Travels With Lamin: Stories from The Gambia and West Africa
Travels With Lamin is a series of humorous West Africa travel stories from Building Futures in The Gambia, following my real-life journeys with School Manager Lamin Barrow through The Gambia, Senegal and the gloriously unpredictable situations that seem to happen whenever Lamin is involved.
Part travelogue, part charity story and part celebration of everyday Gambian life, the series explores friendship, culture, hospitality, food, road trips, music, schools, villages, border crossings and the small moments that reveal so much about life in West Africa.
Although the stories are often funny, they are rooted in the real work of Building Futures in The Gambia and our partnership with Lamin at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School. Through these chapters, readers can discover more about The Gambia, Senegal, West African culture and the people behind our charity’s work.
Start with the introduction, or browse the chapters below to explore life in The Gambia, West African travel, and the real stories behind our charity work.
Each chapter offers a different glimpse into life in The Gambia and Senegal — from long-distance road journeys to roadside encounters and cultural experiences you won’t find in guidebooks.
New here? Start with the Introduction
LATEST CHAPTER
Lightning was tearing open the morning sky somewhere beyond the Senegambia Hotel.
Every few seconds, another brilliant white fork split the dark clouds out over the Atlantic Ocean, briefly illuminating a landscape which, until that moment, had been doing its best to pretend that this was just another perfectly ordinary morning in The Gambia.
I was enthralled.
Nobody else appeared to have noticed.
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The Travels With Lamin Series
Jump to:
Introduction | Road to Dakar | Teranga | Air Conditioning | Palm Wine | Peanut Man | Learner Driver | Maximum Fine | Dad | Juju | Missing Juju | Bottle Tops | Finding Alasanna | Longest Journey | Wake-Up Call | Drone | Kora | Rain
Introduction – How Travels With Lamin Began
A light-hearted introduction to the series and how my travels with Lamin Barrow first began in The Gambia.
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Chapter 1 – Lamin and the Road to Dakar: A West African Road Trip
A journey from The Gambia into Senegal, exploring roads, borders and the realities of travel in West Africa.
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Chapter 2 – Lamin and Teranga: Senegalese Hospitality
A look at the famous West African concept of “teranga” and the warmth and generosity of Senegalese culture.
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Chapter 3 – Lamin and the Air Conditioning: Travelling in West Africa
A humorous look at expectations versus reality when it comes to comfort, transport and air conditioning in The Gambia.
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Chapter 4 – Lamin and the Palm Wine: A Gambian Border Adventure
A roadside stop that turns into a memorable cultural experience involving palm wine and local traditions.
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Chapter 5 – Lamin and the Peanut Man: The Gambian Groundnut Trade
A story that explores the importance of groundnuts (peanuts) in The Gambia and the role they play in everyday life and the national economy.
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Chapter 6 – Lamin and the Learner Driver: Community Spirit in The Gambia
A learner driver crashes into a Gambian nursery school gate during Ramadan, leading to chaos, humour and a lesson in community spirit.
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Chapter 7 – Lamin and the Maximum Fine: Gambian Police and Taxi Chaos
A missing registration plate, a determined Gambian police officer and the threat of a “Maximum Fine” lead Lamin Barrow into another wonderfully chaotic West African adventure.
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Chapter 8 – Lamin and his Dad: Friendship, Family and Life in Rural Gambia
A moving chapter from Travels With Lamin as Peter Kendrick remembers Bantang Barrow, Lamin’s father, whose humour, kindness and legacy continue to shape lives.
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Chapter 9 – Lamin and the Juju: Gambian Gris-Gris, Farabos and Traditional Beliefs
A memorable chapter from Travels With Lamin as Peter Kendrick receives a remarkable gift from Bantang Barrow and explores the world of Gambian juju, gris-gris and traditional belief.
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Chapter 10 – Lamin and the Lost Juju: Gambian Beliefs, Ghost Hunters and a Missing Charm
What happens when a traditional Gambian juju disappears? In this chapter, Peter Kendrick recounts three curious events involving Bantang Barrow’s gift, a ghost-hunting evening in England and a mysterious encounter in The Gambia that remains unexplained to this day.
