Joe

I could not believe the police getting after these poor petty traders trying to make a few dalasis , just like our NY day stock market amateur traders here in the US, in the market trying to hedgh the bond market . If they were doing anything illegal do you think they would be in the streets doing the dollar for dalasi PUBLICLY ?  Give them a break for God's sake. These hustlers are just trying to make ends meet  and taking a risk of being robbed or killed with all that cash on them. and of course taking losses too if the reverse trends of the market happens . So it goes both ways.

 Diamonds are not purchased with dalasis - last I knew- and they are forever! your take! 

well these days it might be much cheaper to fly the presential jet to the Us and buy fuel in 44 gallons drums and flown back - seriously as foriegn exchange is not easy to come by these days. Not yet possible  but who knows when why ? read on :

Joe I will tell you a true story of what I saw with my own nacked eyes in Dubai international airport last summer. Some Nigerians and East Africans were checking in as luggage ( hard to believe but true as I actually witnessed it) 44 gallons drums of cooking oil  > I could not resist and asked one of them and SHE ( yes she) told me it would be cheaper for her even paying the excess luggage fees than the prices back home .

I do not think we have gotten to that yet in the Gambia ( laugh) 

 I would leave Lady Zainab out  cause it is not her fault in my opinion . A husband controls how much your wife spends .right ?  ( I will take the heat on this )  OR She may have inhertied some money from the late King Hassan of morocco as I understand she grew up in that household -  so possibly she is spending her own cash -  ( I can see the bullets coming at me on this !!!)

but do not kill the messenger please . I did not do it .

Best regards

Habib