Walking in #ebolafree Gambia, West Africa

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HJF, The Gambia coastline – image © Jason Florio

 

Jason and I have just completed our Gambia coastline walk and what a truly lovely experience it was; albeit mighty humid – an average of 90% humidity every day. ‘Mad dogs and English (wo)men…’ kept springing to mind. Even now, as I sit here typing in the relative coolness of our house, my fingers feel as if they sticking to the keyboard.

The story was assigned by an airline in-flight magazine. So,  unfortunately,  until they publish it we can’t really say too much about the walk. However, we can share a few images from along the way – most of Jason’s, so we’ll have to hold back on until the photo editor decides what they want to use (updated: January 2015- see Brussels Airlines B.Spirit Magazine feature about our walk).

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We’ll be posting more images over the coming days, so please stop by again. You may also like to check out our floriotravels Instagram and Photostellstories FB pages + ‘A Short Walk in the Gambian Bush – 930km Africa odyssey‘ which we completed in 2009

 

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Our little companions during our walk around Jinack Island © HJF

 

The Florios – Helen and Jason

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Gambia coastline walk: 1st Stop – an island paradise – Jinack Island, The Gambia, West Africa

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Walking boots and birkenstocks – 1st stop Jinack Island, Gambia. Image © HJF

Day One – Jinack Lodge, Jinack Island It has begun,  our 80km walk along the Gambian coastline. We’ll be updating images  – connection allowing – onto our floriotravels instagram page. The stories will come later…

 

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The approach to Jinack Island from the mainland, Gambia, West Africa – image © JF

 

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HJF at the helm –  pirogue from the mainland to Jinack Island, The Gambia, West Africa – image © JF

 

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A bar with a view – Jinack Lodge, Jinack Island, The Gambia, West Africa – image © HJF

 

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There’s beauty in that there erosion – Jinack Island, The Gambia, West Africa – image © JF

 

After an hours undulating pirogue ride – in the surging, swelling (and downright petrifying at times), waters of the Atlantic Ocean – from the island,  we landed back on mainland terra firma to begin our first day of walking: miles walked to-date – 13.5km / temperature – 31°C/humidity 74%. Hot, hot, hot!

Huge gratitude to Devon, Amadou, and all at Jinack Lodge (the cook, Binta’s, chicken yassa is delicious!), for their gracious hospitality. And the Jinack Islanders, for making us feel most welcome indeed. A sublime, and mystical (more on that at a later date), place. We only wish we’d had more time to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the island. Next time… .

 

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Jinack Lodge overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Jinack Island, The Gambia, West Africa – image by HJF

 

More walking news coming soon. In the meantime, please check our floriotravels instagram page for image updates. The Florios – Helen & Jason

Press: B There Magazine – Hitchhiking the Gambian Way

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Words by Jason Florio for B There Magazine – October 2014 – illustration of Jason (sans beard!) and Helen in ‘the whale’ . Instagram image © Helen Jones-Florio

 

On route, via Brussels Airlines, back down to The Gambia the other day, Jason was leafing through their new October inflight magazine, B There (a bi-monthly which covers the sub-Saharan African network) and came across the piece he wrote for them about our escapades of picking up hitchhikers in Gambia – a commonplace, and the cheapest, way to travel for a lot of people all over the country.

‘In the early days we clutched the steering wheel and pressed the
accelerator, staring forward and pretending we didn’t notice the hitchhikers. After all, an unhealthy diet of American slasher movies had taught us the consequential horrors of allowing a stranger on to your backseat.’ ‘Without a Hitch‘ by Jason Florio for B There Magazine

A BIG thank you to our dear friends, Maurice and Geri Phillips, of Sandele Eco Retreat, The Gambia – if it were not for them loaning us ‘the whale’ we wouldn’t have had half the fun of picking up random strangers from the side of the road in the small West African country.

We’ll be working more with Brussels Airlines for their sister bi-monthly inflight magazine, B Spirit, very shortly – again, in The Gambia – which will involve walking and beaches.

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‘His and hers’ – Instagram image © Helen Jones-Florio

 

More news on that soon… .

In the meantime, please feel free to subscribe for the odd update with some nice photographs – or ‘like‘ us on FB and ‘follow‘ us on Twitter.

The Florios – Helen & Jason

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The Florios – Alliance Française de Banjul, The Gambia

Walking boots and Birkenstocks – heading back to The Gambia, West Africa

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© Jason Florio – River Gambia Expedition

 

Jason and I are preparing to head back down to The Gambia next week. After a sojourn in the UK (and a flying visit back home to NYC), our first assignment back on West African soil, for a feature article, is to walk the 80km coastline of The Gambia. So, it’s time to lace up our sorely neglected walking boots – or, my case, polish off my old Birkenstocks – hey, if I can walk 930km around the small West African country, I’ll be virtually sprinting 80km.

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‘A Short Walk in the Gambian Bush – 930km African odyssey’ – Jason Florio & Helen Jones-Florio (wearing her Birks!) with Dadi Bah, alkalo of Tuba Dabbo village

 

Although we’ll be treading some familiar ground – and no doubt seeing some familiar faces along the way – but we’re excited about exploring parts of the coastline we haven’t done so before.

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© Jason Florio – walking the dogs, Cape Point, The Gambia, West Africa

 

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© Jason Florio – Ghana Town, The Gambia, West Africa

 

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© Jason Florio – Helen, heads for the beach, Sanementereng, The Gambia, West Africa

 

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© Jason Florio – The Little Mosque, Sanementereng, The Gambia, West Africa

 

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© Jason Florio – walking the dogs, Ghana Town, The Gambia, West Africa

 

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© Helen Jones-Florio – Boy on his bike, Ghana Town, The Gambia, West Africa

 

To find out about our previous 2009 Gambia walk, please go to ‘A Short Walk in the Gambian Bush – 930km African odyssey‘ and you can check out Jason’s award-winning images of Gambian village chiefs and elders, from that walk, on his website: ‘Silafando – a gift to you on behalf of my journey‘.

Please stop by again soon. Or you can ‘like’ us on facebook and follow us on twitter.

More soon…

The Florios – Helen & Jason

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Boots n Birks © Helen Jones-Florio