I really did not believe too much the guide when he announced that the tour would go to a locally sacred pound where a team of crocodiles was feed with fish alone and, because of this, were not dangerous to humans and did not attack them.
This was during our one week holiday in Gambia, thirteen years ago. Many people do not even know such country exists, less even where it stands!
Gambia is a geographycal non-sense, politically built straightforward from its colonial past. The river Gambia was first explored by the portuguese and later taken over by the british, mainly for getting access to slaves. When the french got the main grip on the area we know now as Senegal, they faced themselves unable to dislocate the british, which were in control of the two margins of the Gambia river and the adjacent areas. By the time of independences in Africa, the french-speaking senegalese elite was unwilling forced to accept that the english-speaking elite aroung the Gambia was not keen on a common country and the experience of Senegambia was short lived. So today Gambia is totally surrounded by Senegal.
Back to crododiles: yes, the guide was telling the truth: like others, my wife and me stood by the crocodiles, somewhat nervous anyway and moving very prudently. I was able to touch - I would say caress! - the tail of one of the beasts. The guide took the picture, as I told him lots of people out of Gambia were for sure unbelievers about the tourist-oriented crocodiles of one certain gambian pound.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário