It’s Official, Ramadan Starts Today and Tomorrow

by Jamie Rhein on

Ramadan, the Muslim holy period of fasting starts with the sighting of the new moon. That’s today–or tomorrow, depending on which country you’re in. Turns out, the new moon isn’t the only marker. Astrologicial calculations might be a factor. Here’s an article that explains this more. Regardless, if you’re traveling in a country that’s mostly Muslim, it’s helpful to be aware of a few pointers so you’re not left wandering in the middle of the day looking for a meal–or taking a swig of water or eating in front of people who are abstaining.

Depending on where you are, it’s not uncommon for restaurants to be closed after sun up and before sundown. Once the sun goes down, the day’s fast is broken and the eating begins. You are not expected to be fasting yourself, but it’s helpful to be culturally sensitive, and not create a stir depending on where you are. If you are in a strict Muslim country like Iran, eating and drinking in public is not allowed and you could find yourself in trouble. The Lonely Planet has a helpful guide for traveling in Muslim countries. One suggestion for taking advantage of your travel experiences is to hang out at a restaurant right before it opens, and then enjoy the feast.

So what is this fasting about you might be wondering?

This is when Muslims commemorate when Allah (God) revealed the Quran to the prophet Mohammed. During this time, Muslims are to purify themselves in mind and body by devoting themselves to endeavors of the spirit. Fasting is a practice of showing devotion to Allah and to strengthen resolve to be a better person. Giving to charity is also important during this time. (Okay, what I’ve presented is the condensed version.)

By the way, the country with the largest Muslim population is Indonesia. And the Gambia, where I was in the Peace Corps, is also mostly Muslim–both are quite diverse from each other. In Singapore, because there is a large Muslim population who live there, the first and last day of Ramadan are also holidays.

Pickpockets Foiled: Prevention or Luck?

by Jamie Rhein on

A few years back, when my son was a year-and-a-half, we traveled to the United Kingdom on a week-long vacation. The day we went to London for a sightseeing whirlwind was the day we almost lost the diaper bag to a pickpocket. We were heading down the steps of an Underground stop when my husband noticed it floating away from underneath the stroller where it was tucked in the compartment under the seat.

It was a perfect scene for a theft. We were jostling down the steps carrying the stroller between us with our son still strapped in while keeping track of our 10 year-old-daughter in the crowd. The diaper bag was the least of our worries. My husband’s quick reflexes and his loud voice rescued the bag and prevented the thief’s disappointment in finding out that he only landed Pampers.

This was not the first time I experienced an aborted robbery. Twice in Banjul, the capital city of The Gambia, I was rescued from the experience of losing my wallet. The first time, my friend noticed the jostling and shouted, “Check your wallet.” That was enough for the thief to drop it at my feet. I never saw him because we were in a crowd. The second time, I felt a tug on my bag and caught the guy with my wallet in his hand. “Give it back!” I roared and my wallet ended up back in my possession.

Getting pick-pocketed happens most often in crowds in metropolitan areas. Here are some tips about how to protect yourself from theft. Even though the city mentioned is Chicago, the tips are universal. Being aware is number one. There are also suggestions on how to organize what you own so everything valuable can’t get stolen. Keep your belongings in various locations and out of reach. Since the diaper bag only held diapers, it wouldn’t have been the worst thing if it had gone missing. With a peeing toddler though, it wouldn’t have been fun. Here’s another article on how to protect your money. The photo, by serretuaccidente on Flickr is of a sign in London. Go figure.

30 years after Alex Haley’s Roots, Juffureh is still a travel destination

by Jamie Rhein on

It’s been 30 years since Alex Haley’s Roots became a cultural touchstone in the United States. For those of you too young to remember, this book chronicles the life of Haley’s ancestor Kunta Kenteh who was captured in The Gambia and sold into slavery. The book was a blockbuster and the TV miniseries made LaVar Burton a known actor. Nowadays, many know Burton as Lt. Geordi LaForge from the Star Trek TV series and Roots has moved out of the radar of popular culture.

The recent NPR story about the 30th year anniversary got me thinking about Juffureh, the Gambian town where Kunta Kinteh lived. When Roots came out, Juffureh was put on the map as a tourist place to visit. Haley’s distant relatives spoke to those who came to this small village for a look-see in combination with a visit to nearby James Island where Africans were herded onto ships for the grim journey across the Atlantic.

Several years after Roots influenced American consciousness, I headed to The Gambia myself as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I never made it to Juffreh for whatever reason, probably because, on free weekends, I visited volunteers who were posted in other towns. Juffureh, however is still a tourist destination. Gambia Tours and Travel Ltd. offers a day trip to Juffureh where visitors travel up the Gambia River for the tour that looks like something I would really like to take. Haley’s relatives still talk with visitors. It would be interesting to see how the last 30 years have impacted them.

I have been to Goree Island off the coast of Dakar, Senegal which was also a large slave trading port. Goree Island is a stunning contrast to what humans can do-lovely architecture with a Portuguese influence on one hand– and utter cruelty and devastation on the other. What I like about these tours is that they show both.

The World’s Flags Given Letter Grades

by Justin Glow on

After browsing a friends Atlas one day, Josh Parsons decided that many flags of the world were of varying design quality. He set out to score every national flag, assigning each a letter grade. You can browse the results of his study alphabetically by country name, or by letter grade given.

So what flag scored the highest? Gambia. “Great design and colour choice,” says Josh. “Also represents the geography of the country (without being a map).” The Northern Mariana Islands (pictured) rounds out the bottom of the barrell with an overall score of 2 out of 100. “[It] appears to have been constructed from clip art. Truly awful.”

Check out Josh’s website to see how your country scored.

Word for the Travel Wise (08/26/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

After analyzing our Gambia country category up to this point and realizing there isn’t much here aside from Neil’s entry on sex tourism for women I thought now would be a nice time to maybe share some activities all tourists might be interested in checking out. The Gambia is the smallest country in Africa if I’m not mistaken and the most popular attraction amongst tourists is the “Roots” excursion. Based off the historic epic of slave trade and freedom by Alex Haley visitors take a 15 minute walk to the village of Juffureh, explore the slave museum and later take a boat trip over to the former slave fortress of James Island.

Today’s word is a Mandinka word used in The Gambia:

jelum – how much

The Mandinka language is a Mandé lang spoken by approximately 1.2 million Mandinka people in Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau, however it is the main language the Gambia. Learning this one online is going to be a toughie. Wiki has a couple of words listed otherwise you’ll want to swing this Mandinka.org site which could be helpful, but didn’t seem like the friendliest language learning tool. Good luck!