Of all the places in The Gambia, I think the centre of SereKunda takes a lot of beating if you want to see the ordinary people going about their business, the calling of the taxi fillers or the rumpus if someine is caught shop lifting is a unique experience.

Love it or hate it, Serekunda is as real as The Gambia gets.

The fairly new market is built of concrete and houses every imaginable stall selling just about anything you might want, it is open early and closes about six.

Round this building there are less substantial stalls selling at a street level to anyone passing by and amongst this is the third level the street hawkers with a few sweets or cigarettes or fruit on cardboard trays.

At the back is the produce market, tightly squeezed into the area with the narrowest of walk ways for the purchasers to move around.

In tightly packed areas like this you must take care of your valuables BUT there is no better place to get to know how Gambians live. If you go with a GTS host you will be free to taste a little of anything you see and ask what things are for.

I cannot recommend this experience enough, it is fascinating. If you feel up to it there are any number of local food outlets - take your hosts advice and don't just eat anywhere, the best places are the busiest and in general don't eat salad or drink the local water unless your host says it is 100% OK. There are also small restaurants aiming more at the tourist market and you may prefer there - but you can choose anything from a 5dalasi meal to a 50dalasi meal.

The market sells everything and in the heart of it you will find works making storage trunks from old 40 gallon drums, little toys from drinks cans and tiny 'factories' casting all sorts of pots and pans from old aluminium goods.

Nothing in the Gambia is wasted. The place at times looks like a used parts dump, but recycling is an art here and it is good to see it. It is one of the few advantages to poverty - it has certainly enhanced the creativity of the people, we may live in a throw away society in The Gambia even used plastic bottles are worth half a dalasi, you will only see then discarded if they really are rubbish.

Competition is incredible, it is not unusual to see twenty people all selling oranges, or peanuts, all next to each other, all trying to make a living - some will be there all day just to make a few dalasi, all are good natured, each day is much like the next - some days they are lucky some days they are not.

When the day shift has finished the night shift takes over so Serekunda is awke and working at some level 24 hours of everyday.