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Chapter 11 – Lamin and the Bottle Tops: Friendship, Faith and a Cultural Lesson in The Gambia
A humorous and heartwarming chapter from Travels With Lamin in which Peter Kendrick finally discovers why his friend Lamin Barrow always objected to beer bottle tops. From hungry taxi drivers and chaotic restaurants to Banjul Market and an unexpected lesson about Islam, this is a story of friendship, culture and understanding in The Gambia.
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Chapter 12 – Lamin and the Sports Day: Friendship, Hope and Finding Alasanna in The Gambia
A memorable chapter from Travels With Lamin as Peter Kendrick searches for Alasanna at a Gambian school sports day, beginning a friendship that would span years and shape both his understanding of The Gambia and the future of Building Futures in The Gambia.
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Chapter 13 – Lamin and the Sports Day: The Longest Journey | The Back Way from The Gambia
What happened to Alasanna after he disappeared from his Gambian village? In this deeply personal chapter of Travels With Lamin, Pete Kendrick finally discovers the truth about The Back Way, the dangerous migration route followed by thousands of West Africans in search of a better life.
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Chapter 14 – Lamin and the Wake-Up Call: Pranks, Milkshakes and the Sleeping Driver
Peter wakes before Lamin for once—and finds an irresistible opportunity involving a sleeping mound, a full bottle of water and years of failed attempts to provoke a reaction. A light-hearted chapter about friendship, practical jokes, kidnapped caps, milkshakes and one very effective wake-up call.
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Chapter 15 – Lamin and the Drone: Flying Over The Gambia
Peter takes a brand-new drone to The Gambia, where airport security, restricted airspace and the remarkable power of several men called Lamin turn a simple plan into another comic adventure.
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Chapter 16 – Lamin and the Kora Player: A Very Loud Night at Pencha Mi Hall
Peter and Lamin head to Pencha Mi Hall for an evening of West African music, dancing and Gambian Time. What follows involves a kora, some very large speakers, dubious sound engineering and one friend who finally reaches breaking point.
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Chapter 17 – Lamin and the Rain: Farming, Floods and the Rainy Season in The Gambia
Peter loves a thunderstorm. Lamin sees the rain rather differently. From spectacular lightning over the Atlantic to flooded villages, green rice fields, farming in Sankandi and a tractor journey to school, Chapter 17 explores what the rainy season really means in The Gambia.
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Why Travels With Lamin Matters
Behind the humour, Travels With Lamin is also a way of showing the real relationships behind Building Futures in The Gambia. Lamin Barrow is not just a character in a travel story — he is the School Manager at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School and one of the key people helping to make our charity’s work possible.
These stories help readers understand the places, people and culture connected to our work. They also show why long-term partnerships matter. BFiG is not simply building classrooms from a distance; we are working with trusted friends and local communities to support education, opportunity and brighter futures for children in The Gambia.
If you enjoy the series, please take a moment to explore our wider charity work and consider supporting BFiG Busumbala Nursery School.
👉 Donate | Building Futures in the Gambia
Travels With Lamin: Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Lamin Barrow?
Lamin Barrow is the School Manager at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School in The Gambia. He works closely with Building Futures in The Gambia and plays a central role in the development of the school.
Is Travels With Lamin a true story?
Yes. The stories are based on real journeys and experiences in The Gambia and Senegal, written in a humorous travelogue style.
Where does Travels With Lamin take place?
The series takes place mainly in The Gambia and Senegal, across villages, towns, roads and local communities.
Why is a charity publishing travel stories?
The series helps bring the charity’s work to life by showing the people, culture and relationships behind Building Futures in The Gambia.
What is life really like in The Gambia?
Life in The Gambia is shaped by strong community values, hospitality and resilience. While resources can be limited, daily life is rich in culture, relationships and traditions. Through Travels With Lamin, readers can experience a more personal and authentic view of life in West Africa.
Support the Work Behind the Stories
If you’ve enjoyed Travels With Lamin and would like to support real change in The Gambia, you can help us continue building and developing BFiG Busumbala Nursery School.
👉 Donate | Building Futures in the Gambia
You Can Hire Lamin Barrow and His Taxi
If you’re visiting The Gambia and would like a safe, reliable and very knowledgeable driver, you can hire Lamin Barrow. Visit his page for details.
👉 Lamin Barrow Taxis – The Gambia’s Number One Taxi Driver
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