The moment your little one emerges out of your body into the real world, everyone in the room, including the doctors, nurses and yourself, are fixated on the baby and waiting for him to make his presence felt. The first cry of the baby is something that signifies his entry into the world. But do all babies cry at birth? Do they continue to keep crying or they cry just for a few minutes and then go silent? What does each cry signify? These and many other questions are all necessary for understanding the healthy nature of a baby

Why do Babies Cry after Birth?

A baby crying after birth is considered an ideal situation and with good reason. Once the child is born, doctors usually will work towards using a suction tube to clean out any residual fluid in the baby’s nose and mouth. This allows the bodily systems to be triggered and stimulate a cry. At times, this is done by the baby himself and the lungs kick into action to cry out loud, which also draws in the first breath of his life.

What brings most people to The Gambia are the beaches – and there are plenty to choose from.

Luxurious five-star resorts that cater to your every whim co-exist with fun and busy Mediterranean-style zones chock full of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.

There’s also plenty of room for lazy days and long walks along palm-tree lined pristine coast line.  Just take your pick.  But there is so much more to Africa’s tiniest county!

Surrounded on all sides by Senegal, The Gambia is home to nature reserves, charming fishing villages, and a number of historic slave trade stations worth exploring.

If you’re a bird lover, it’s unlikely that you haven’t heard of this country as you can spot over 100 bird species on a single river cruise.

One of the best parts about The Gambia are the variety of day excursions that can be organized while you’re visiting.

Let’s explore the best places to visit in The Gambia:

1.Abuko Nature Reserve

Source: accessgambia

Abuko Nature Reserve

Created in the early 20th century to protect a water collection point for nearby communities, Abuko Nature Reserve is The Gambia’s first reserve – officially formed in the 1960’s.

This area is rich in Gambian wildlife and is now the most visited tourist attraction in the country – with over 33,000 visitors each year.

Conservation efforts are on-going in this 260 acre reserve with three primate species here as well as antelope, porcupine, African palm civets, crocodiles, galagos, and almost 300 bird species.

A fun fact about Abuko is that it is the closest tropical forest to Europe.

2. Banjul

Source: flickr

Banjul

The capital of The Gambia is Banjul.  It’s a port city and is located on Saint Mary’s Island.

Originally called Bathurst after the Secretary of State for the British Colonies, Banjul is the government seat for the country.

For whatever reason, many tourists don’t give Banjul a second glance. But with the busy harbour, rich history, colonial architecture, and urban market, there is plenty to love about the city.

Enjoy the street hawkers from Senegal and Guinea and the shop keepers packed into old colonial trading housing all creating a chaotic vibrancy to the commercial district.

Be on the lookout for the traditional kirinting housing made of bamboo and traditionally owned by the poor farmers of the island.

3. The Albert Market

Source: flickr

The Albert Market

The activity hub of Banjul is the Albert Market.

It was created in the mid-19th century and named after Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert.

Even back then it was full of bartering, haggling, and chaotic buying.

The market is exciting on its most boring day – which, really, is never!

You’ll find shoes, carved wood masks, houseware, electrical gadgets, shoes, fantastic fabrics, fruit, vegetables, beauty supplies, clothes, you name it.

Plan to spend a few hours to see it all and to really hone your negotiating skills.

If you’re looking for a local food experience, Albert Market has a number of street vendors and drink stalls to choose from.

4. Old Town

Source: tripadvisor

Old Town

Head toward wide and welcoming Ma Cumba Jallow Street just west of the ferry terminal in Banjul and you’ll find an unruly assortment of fading colonial buildings and traditional Krio-style clapboard homes.

This is Old Town, which looks remarkably like Freetown in Sierra Leone because of the many Freetown families who settled here in the early 19th century.

There’s lots of history to admire as you walk through this wonderful section of the city.

5. Bijilo Forest Park

Source: flickr

Bijilo Forest Park

Bijilo Forest Park, or Monkey Park, is located in the coastal zone, just 11km from Banjul.

It’s a small reserve, relatively speaking, and is a point of pride for nearby locals.

The trails here are well maintained and take you through incredibly lush flora, a gallery forest, grass and low bush, on your way to the dunes.

The three primate species are the red colobus, vervet, and patas.

Tourists are encouraged not to feed the monkeys as they can get pretty cheeky!

Bird lovers will love the more than 100 species found in the park including osprey, bee-eaters, and francolin. The reviews seem to be consistent:  a charming reserve that everyone falls in love with.

6. Brufut Beach

Source: flickr

Brufut Beach

Sitting between the Kombo South District and the Atlantic Ocean are the Brufut resort and village.

Just 23km from Banjul the beach itself has terrific golden sand and lots of privacy.

To reach the beach you have to climb down the cliffs, using paths that are quiet steep in places.

Once you’ve arrived and staked your spot you’ll notice fishermen and women sparring fish, repairing nets, and waiting for a change in tide to take them back out on the water again.

Because it’s so uncrowded, it’s great for everything – sunbathing, water sports, walks along the sand, and cycling.

Visit nearby Sannah-Mentering, a sacred pilgrimage site for Gambian Muslims hoping for a blessing.

7. Janjangbureh

Source: flickr

Janjangbureh

Also known as Georgetown, Janjangbureh is an old colonial administrative hub located on MacCarthy Island in the Gambia River.

A walk through town will take you to the old Commissioner’s Quarter.

This 200-year-old house was once inhabited by freed slaves.

There is little tourist infrastructure here, which will the town more or less desirable depending on the type of holiday you’re on, but the number one reason that most people come to Janjangbureh is for the bird watching.

Stay at a lodge or resort outside the city centre and spend a few days with the exotic birds of the area.

