Mario has to stay Banjul?

When we arrive Tuesday night Mario gets a little shock: His flight ticket back to Germany has not arrived as planned at the Safari Gardens Hotel. He is in panic. We subsequently spent most of the last three days trying to get Mario on the flight: Fabian calling people from Germany, me calling people from Banjul, and Mario spending hour after hour at the travel agency in Banjul.

Mario was told to be patient and everything will work out. Not! The result of days of tedious negotiations is that he needs to pay a lost ticket fee of 100 € to get a new ticket issued. Our cash is low and unfortunately in The Gambia only two teller machines exist, both of them taking Visa cards only. We travel with Master card. Talk about being stuck.

I think the situation is funny, or at least ironic, but my jokes about promising to visit Mario in Banjul next year don't cheer him up. I don´t know why.

I think we somehow found a way now and inshallah - as they say in the islamic world - he will fly back home with me tonight.