Japanese Festival (Prague, CZ)

Apparently ever year there is a Japanese Autumn Festival, but I never had the chance to visit it.  Firstly, I was always in Japan while it was happening and then the last couple of years they didn't have it due to covid.  I was so happy to stumbled upon the event online.  It was quite close to the apartment which was an added bonus. The prices for the food items were very decently priced.  We got to try so many items because the portions were small along with the prices.  The longest line we waited in was for takoyaki (octopus balls).  Since the prices for the food were so good, most of the food was sold out after just 1.5 hours!!  I got to participate in mochi making.  Now I have participated in mochi making in 3 different countries in 3 different continents: Japan (Asia), Chile (South America), and Czech Republic (Europe)!!  I needed to pay 50czk to reserve a spot to participate in the mochi making and this included fresh mochi with sweet red bean soup.  It was really nice.  Then we watched a bit of Japanese theater (kyogen) performed by Czechs.  It was weird to hear Japanese in a Czech accent, but they were able to speak better than me, haha!  The weather was so beautiful and it was a gorgeous day.  We had a wonderful time and we're looking forward to the festival again next year!

                                                                             location map

                                                                            long lines

                                                                        ramen=50czk

                                                         there were 3 pieces of sushi=40czk

                                                                    5 takoyaki balls=80czk

                                                                  I had a young assistant

                                                               putting more power into it

                                                                mochi with sweet red bean

                                   yakisoba,  we didn't order this because we already had enough food

                                                  banana dipped in matcha chocolate=10czk!!

                                                                    age-pan=20czk

                                                                            kyogen

                                  amazing to see so many people show up for the Japanese festival

                                                                   beautiful autumn leaves

                       chocolate I received from a friend who went to the Ritter Sport store in Berlin

Bakau (Last day in The Gambia)

For our final day in Gambia we could've been lazy or meet up with a local who we met a few days prior on the beach.  We decided that we should make the most of our trip, so we decided to meet with the local.  We wanted a local breakfast, so the first thing we got was breakfast.  People cook food in their homes and make a bunch to sell right in front of their homes.  We had to buy a baguette at a local corner store and then we got the fillings that the lady was selling.  It was a nice breakfast sandwich.  After breakfast we got to walk around the village and get a local feel. We walked to the main stadium in the city  because the guy we walked with was a local football player.  Games in Gambia are not allowed for international play because of the upkeep, so home games for Gambia are played in Morocco!! I found that quite shocking considering how far the countries are from each other.  We were allowed in the stadium to check it out because the person guarding it was a former football player for the country and recognized the person we were with.  Then we made our way to the crocodile pool again just to see if there were more than 1 crocodile laying around.  Again there was just 1.  I took a picture of the crocodile but figured that I already have 2 photos with the crocodile, I didn't need to press my luck with getting a third.  Then we made our way to the beach because we had to enjoy the beach for as long as we could.  When it was time to check out of our hotel we had to make our way slowly to the airport. We decided to have one last hot meal before leaving, so we found a local place. The food was great and it cost less than $2 for the both of us.  With our stomachs full we took a shared van to the where the main road meets the airport road.  We got out and were lucky in the fact that there was an airport worker's van heading to the airport, so we were able to jump in.  We arrived to the airport much earlier than needed and it was completely empty.  We just wanted to make sure that we would arrive in time for our flight.  We needed to pay 1000 dalasi each to exit the country.  Then we did the security check and were on our way back.  We had a wonderful time in The Gambia and would like to thank all those who made our trip great.  Even though the trip was just 11 days, it really felt like we were there for a month with how busy we were every day.  It was a great trip!  Keep smiling The Gambia, the smiling coast!

                                                                fried little dough balls

                                                                            beans

                                                            breakfast like what locals eat!

