Lazy afternoon at Mandina Lodges
Taking it easy in the shade
12.04.2019 - 12.04.2019
View
Galavanting in The Gambia 2019
on Grete Howard's travel map.
After lunch we retire to the room, and I notice to my horror that my legs have come up in a dreadful rash with red skin and little blisters. It is burning, stinging and itching so much that I jump straight in the shower, hoping the cold water will relieve it. It doesn't. Smothering it in antihistamine, I take myself off to a shady spot on the terrace while David goes on a boat trip with Nicola and AJ, our guide.
As a result of previous severe sunburn, I now have an area on my shins that suffer from photosensitive dermatitis, hence why I do not want to expose my legs to the sun this afternoon.
I spend the time with my long lens pointing at the sky, trying to catch flying birds while keeping out of the sun. The wind has dropped and it is blisteringly hot. Literally in my case.
Hooded Vulture
Long Tailed Cormorant
Oyster collectors
Black Headed Heron
Some strange, elongated fish in the river.
White Throated Bee Eater
Collecting firewood
Black Kite
Western Plantain Eater
Pied Crows
Bearded Barbet
They are funny looking birds when they fly
A much bigger bird. Although we are fairly near the airport, the flights are so infrequent that they do not bother us.
Whimbrel
Common Swift
Pied Crow
More oyster collectors returning home
Pied Crows into the setting sun
As soon as David returns, we have a shower and sit on our private deck with a drink before dinner. The chef came round to the room earlier to take our orders for this evening.
Starter - Vegetable Spring Rolls
Chicken and rice for main course
Dessert is Banana Fritter and Ice Cream
When we return to the room, we find that the mosquito net over the bed has been lowered while we were eating, and the room is thankfully very much cooler now, which will hopefully aid sleep tonight.
Posted by Grete Howard 16:41 Archived in Gambia Tagged birds boat wildlife airport crow kite birding plane canoe heron vulture whimbrel west_africa cormorant barbet gambia boat_trip blisters bird_watching rash firewood swift spring_rolls itching bee_eater wildlife_photography plantain_eater dermatitis red_skin mandina_lodges makasutu rive floatinf_lodge oyster_collectors collecting_firewood dug_out_canoe banana_fritter mosquito_net
I feel for you with that rash - as I write this I have patches of prickly heat all over my body thanks to the insane heatwave here this week! But you have some super 'bird in flight' photos to show from your afternoon on the deck :-)
by ToonSarah