Cherished Memories of Africa — Page 7
7 tables of not only the neighbouring African countries but also the European countries thus bringing reputation and money to the Gambians. Tourism • Allah has blessed the Gambia with beautiful clean beaches. Therefore, many European investors have invested in hoteling there. Many tourists come to the Gambia and that is an important source of income for the country. Weather • The weather in the capital and the coastal areas is very pleasant. Even in winter you feel little need for warm clothing. Likewise, in summer, the weather is much better as compared to Pakistan, a fan is enough for cool air. • However, as you travel up country, the severity of hot weather increases. Basse is the last town where, like other towns, there is no electrical supply sometimes throughout the year. During May and June, the temperatures in this area rise to 45 – 52 0 C. • Once during Ramadan, I had to make a telephone call to Amir Sahib in Banjul. There was no telephone facility at homes those days. Therefore, one had to go to telephone exchange to make calls. When I got there, I saw the operator having his lunch. I said to him, “why are you not fasting?” He laughed and said, “Ustaz, I am from Banjul. For me one day’s fast in Basse is equivalent to four days’ fast in Banjul. Therefore I fast every fourth day”. Hopefully that gives an idea of the difference in weather between Banjul and Basse.