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from Soma went without a hitch (by gelleh-gelleh) although we no longer have a "big green bus" service as it has been withdrawn due to high fuel costs.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.

The New Year

One of the amazing Gambian Beaches - good for a Christmas Day walk.

Happy New Year! I'm back in the office at Mansa Konko with quite a bit of work on my hands. I'm slowly getting through the British High Commission PCs (N be a kan doman doman!) - adding the spare parts when I can get my hands on them (thanks Pakalinding). So far two machines are fully up and running - one with our PEO and the second has just been shipped to Kerewan for use within VSOs disability programme. Lamin was so keen to get his hands on the computer that he made his own way to our office with a rucksack!

I spent Christmas Day at a favourite destination of mine - Coco Ocean. The weather was amazing as we went off for a good beach walk - low 30s with a pleasant sea breeze. As I walked along the beach I was reminded of my trip to Barbados last January. The Gambia is at the same latitude - just 3,000 miles of Atlantic ocean separating the two. Very different countries but with surprisingly quite a bit in common. I'll be reading "Roots" soon which follows the story of Kunta Kinte from Juffure (not far from Kerewan) who was taken into slavery in the 1760s.

Coco Ocean pool-side restaurant.

The plan for the rest of the day was to play board games by the pool and then splash out on a fancy meal. The food was very good - I decided not to go for the 1,800 Dalasi Turkey special though. I couldn't really get my head around it being Christmas Day although I did have a Mr Kipling mince pie!

Christmas Day evening meal - thanks to Berni for the photo (I'm on the left).

After all this excess it was good to get back to Soma in the comfort of our own pickup truck - this didn't stop us getting a puncture in Bwiam though. The jack was located under the back seat, so to the surprise of quite a few kids I had to unload all the computers, monitors etc. outside their house. I think they thought it was Christmas again. Life on my compound is very quite at the moment - I'm the only VSO at the moment. The other trainee nurses are all out on in-county training for the next few weeks. Lucy will be back tomorrow so things are looking up. We also get a new VSO in February - hello Eleanor!

We had a momentous occasion yesterday - as mentioned in previous posts I've also been looking after the computers at Pakalinding Upper Basic school. During my first series of visits we managed to clock-up over 20,000 virus infections! All 20+ machines passed this month's scan without a single virus being found! (OK it's a big deal for me). Not sure if it's a coincidence but the BBC had an interesting story today:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12126880

I've also booked my flight home for a mid-placement break. I'll be back in Blighty (or should that be Brummy) in February - fully braced for the Arctic conditions!

Christmas Day sunset.

A Good Year

Kate's leaving-do with the Jawnehs


Work has been progressing at a steady pace - I experienced probably one of the busiest days just before I was due to leave Soma for our annual VSO educational conference. I must point out that I remain very busy - some of the previous posts may have given the illusion that a volunteers life is just parties and trips to Kombo - not true Justin! With only an hour's warning I was informed by our Director that we would be holding a workshop for the new GABENTRY & WASSCE software. Gambians love acronyms - WASSCE has something to do with the West African Examination Board - I work for MoBSE, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. All our cluster monitors and a selection of school principals descended upon our offices with Dell laptops in-tow. This is the time when we have to be on full guard as the spread of viruses could wipe-out all of the last few months good work. The customary procedure for workshops involves holding prayers/making greetings at the beginning of the day followed by breakfast at 10am (usually beef/chicken luncheon meat or Sardines with onions, potatoes and mayonnaise. This is usually accompanied by an incredibly sweet cup of tea (I make my own). A very lively debate ensues on whether mobile phones should be switched on or off and what should be the protocol should you miss a call! I took the opportunity to scan all the laptops and flash drives while breakfast was consumed - good job I did! Some people (no names mentioned) had even removed the anti-virus software I had installed as it was "making too much noise every time it detected a virus"! The rest of the afternoon (and I was trying to make an early exit) was spent assisting in the installation of the software and fixing rogue laptops.