                                                                        football stadium

                                                                        inside the stadium

                                                                            The Gambia

                                                             went to the crocodile pool again

                                                                                    hello

                                  I decided I didn't need to touch a crocodile again, 2 times was enough

                                        friendly cat at the hotel, always wanted to enter our room

                                                                        The Gambia  10,268

                                                                            our last meal

                                                                stuck in traffic for a while

                                           took a shared van on the main road to the airport road

                                                                    entering the airport

                                   completely empty because we were VERY early for our flight

                                                                        

                                                                            Thanks Gambia!

Banjul and Barra

Leoš and I decided that we wanted to visit Banjul (the capital) and Barra.  When we got to Banjul we walked through the market and I made the mistake of accepting the offer of someone to show us around the market.  Banjul is the capital and not a small fishing village.  At the end of the walk the guy wanted us to give him money, which we didn't end up doing.  We had told him many times during the walk that we didn't need a guide and didn't want to pay for it.  He kept saying that it wasn't for money and that he didn't mind.  I found it very strange when he mentioned that his wife had a baby the night before.  At the end of the walk he wanted us to buy baby formula for the baby.  Both things didn't add up.  First why wouldn't he be with her at the hospital if she just had a baby and second of all you don't give baby baby formula straight after they were born.  When we said we wouldn't give him money or pay for the baby formula he started to get very rude and his true colors came out.  It was not a nice experience.  Finally we were able to get on the ferry and make our way to Barra.  The ferry ticket was just 25 dalasi (less than 50cents) per person.  The ferry was very crowded and slow.  It took longer than I expected to get to Barra, but we got to see some dolphins in the distance and we got to see where the ocean came in contact with the river.  While approaching the port there were so many shiny things in the ocean.  I couldn't believe what we were seeing, there were thousands of dead fish floating in the ocean.  Once we got off the ferry in Barra there were so many people wanting our attention.  It was not nice.  We finally just made our own way and walked towards Fort Bullen.  There was an entrance fee for the Fort so we decided not to go in.  Right next to it was a restaurant and the food we had there was very very good. It was the best rice and chicken we had on the trip. I told the chef that I would put her on Google maps, so once we got back to Prague I did exactly that.  After our wonderful lunch we decided to head back to Banjul because we needed to get back to Bakau before dark.  I wanted to make sure that we would still be able to enjoy the beach.  Just before getting off the ferry I made the smart decision of asking the people next to us where we should take the shared van to get back to Bakau.  The guy said he was headed in the same direction and would help us.  When we got off the ferry it was just like when we arrived to Barra and everyone wanted to "help" us.  Luckily I was able to tell them we were with our friend.  It was so good to have a Gambian with us because the locals left us alone.  The man helped us get to the right place and put us on the van.  He didn't even take the same transport.  It was very kind of him to help us.  We finally got to Bakau and it was so nice to be back on a beach relaxing and not having to deal with all the people in the capital.  I wouldn't recommend anyone to go to Banjul or Barra.  I don't think its really necessary to have a look around in those cities.  If you need to just pass by then that is totally fine, otherwise I wouldn't go out of your way to go to those cities like we did.  It was the only day on our trip where I was getting angry with the situation.  Other cities and villages were fine in Gambia and everyone was nice, but Banjul people were aggressive and it wasn't pleasant.  I was happy to get back to Bakau.

long road we walked on to get to the main road

                                                                            mangrove

                                                                        Royal Albert Market

                                                                    lots of empty shells

                                    the man in the red hat was the dodgy guy from the market

                                         

                                                        boat in charge of the country's power

                                                                    dolphins swimming!

                                                      lots of dead fish while arriving to the port

                                                                        Welcome to Barra

                                                                 goats chilling under the tree

                                                                            nice horns

                                                                            Fort Bullen

                                                                            old walls

                                                                        old cannons

                                                                    restaurant we had lunch at

                                                                        delicious rice

                                                                very well seasoned chicken

                                                                        very nice lunch!!

                                                                    first piggy we saw

                                                                    more pain more gain

                                                        just 25 dalasi/person  (less than 50cents)

                                                     locked in until we could get on the ferry

                                                                     arriving back to Banjul

                                                                    back to the beach in Bakau

                                                               not many people on the beach

                                                                        Leoš in the water