The first rains arrived today, and it is a humid 28 degrees. We spent the day just outside Kartong yesterday talking to one of the Alaklo's (village elders) about the community forest and about what has happened in the last year.
The firebrakes that Amadou Jarjou (forest ranger) cut 2 years ago are still working well and there were no forest fires this season. Isolated incidents of illegal tree felling have occurred, and the worry is, that witout intervention this could escalate.
Today we are going to the market to buy Cola nuts (from which coca cola is made). These are to present to the village elders as tradition dictates, because as outsiders we cannot request a meeting (so Matt can be formally accepted into the village) as this would be considered extremely rude. We must personnaly offer the gift first, and only then will the elders consider calling us to an audience, where the formalities are undertaken.
Hopefully I will be able to add some photos tommorrow. Access to internet is difficult and acessing internet at the same time as elctricity being available is even more challenging. The Gambia imports all its power and generates none of its own. Large tankers continually ship in vast quantities of diesel to burn in generators, and with the current oil situation this leaves Gambia with the highest utility costs in the world.
