of anything resembling a cake - I had considered assembling a "kit-kat" cake but thought I could do better through my local contacts. After a short discussion with Mr Choi at the office the ball began rolling to get a cake "transported" the 200 kilometres from Kombo in a gelleh-gelleh (bush taxi). When I found out it was going to be a cream cake I became rather concerned for it's safety. I shouldn't have worried as Maimuna's mother delivered an awesome cake decorated with peaches & cherries! Terry managed to get hold of four candles - nothing to do with forks! The number of candles is in no way related to decades - all I'll say is that Lucy's age now ends with a four!

Lucy quickly blows out the candles and thinks "all for me". Isatoh has other ideas!

Another trip to Kombo was required last week (I think I've averaged one every three weeks!) to get my alien identity card renewed. All Gambian IDs, licences etc. expire at the end of the year so January becomes a busy month for paperwork. I will also need a new biometric card but this can will be produced automatically without my attendance. I also took the opportunity to purchase some much needed computer spares, build another British High Commission PC for a worthy cause in Brikama and fix a laptop at the VSO office. The trip from Soma went without a hitch (by gelleh-gelleh) although we no longer have a "big green bus" service as it has been withdrawn due to high fuel costs. As it hasn't rained here since the middle of October the roads are covered in red dust. If you sit anywhere near the back of the gelleh you end up a looking like you have a fake tan! We were due to leave Kombo on the Saturday morning so that we could get back in time for a local naming ceremony - the celebration of a new member of the Jammeh family. Unfortunately our travel plans didn't run at all smoothly. We arrived a Bundung Garage (bus station) at 9am and had to wait until 1pm for the gelleh to fill (on the plus side it was a spacious gelleh - on the downside they take much longer to fill). I now have a rule that states that if a gelleh won't start by itself and has to be "bump" started then get off it as soon as you can! You won't forgive yourself when it packs up in the middle of nowhere in 30 degree heat on a dusty road. After three or four bump starts in the first half an hour we unanimously decided to abort the trip. Sadly we would miss Seedy's party but we couldn't face the uncertainty of our transport situation anymore. We ended up staying in Kombo until Monday morning when we took the north road (it has tarmac all the way to Farafenni). There's more connections to make as we have to get the ferry from Banjul to Barra, get a "sept place" taxi and then get another ferry back across to the south bank - but at least you rarely breakdown and the journey takes only two-three hours.

I'm now in possession of my provisional Gambian motorbike licence - one hundred Dalasi very well spent. This is part of my extended work to fix computers in the wider lower river region (see previous blog). My trusty steed can be seen below - it's a rather ancient Yamaha AG100 with 26,000 kilometres on the clock. It goes like a "bat out of hell" - not. Whilst we're talking about bats I had an alarming situation with my pit latrine. Yes you guessed it a bat flew out moments before the unmentionable happened. I had forgotten to put the cover back on it the previous night - lesson learnt.

The Red Hornet: A Yamaha AG100 in Ferrari red - that's the only thing in common!

I don't think I've mentioned my cooking skills so here's a sample of the menu at Chez Alkali (my local name is Alkali Jawneh):

Veggie Risotto, Veggie Curry, Hot dog Tapalapa with onions & chips, Veggie Sweet & Sour, Butternut Squash Bolognese, Corned-Beef Bolognese, Veggie Noddle Extravaganza, Full English (with Beef Luncheon meat shaped as sausages), Hotdog Bangers & Mash with onion gravy, Cheesy Mash, Potato Rosti, Fried Egg & Mash (on a bit of a potato roll that week), Spam & Sweetcorn Bolognese (bit of a disaster that one), Lentil Curry, Lentil Bolognese, Egg & Tuna Salad, Omelette, Tuna Bolognese, Egg Fried Rice, and Couscous Soma Style (as in not very much).

Spam (chicken or beef) is our main source of meat - I'm trying to disguise it when cooking by various means - frying, mashing, shaping etc. - I still have to try grated spam (frozen then set upon with a cheese grater!) You never know it may catch on - I got the idea from a potato rosti.

I've also managed to get a few African shirts made - using Mr Choi's Senegalese tailor. The garments are made from the finest Malian tie-dye woven cotton. I did experience a small problem when I couldn't get my head through the top - even with the Velcro open! I wear the shirt to the office once a week on a Friday - this is when most Gambians dress up for their trip to the Mosque, it's always a very colourful day. Brothers - you can be assured when you receive your belated Christmas presents you won't have a similar problem.

No jokes about being a big head - I think my shirt needs an adjustment.