29 January 2010 - Bristol Evening Post - Simon Galloway
The Gambia may only be half the size of Wales but boy does it have a lot to offer – from sun-drenched white sandy beaches to the stunning 1,000-acre Makasutu Culture Forest.
Only a six-hour flight from Bristol and with no time difference, The Gambia, located midway between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator, enjoys virtually uninterrupted sunshine and high daytime temperatures with almost no rainfall from November to June.
My Gambian adventure began as we travelled the short distance from Banjul airport to our hotel.
I could not help but gaze out of the bus window as we passed stalls selling fresh melons, shacks with old men fixing bicycles and small children waving at me. From that moment, I was hooked on the street life that was going on before me. I asked myself how these people could be so happy when they appear to have so little... the answer is simple. This is The Gambia – known as “the smiling coast of Africa”.
After resting up overnight at the luxurious Coco Resort and Spa, I was ready to take the 45-minute journey south to the award-winning Makasutu Cultural Forest set on a beautiful tributary of the River Gambia. Makasutu, known as “sacred deep forest” in the local Mandinka dialect, is home to wild Guinea baboons and numerous birds. It was conserved by two Englishmen, James English and Lawrence Williams, back in 1992.As we take a slow canoe ride along the river, passing pied kingfishers and fiddler crabs nesting in the mangroves, we find ourselves at the stunning Mandina River Lodges as evening draws in. We settle down to sample beautiful local food, and enjoy an evening of local tribal partying that includes stilt-walkers and fire-eaters, and dancers who stamp their feet and jiggle their bottoms.
Next up was a home cooking workshop with Ida Njie at her home in Brufut. We changed into traditional Gambian dress and headed to Tanji fishing village to buy some local produce. What followed next at Tanji will stick in my mind for a long time. As I stepped on to the beach, my senses were hit for six... fish, fish everywhere – the smell was almost overwhelming. In what appeared like a conveyor-belt production, men were landing fish, there were fish in wheelbarrows, fish being gutted and fish being de-scaled. A few yards up from the beach, we walked through the endless stalls selling fish, vegetables, nuts and other fresh produce. Ida took the lead and bought food for our lunch. We headed back to her house and began to prepare the meal. On the menu was benachin – rice cooked with fish, vegetables and tomatoes. Ida demonstrated the traditional way to eat the dish – with our hands – and we all tucked in.
We finished with attaya (green tea). Mucki, our tour guide from West African Tours, had told us of his love of football and informed us that his local team, Blackpool, were playing in a local cup final that afternoon. The match between Blackpool and Chimo United turned out to be a fast-paced game played in a run-down ground comprising two old concrete stands and a pretty good synthetic pitch. Unfortunately for Mucki, Blackpool found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 thrashing. A visit to Wellingara Lower Basic School in the district of Kombo turned out to be the highlight of the trip. As we pulled into the school playground, we were greeted by hundreds of children running out of the two-storey concrete building. After what seemed like a thousand handshakes, we made our way to the head teacher’s offices where he explained that the school has more than 1,600 children but is constantly struggling to buy essentials such as books. I stepped in to the classroom and was faced with a sea of smiling children. They burst into song, singing Wind The Bobbin Up in perfect English – which is widely spoken, along with local tribal languages, including Mandinka, Wolof, Fula and Jola.
After our school experience, we took a thrilling 4x4 off-road trip across some pretty bumpy tracks. We stopped at various points so Mucki could point out some of the local birdlife, including the small red-throated bee-eaters and huge hooded vultures that circle high above. Our 4x4 pulled up on what I can only describe as a picture perfect beach. The white sand was so hot I had to hop, skip and jump my way to the hammock while the others had a dip in the warm Atlantic Ocean. It’s then that I realise the real meaning of GMT – Gambia Maybe Time. I for one can’t wait to sample it again.
■ Simon Galloway travelled to The Gambia as a guest of The Gambia Experience, the UK’s only specialist and biggest tour operator to The Gambia (www.gambia.co.uk; 0845 330 2087).
■ Seven nights bed and breakfast in a junior suite at the Coco Ocean Resort & Spa costs £1,014 per person.
■ Seven nights bed and breakfast in a beach club villa costs £1,350 per person.
■ Prices include return flights from Bristol International Airport, in-flight meals, hotel transfers and taxes.
■ All clients receive a complimentary foot massage as part of their booking.
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