What is a mangrove you ask?
I asked my friends from Wiki
Mangrove
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mangroves (generally) are trees and shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics. The word is used in at least three senses, (1) most broadly to refer to the habitat and entire plant assemblage or mangal [1], for which the terms mangrove swamp and mangrove forest are also used, (2) to refer to all trees and large shrubs in the mangal, and (3) narrowly to refer to the mangrove family of plants, the Rhizophoraceae, or even more specifically just to mangrove trees of the genus Rhizophora. Mangals are found in depositional coastal environments where fine sediments, often with high organic content, collect in areas protected from high energy wave action.
The Cassamance region is covered in mangroves.
Yesterday Ishmael took us in a leaking canoe through the mangroves. We taught Ishmael the word for "Hole" so he understood why the boat was filling with water. The canoes are carved from a single tree and are as heavy as you might imagine an entire tree might be. The paddle was also carved from wood and reminded me of the canoes and paddles from the 1960's that are still at my Grandparents camp. Heavy and hard to move. The journey through the mangroves was beautiful and so peaceful.
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