Shock to the system!

Even though we have only been here a few days, I think we have already become too accustomed to the pampering atmosphere of the VSO office.  As you walk through the door, hot and flustered, you are welcomed by a wave of relief… that magical invention of air conditioning. From then on you are encased in a cocoon of ease and before you know it, a small event like visiting Banjul (the capital) can completely throw you off track! Our challenge for the day, according to VSO, was to find our way back to the hotel from Banjul. Easy, you may think. When we left the office (in the air conditioned VSO four wheel drive) it began to rain. Seeing as the rain out here is more like elephants on speed than cats and dogs, coupled with the fact that many had forgotten umbrellas and ponchos, our hearts began to sink. We got to the post office in Banjul and despite Georgia's efforts of trying to grab a lift back, we suddenly found ourselves stood in the torrential rain in a strange and very much alive city. The VSO drivers found this all very funny as they drove away, leaving us watching our cocoon of ease disappear into the hectic traffic  ahead.  Somewhere between deciding whether to get a geli geli (a battered bush taxi) to Bakau (where we would have to change vehicles) or get a normal taxi which would cost more but would take us straight to the hotel (some may consider this cheating!), we somehow ended up going to have a look at the market. As we walked further into the market, it started to get darker and darker as the drapes above us got lower and lower. The bumsters were out in full force (local term for con-men that make their money by scamming 'tourists') and were descending on us fast. Normally a few words in the local language gets rid of them but these guys were persistent (this is not the tourist season so they were obviously short of work)! After walking quickly in the opposite direction from various bumsters, we were now a group of drowned rats officially lost in the labyrinth of Banjul market. It was 3:30pm and we had been told to leave before rush hour as it can be difficult to get transport after 4pm. At times like these you become very protective of each other and the situation was suddenly catapulted to a highly focused '24' like operation- it was as if Bower himself was leading the troop to salvation. There were regular head counts and 360 degrees observation at all times. We eventually found a geli geli that was going to Bakau and we all dived head first into the vehicle, squeezing ourselves between chairs and various legs to find a seat. I looked at Amy next to me. She had warrior-like lines of mascara across her face, a leaf that had somehow stuck itself onto her head and who looked like (in a fit of needing to be cool in this suffocating climate) she had propelled herself into the nearest river. After one more taxi ride at Bakau and a soggy walk back to the hotel we all realized that this VSO malarkey was not going to be as easy as first thought…