The following morning I awoke at 6am to get the 7am "big green bus" to Kombo. Some weeks before Terry (advisor to the Director) and myself had "volunteered" to facilitate the educational conference. Terry does an excellent job in Mansa Konko and believe it or not his wife baby-sat me when she was studying at university quite a few years ago! Talk about a small world but my father taught her at Keele! By all accounts I was very well behaved! For some reason the big bus wasn't operating today and we made do with a gelleh-gelleh ride. I suspected either a lack of tyres or the road works between Sibanor and Kalagi (they're upgrading the road to asphalt!) Compared to previous journeys this was one of the best - Soma to Kombo in three and half hours.

I would be staying in Kanifing House during my stay in Kombo - this was the house that we originally used when we arrived in The Gambia. My choice of accommodation was based on the fact it had recently been "upgraded". I think VSO use Kanifing House so that volunteers can be acclimatised from hotel conditions to those up-country! Say no more! Our conference went very smoothly largely down to Terry's facilitating skills and the sausage and egg rolls we had for breakfast! It was held at the offices of TANGO - a very good acronym - The Association of Non Governmental Organisations.

During the end of week I had been made an "offer I can't refuse". If I could visit the Safari Garden Hotel and fix their computers I would be offered a couple of nights stay at their five star eco-retreat in Sandele (Winner of The Guardian/Observer Travel Award). When the owner Geri heard I was staying at Kanifing she immediately offered me a room for the duration of my work. As with many a case the work went smoothly apart from one PC - this of course had to be the main machine. Removing viruses is a complex job of ensuring both the PC continues to function and that as many of it programs and data aren't lost. Add the fact that many viruses will employ tactics to stop you from removing them and you're looking at quite a lengthy bit of work. Things quite often get to the point where you have to wipe the PC completely and start afresh. Fortunately after many a scan (and hour) I got to the point where I could sign off the PC as having a full bill of health.

You may remember that a few weeks back I had a meeting with the Deputy High Commissioner - the purpose was to find a home for some unwanted IT equipment. While at the High Commission party a few weeks ago I arranged another meeting to do the deal. I arranged this after the conference and to my surprise the amount of equipment increased and I was allowed to pick it up the following day. I'll need to do some work with the hardware but each region of The Gambia should get a PC! I also managed to get a vehicle from our region to head to Kombo to pick myself and the hardware up. This is a good food re-stocking opportunity as you can't easily take a box of groceries etc. on a gelleh. For security reasons the majority of the PCs have had their hard disks and memory removed - I'll need to replace these and then rebuild the machine (i.e. put the software back on).

While in Kombo I also took the opportunity to get a haircut - again things didn't go too smoothly. The friendly barber didn't mention that he had only previously cut local hair. My concerns were raised when he began to "line" my hair - this is when the perimeter of your hair-line is shaved. It was only by a few millimetres but as my hair grows quickly I already have "head-stubble" all around my head! Lesson learnt.

It'll be Christmas in two days - my first outside the UK. It's strange to be in a tropical country this time of year especially with the weather conditions back home. Many volunteers and family have been affected by flight delays caused by the snow. Thanks for the food parcels received - I'll enjoy those treats over the next few days. One of the amazing things that hits you about The Gambia is the incredible religious tolerance - I guess it's hardly a surprise when you consider how friendly people are. Even though the population is 90% Muslim - Christmas will still be observed with two public holidays next Monday and Tuesday. I'll be sharing this period with VSO friends before heading back to Soma on Monday.

Reception at the British High Commission

The evening was also in honour of the Gibraltar Regiment

As we draw closer to Christmas quite a few of the friends I've made over the last few months are heading home (that's my charisma!). Some are just popping back home for a few weeks while others are heading back for good. Ashley who painted a map of our region headed back a few weeks ago, north-sider Priya (based in Farafenni) headed back to Norway last Sunday and fellow compound in-mate Kate heads back to Blighty the week after next. I would definitely have started getting a complex about things had Lucy (my other neighbour) not told me she would be returning in January.

I have decided to extend my placement for another six months taking me through to July 2011. My IT officer (a local chap called Lamin who I'm training) is proposing that we trek to every school in the region to extend our IT services. This of course will require the use of a motorbike to tackle all those dusty jungle paths! Our region contains the Maniama Forest which is one of the largest areas of unspoilt jungle in The Gambia. Sightings of leopards and hyena (which I heard the other night from Soma) have been known! I've yet to see a VSO motorbike do more than 50kph so the odds aren't that good if I need to make a quick getaway.

I will have a break in February/March to squeeze in a bit of skiing - the difference in temperatures from The Gambia to Canada/France will be a major shock to the system. Evenings/early mornings here are now a very pleasant 18-20 degrees Celsius, the temperature still manages to get to the high 30s by mid-afternoon though. All those pictures of the heavy snow in the UK made me feel quite jealous - well OK for perhaps 10 minutes!

We had a small fire in the compound last week with one of the best excuses. As it hasn't rained for almost two months the vegetation is tinder dry, so perhaps not the best time to try and clear it with a fire. A young lad in a nearby compound had found a six foot snake is his living room and decided he'd make sure there weren't any bushes for further snakes to live in. The result was a singed latrine (we thought Mr Fatti was still inside!) and the rest of the compound having a distinct volcanic look. On the plus side we're only 5 minutes from Soma fire station so we weren't overly worried.

Our rather charred compound following the capture of a 6 foot snake

During the middle of last week I received an email from our VSO programme office informing us that as new volunteers we had been invited to a reception at the British High Commission. It would be a shared function between us and the Gibraltar Regiment - nibbles and a free bar would be provided. As it was short notice and a week before our educational conference in Kombo many volunteers couldn't make it. It's a four/five hour trip from Soma so I needed a long hard think about it. When a free lift in an air-conditioned VSO vehicle turned up I jumped at the chance. We had celebrated "International Volunteers Day" in Soma that Sunday so dignitaries/volunteers for across the country had attended. I was actually on the planning committee for the celebrations - things must have gone so well at the initial meeting they didn't need me for any more! The reception was held the following Monday at the High Commissioner's residence high on the cliffs above Cape St Mary. Getting the chance to drink proper G&Ts and red wine was a real luxury - and all courtesy of HM Government! We ended the evening with a ride home in what appeared to be either a diplomatic or special army SUV. With discretely hidden strobe lights all of a sudden we didn't have to worry about traffic lights or road-blocks, we were coming straight through! It definitely wasn't a five-five taxi trip!

Our VSO pickup vehicle leading the International Volunteers Day parade


Benachin (or "one pot") food-bowl following the celebrations

Tobaski or Eid-al-Adha

Ashley, Lucy and Max - under a Mandarin tree.

We left Soma early on Saturday morning for Kombo - again I would get the big green bus. As we waited for the bus to depart the last few Tobaski rams were loaded onto the roof. We then departed 45 minutes early (or maybe we were 45 late last time?) and I thought "excellent we'll get there for lunch". As the bus hit full speed you began to feel sorry for the poor rams bouncing on the roof above. We soon learnt to keep the windows shut as the rain and hail wasn't coming from the sky! I then heard a huge bang a couple of feet in front of me - one of back tyres had just exploded! The bus slowed to a stop, stranded on the dusty south road without a spare. The driver informed us that he had given his spare to another bus the day before and that we shouldn't have to wait much longer as the 6am bus from Banjul would pass us within the hour. Three hours and three green buses later (some slowing down just to look at our plight) we were beginning to get concerned. Stoke City were due to play Liverpool that afternoon so we had to get to Fransisco's in Fajara to watch the match. Luckily a truck with a spare finally did arrive and we ended up in Kombo only four hours late with plenty of time before the match. The bus driver was very apologetic and took us almost to our hotel door (well a junction called "Traffic Lights" - named because they were the first in The Gambia).

I think we need a new tyre?

Whilst watching the game I also decided to indulge myself with the finest British cuisine - fish and chips. Fransisco's is a watering-hole for many expats and has a good selection of pies etc. - they even do a Sunday roast! Stoke ended up comfortably beating Liverpool 2-0 with goals from Fuller & Jones. I don't think Liverpool had a shot on target (you can correct me Keith) - a fine end to a long day.

