A shortcut on the way to the beach

This video was taken walking the back roads to a Gambian beach. My friend Idiboy would brag to me "people don't know these ways, you have to be a real local to know these back routes to get places". It wasn't really bragging though, becaue my first trip I spent time with a lot of different people, and I would be suprised how little they knew about the Gambia, and how much trouble they would have getting around. You take for granted that just because someone is Gambian that they will comunicate well with other Gambians and get around easily in their own country. This is not the case. Idiboy explained once that the wealthier Gambians with ties to Western countries spend most time around the home and don't know their way around. He told me a story of how happy he was when he used to have a bike as a kid, and he started learning his way around the whole Gambia, and mingling with tourists at the beach. We spent one evening talking about old times when we were young kids, and one thing we both shard in common was that we enjoyed just being kids and riding around our city, and learning about spots other people didn't know about.

I spent a lot of my trip walking. It was great for me because I felt like I was able to see more of the country. Also it was the perfect mental break from the monotony of American life. Yet, constantly walking on backroads, sand and uneven ground of unpaved roads hardens the body and makes the mind supple. I remember being tired the whole trip.