Lasy week, I had a most amazing personal tour across The Gambia - from Kotu to Koina. Having failed to cross to Barra at the start of the Presidential Tour because of my vehicle’s break-down at Banjul Ferry Terminal, I followed the Tour two days later. I set off from the Daily Observer offices at 6.30am and by 7:00am I was on the top deck of the Kanilai Ferry being bedazzled by a most beautiful African sunrise coming up from the horizon just beyond Barra.

Off the ferry at Barra, I turned right and headed for Kerewan. A mile or so of the road to the Amdallai junction was bad, but then I soon hit the Taiwanese Highway and headed into the sunrise. An hour or so later I hit the awesome July 22 Highway and was simply bawled over by the beauty of it all. Quite extra ordinary. Last year, I travelled across Spain’s Andalucia region and the road networksthere, still being developed (incidently by many African workers), is far inferior to the July 22 Highway.

I caught up with the Presidential Tour party in Farafenni, but drove on to Kaur without stopping, only to be phoned by my reporter Alhaji Jobe: “We have seen you taking the Kaur Road”, he said, to which I replied “Catch me if you can!” The promising sight all along the road to Kaur and  Janjanbureh was that the nation was busy preparing for farming. There was much burning going on, and the land both sides of the July 22 Highway appeared to be ideal for US-style agricultural plantations that could feed the nation.

As I drove along the  highway ahead of the Presidential Tour party, I noted that large crowds of people had already began to gather. There were also many children on their way to school. Some were simply strolling along the highway itself in their smart school uniforms. Others, equally smartly dressed for school, were getting lifts on donkey carts.

Yet others were cruising, yes cruising, on bicycles to school. On each side of the road were signs of plenty of development, with road-signs directing you to health centres, schools, youth centres, and women’s development centres. There were also what seemed to be “Model Afrcan Villages”, about 20 small round mud huts with thatched-roof sorrounded by stick boundary fences, just like the ones I grew up in  as a child, all along the road to Laminkoto. But the difference with where I grew up is that there are no lions or marauding hyenas here to bother people! The roar of a hungry lion, determined to break into the village inspite of the warriors standing by with spears, used to chill us with fear at night.

In Kaur, I waited for the Presidential Tour with a huge and excited crowd. The welcome the president received from the people was simply awesome. The crowd was so huge, and the excitement of the people so unrestrained that I feared a stampede. And yet, the president went straight into that crowd, and started shaking hands, leading to further wild excitement as everyone tried to shake hands with the him. I said a quick hello to His Excellency and sneaked away for Janjanbureh, where two small ferries (3 cars each) would be trying to get the Presidential Tour across for a victory celebration at Armitage High School.

I had showered and changed by the time the president arrived and made his way off the ferry into Janjanbureh, amidst a huge crowd that virtually made the road impassable. The  story of the President’s amazing generosity to Armitage High is on our website - but ex-students need to help too. Please contact Mr. Joof, the principal.

The next morning I again left at 7:00a.m and headed straight to Basse, where I grabbed breakfast with governor Omar Khan and headed straight to Fatoto and Koina (the water in the road, a sign that it rained here the night before). “After Fatoto the road turns, but simply follow the electricty poles to Koina”, said Governor OK.  Fatoto now has a health centre and a senior school (opened by President Jammeh in 1998 - Fatotoians abroad please assist!). Koina has a new health centre too - thanks to some of you Koinians abroad. Koina’s senior school students travel to Fatoto Senior Secondary School, about 8km (not onerous, but a bus service would be useful).

It was an awesome trip for me and I plan to do it again - over a longer period of time so that I can see all the development and stop at more villages.