Tobaski celebrations were held on the following Tuesday - we were invited to the compound of a Filipino VSO's friend, Max (we have VSO volunteers from Uganda, UK, Holland and The Philippines). By the time we arrived the ram had been slaughtered (phew) - most of it's carcass had been butchered with just it's head left to be put in a soup the following day. In true westerner style I have to admit that my appetite suddenly dropped when I saw the kids cleaning out the intestines near where we were going to eat. One of the top honours is for the head of the compound to eat the fresh liver - this was shared with us, fried with spices and onions (very tasty). We then ate various "bits of meat" before having the main shared food-bowl meal. The slaughter of the ram is carried out in commemoration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son to God, who at the last minute exchanges Abraham’s son for a ram.

The remainder of the week we spent relaxing at various hotels in the Kombo area - I also managed to fit in a good beach/cliff walk from Fajara (near St Paul's church) to Cape Point. We were joined on the outward part of the journey by a chap who we suspected to be a "bumster" (tourist pest). At first he didn't ask for money and we began to wonder if he was just a very friendly local (he walked a good 5 miles of the route!). We managed to shake him off for the return leg but as we approached our hotel we could hear Jimmy the Fixer (the name was in hindsight a big clue) calling out our Gambian names (I'm also known as Alkali Jawneh - which means village leader, a sensible choice I think made by the head of our neighbouring compound). He now wanted a 200 dalasi donation to his reggae band! Bumsters usually disappear pretty quick when we mention we're volunteers or use a bit of Mandinka - Jimmy got the message that we wouldn't be fixing his bands financial problems anytime soon!

All good things come to an end - we had to head back to Soma at the end of the week. I decided to use the south road (the same way we had arrived) but this time to save on an early morning start we'd use "gelleh-gellehs" (shared mini-buses similar to collectivos). The first part of our trip to Brikama went without incident - we then had to change gellehs. As we had started the journey later in the day we also had the problem of a longer wait for the vehicle to fill. Eventually we started (although the vehicle needed a bump start - always a bad sign) and quickly got to the point where the tarmac ends and the road turns into a dusty, pot-holed track. On these roads vehicles don't really stick to the left or right (The Gambia drives in the right) - instead drivers pick the route with least holes. This often leads to chaos and the occasional crash! Soon after our start we had to pull in as we seemed to lose something off the vehicle - the gelleh boy was sent back down the road to find the fan belt (I think it was this anyway). We then carried on before again stopping as the front wheel was making a funny noise. This seemed more serious as the 12 year gelleh boy now turned mechanic needed to rebuild the brake mechanism! We also noticed oil dripping on to the real wheel from the axle - I was beginning to have major doubts as to the vehicles MOT status (yeah right)! When we stopped ten minutes later the twenty or so passengers decided enough was enough and we undertook a gelleh mutiny! Seemingly out of nowhere an empty minibus (with proper seats) appeared and a deal was done to carry on the journey. The unpaved roads are unbelievably tough out here - drivers still try and get up to 40-50mph though which puts a huge stress on the suspension and wheels. Our new driver was no different and guess what - after thirty minutes one of our rear wheels started to fall off! This time we got as far as Kalagi, just into our Lower River Region. We're not entirely sure what happened next but another empty gelleh arrived to complete our journey - luckily just before it got dark. Total time for return journey eight hours - the same as the outward journey the previous Saturday! Record for the north road, less than three!

Kate leaves the mutiny behind her!


Kate inspects gelleh number two!


Inside our final gelleh - great travelling companions!

Video Club Regular

Our lovely new secure router box - the paint is now dry


I'm now settled in to my pattern of work - word has spread amongst the local community that I can fix PCs so I'm always busy rebuilding a laptop or two for school principals, staff and friends. I have also started my training courses - every Friday at 10am. So far attendance has been a little disappointing - hopefully things will improve otherwise I'll have to offer free biscuits! Friday is the best day for cluster monitors (the guys who check the performance of schools in our area) as they're usually office based - but as it's a half day due to prayers sometimes people are busy elsewhere.

We've been experiencing quite a few Internet problems in the last few weeks (hence a lack of blog posts) - it appears our 3G signal (all rural Internet use mobile phone connections) has reduced dramatically to the extent that we can't get a signal anywhere indoors. Fortunately I can get a very good signal if I sit under a tree in the car park (people think I'm being lazy) but this involves disconnecting from the network first! Today I've managed to hang the dongle from a fire extinguisher and we're all getting a good signal again. We've also just had a special box installed to securely house our network switch and Internet router. For some reason the guy who built it tried to attach it to the wall when the paint was still wet - I was underneath holding it when it slipped and landed on my head. I almost had another haircut emergency - luckily most of the paint came off when I stuck my head under a nearby stand pipe!

