Simon Fenton

The tale of an Englishman making a life for himself in SenegalKhady pulled out a breast and with a deadly aim fired milk at the chameleon. "If I don't offer it milk, our son will grow up to look like a lizard," she explained. Clearly I had a lot to learn about life in Africa.On the cusp of middle age, Simon Fenton leaves Britain in search of adventure and finds Senegal, love, fatherhood, witch doctors—and a piece of land that could make a perfect guest house, if only he knew how to build one. The Casamance is an undiscovered paradise here mystic Africa governs life, people walk to the beat of the djembe, when it rains it pours, and the mangoes are free. But the fact that his name translates to "vampire" and he has had a curse placed on him via the medium of eggs could mean Simon's new life may not be so easy.

An Accidental African

Squirting Milk at Chameleons

Philip Briggs

With 16 well-researched chapters and 26 useful maps, this new thoroughly updated second edition of Bradt's The Gambia remains the most comprehensive guide available in any language to what is the smallest country on mainland Africa. Significant development has taken place in recent years and this new edition offers all the latest updates, including new restaurants and hotels, detailed coverage of the many new eco lodges and camps that have sprung up, information on festivals, music workshops and opportunities to experience the unique local culture, and informed advice about birdwatching possibilities in a country very popular with first-time birders to Africa. As well as encompassing the popular coastal resorts, the guide also provides all the detailed information required to explore the relatively undeveloped interior, making it ideal for both visitors on organised packaged holidays and independent travellers alike. Bradt's The Gambia reveals all the background and practical information needed to explore arguably Africa's most welcoming and safest country with its plethora of beach resorts ¬ catering to all tastes and budgets ¬ that line the 80km stretch of tropical coastline running from the capital Banjul to the remote southern border. Small in size but rich in African character, The Gambia offers perhaps the closest English-speaking 'winter sun' destination from Europe. Justifiably popular with birdwatchers, the lush mangrove- and jungle-fringed river is also home to crocodiles, hippos, chimpanzees and a variety of monkeys. Historic attractions include the mysterious megalithic stone circles at Wassu and Ker Batch, and the fortified James Island and former slave-trading village of Juffureh (to where Alex Haley traced his ancestry in the book and TV programme Roots) - all of which form part of the country's two UNESCO World Heritage Sites and offer rich pickings to moderately adventurous travellers. All in all, Bradt's The Gambia is the perfect companion for discovering this safe, welcoming and decidedly tourist-friendly English-speaking country which makes for an ideal short-stay introduction to the unique atmosphere of Africa.

Simon Fenton

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