response and a rush

How about the people you are meeting both in the PC and Gambians? What is the political climate like? Is tourism as big as they say it is?

So, three questions asked: people in Peace Corps and Gambian people, what is the political climate, and how big is tourism here?

In reverse order, tourism is a big thing here, but only on the coast, and it contributes almost nothing to the upcountry economy. In fact, I'm not sure what happens upcountry can even be called an economy. It doesn't really function as I think an economy is supposed to function, but I don't know much about that. Tourism is a source for jobs for people in the Kombo region, but almost entirely low skill jobs without real chances to advance. All the resorts are owned by foreign companies, and they are generally run and staffed at the management level by foreigners too. That's about all I know - tourism does bring people upcountry occasionally, mostly on buses and sometimes only for the day, and they try to return as quickly as possible. In that way, the road project should be a huge gain for the North Bank, as it will make it easier for tourists to come up and see the rest of the place. Hopefully by November the road will start to be paved, and then we'll see....

The second question I'll skip and answer in person.

The third has the longest and most interesting answer, but at the moment I have a ride waiting to take me back upcountry to continue training. Life rolls on....

I'll try to be back a.s.a.p, perhaps from Farafenni.