I'm also now a regular at our local "video club" in Soma - this isn't quite the same thing as back home. For 10 dalasi (25p) I can watch live Premier League football matches with about 50 other cheerful Gambians. Recently I watched Stoke City play Manchester United. Stoke unfortunately went a goal down quite early on (and against the run of play). When Man Utd scored the shed erupted but I kept my stony silence. Then in the 80th minute Stoke's Turkish striker Tuncay scored an absolute cracker of a goal. He curled the ball in from the edge of the penalty area just past the out stretched hands of Edwin Van der Sar! I jumped off the bench to celebrate together with a local guy five rows ahead. To my disappointment it turned out that he wasn't a fellow Potter just someone who supported anyone but Man Utd! Stoke then switched off thinking that the point was secure - in the 85 minute the Red Devils snatched their winner and I went home unhappy.

As it's Tobaski next week (for most Gambians this will be their Christmas) the office will be closed. I'll be heading down to Kombo for a week's holiday - if I get chance I'll pop into www.cocoocean.com (I've called in here before and it's very nice). When we return we only have a couple of weeks before returning to Banjul for our week-long educational conference. Christmas (which is observed in The Gambia) will then arrive the following week - before I know it we'll be in a new year. It'll be my first Christmas outside the UK - I'll be back home in early February so the turkey and Christmas pudding will just have to wait. Anyone who would like to ship-out a festive hamper is more than welcome - Marcus Briggs c/o VSO, PO Box 677, Banjul, The Gambia, West Africa (no pressure).

Gambian Wildlife

A Golden Silk Spider - their silk really is that strong


Though most large game animals such as elephants have been hunted to extinction a long time ago hippos can still be found in the protected area of the River Gambia National Park. Only last week a hippo was sadly shot when it entered the town of Basse during floods. The country has a diverse bird population which is unusual for its size. Over 560 species of birds have been recorded including a family of swallows that life above my front door. The mammals which are most often seen are baboons and monkeys. The species of monkey to be found are the western red colobus, patas and the callithrix. There are also small antelopes such as the Maxwell's duiker, sitatunga and bushbucks. Other animals to be found in The Gambia include aardvarks, hyena, nile crocodiles, warthogs, bushpigs, monitor lizards, chameleons, geckos (many in my latrine), puff adders, spitting cobras and green mambas. Bottle nose dolphins can be seen near the entrance to the river from the Atlantic Ocean on the Barra ferry. Spotting any of these is a major event - most creatures maintain a sensible low profile.

You do see a large number of domestic animals in and around Soma. Goats, sheep, chickens, pigs (something of a surprise), donkeys, packs of stray dogs (which don't actually look too badly off) and cats will be seen most days. We're heading towards the major Muslim festival of Tobaski (also known as Eid) - the tradition being that all family heads will slaughter a ram outside their compound - less goats/sheep in December I suspect! The sound of a donkey's bray first thing in the morning was one of biggest surprises and most alarming - the noise fruit bats make in the evening is one of the eeriest!

Apart from birds The Gambia also excels with the number of species of insect - this country really is bug central! If you're outside around or after dusk (or first thing which doesn't happen to me!) without 50% deet then you'll be eaten alive. We're all concerned about mosquitoes and the risks of catching malaria, but the majority of bites appear to be from other flying nasties. We rarely hear the tale-tale Mosquito high pitch shrill - but we will always know where we forgot to spray! Any food that is left out will be consumed by ants within minutes - usually by a miniature species - they also have large biting soldier ants, but these appear rarely. Large grasshoppers/crickets frequently jump out of the groundnut (peanut) field in front of my house and force entry under the front door. A gang of geckos/lizards patrol my latrine area so things aren't too bad - I do find quite a few Praying Mantises on my mesh screen though. The fly situation surprisingly isn't too bad - we're all looking forward to the dry season (which is starting now) when the temperatures drop and the number of insects declines dramatically.