8. Sanyang Village and Beach

Source: flickr

Sanyang Village

This is a sleepy beach village of about 7,000 people made up mostly of Wolof, Mandinka, Fula, and Jola tribes. Sangyang Beach, which is made up of Paradise, Osprey, and Pelican beaches, is considered by many to be the best beachfront in all of The Gambia.

It was a popular attraction long before the tourist trail made its way there and has a long stretch of remote shore, surrounded by mangroves and lagoons.

Perfect for those who want to get away from the crowds. The main economy is fishing and as such there is a fantastic fish market in the village.

Great for people watching and meeting the locals. As a bonus, the area has many shaded footpaths for nature trekking.

9. National Museum of Gambia

Source: wikipedia

National Museum of Gambia

Once the white only Bathurst Club, this historic building now houses the National Museum of Gambia.

You’ll find a wide range of exhibits and displays here, including traditional Gambian life, the colonial history of Bathurst, information on the Senegambia stone circle sites, music, and dance.

Though it is small, the museum is well planned to reveal the rich culture of this wonderful country. You won’t be able to miss the giant Kankurang mask hanging in the main hall.

This powerful ritual mask is used during rites of passage and coming of age.

10. Wassu Stone Circles

Source: flickr

Wassu Stone Circles

Located in the Central River Region, these circles are believed to be the burial sites of ancient kings and chiefs.

Dated to 750-1000 AD, the stones and layouts vary from 4-6 metres in diameter, with anywhere from ten to 20 stones each.

Each stone has an average height of six feet and many tourists and archaeologists have puzzled over their origins and true meaning.

Though the biggest concentration of stone circles is in the Wassu area, there are hundreds of circles throughout the country.

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, local legend has it that if anyone disturbs the stones they will be cursed – a good clue as to why they have remained undisturbed for so long.

11. The Kachikally Crocodile Pool

Source: flickr

Kachikally Crocodile Pool

Sitting on nine acres in Bakau Old Town is the Kachikally Crocodile Pool.

Locals believe in the healing powers of the water and it’s a popular place to come for a blessing.

There are about 80 crocodiles that call the pool home and a cool dozen are usually immediately visible when you arrive.

Also on site are an ethnography museum, souvenir shop, café, and nature trail.

12. Makasutu Culture Forest

Source: flickr

Makasutu Culture Forest

This is a private woodland reserve dedicated to ecotourism in the Kombo Central District.

With over 1,000 acres, the protected area is a pristine forest of riverine, palm and hardwood trees, mangrove creeks, salt flats, and savanna.

In the 1990’s two Britons stepped in and began conservation efforts on this almost bare forest.

This sacred land is now a popular day excursion that gives visitors a chance to see one of the most beautiful forested areas in The Gambia.

13. The Gambia River

Source: flickr

Bambo Bar on the Gambia River

There’s a popular quote that helps to explain the relationship between the country and the river:  “The Gambia River is the Gambia and the Gambia is the river Gambia.”

The country exists as two strips of land on either side of the river and it’s definitely the dominate feature of the country.

It’s become a popular tourist destination as it provides access to the interior as well as to Senegal and Guinea.

A river boat cruise will bring you to some interesting wildlife, historic slave trade stations, and beautiful countryside.

14. Serrekunda

Source: flickr

Serrekunda Market

The largest town in The Gambia is Serrekunda, a market town with a population of just under half a million people.

This is where you’ll find the Batik Factory, where tie-dyed and batik fabrics are made.

It’s the perfect place for beautiful and personal souvenirs for home.

The national pastime of the Senegambia region is wrestling and in Serrekunda they take it quite seriously.

Each wrestler has a small group of drummers who amp up the crowd with energetic beats before a bout. T

he rules are pretty loose, but if it gets too dirty, someone will step in and stop the bout.  Usually!

15. Tanji

Source: girltweetsworld

Tanji Fish Market

The Gambian coast is full of fishing villages along the coast.  The busiest and most popular is the village of Tanji.

Everything happens right on the beach, which doesn’t make for good swimming, but does make for dramatic people watching.

Enjoy the fish market and the fish-smoking centre right in the heart of it all.

The Tanji Village Museum educates visitors on Gambian traditions and lifestyle.

Bird lovers will enjoy the Tanji River Bird Reserve – six square miles of savannah habitats and marine wetland along the river.

There are over 300 bird species here include 34 raptors.  You’re also likely to see bushback, hyena, green monkeys, and the red colobus.

If you’ve got the time, be sure to check out the Bijol Islands, where they have over 20,000 birds and seals and whales have been spotted from time to time.

Remember The Young Lady With The Darkest Skin In The World? Meet The Man Putting Smiles On Her Face

Do you remember this young lady who's known to have the world's darkest skin pigment? Today I bring an interesting part of her life that you may have not seen before.

Khoudia Diop is a Senegalese girl who had move to Paris when she was just 13 years old. The young lady who later was forced to live a life of solitude and fear due to her rare skin tone.

Khoudia was mocked and teased by many people around as she they saw her black skin color to way of the usual. This seriously killed her self-esteem as she had to handle taunts from bullies when she goes out.

Fortunately for her, she met a very handsome man who fell in love with her and helped her see the beauty in her skin color.

Her young man, loved and stood by her through all her times of stigmatization helped her begin to love herself for who she is and see her skin color as a blessing.

Now Khoudia lives a happy life of modeling with her man in New York City.

Like, comment and follow for more interesting content...

On surprising his dad with the car, Israel wrote in a post: “When you help me garden, you deserve all the flowers”

This comes weeks after he bought his mom a Porsche.

The Bentley Continental GT worth $202,000.

The UFC middleweight champion lost to Jan Blachowicz in UFC 259 main card and set for a rematch with Robert Withtakker if he defeats Kevin Gastelum.