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faderabraham
203 Posts |
 Posted - 25 Sep 2008 : 13:26:10
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maybe some feedback of us all remembering the first visit to gambia and why we choose the gambia, and why we fell in love with gambia, or hated it whichever.
i remember wanting to get away from the terrible winter in uk.
THATS THE POINT IT ALL STARTED THE ADVENTURE.
leaving the frosted tarmac of manchester and rising into the sun ..sunshine forever after.. the old airport what an experience my late wife one wheelchair and me wow i never seen nothing like it met at the plane door whisked of round to the front no customs no immigration just a hand out.2 quid. and we in i could not believe it i was overwhelmed disorientated tired and wondered what was happening . but alas the then gambian experience people saved us onto the bus ready for the hotel.that was a very different gambia ...maybe...or maybe not. please excuse my writing am not a scholar just a retired working class guy
ARRIVING AT HOTEL AND MORE...
TO BE CONTINUED...
KIND REGARDS
ABRAHAM
PS...1989
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Edited by - faderabraham on 25 Sep 2008 13:40:45 |
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Hiz Princess
United Kingdom
464 Posts |
Posted - 25 Sep 2008 : 15:10:02
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Faderabraham, you have brought back many memories. I look forward to reading your next instalment. |
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faderabraham
203 Posts |
Posted - 25 Sep 2008 : 22:59:43
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THE HOTEL.
after the airport experience all we wanted was a shower and a cuppa we riding on the bus from the airport seeing corrugated rusted fences ladies with loads on there heads bigger than juggernoutd, cattle hens etc wandering everywhere we wondered have we chosen the right holiday .and the heat humididity was rather too much.
anyhow we arrived at this place with straw on the roof and a big palm tree roundabout and all hell let loose bags bags carry your bags push the wheelchair, Reception, sign this i would have signed anything just to get to our room eventuall we was taken to the room. hey surprise big nice room plenty of space . great we can have a cuppa now and shower. except 4 boys standing with outreached hands, in the room. ok a quid then another quid needless to say 4 quid cheap i reckon.. but 10 minutes later knock knock hello chat chat whats your name where you from be my friend i need a watch the new ones that you dont have to wind up that run on batteries. i reckon you all had this treatment but its possible some readers havent.
next morning to breakfast we really hungry so of we toodled looks ok but not much to choose from cornflakes bread fruit, we was looking for cutlery to make a sarny with the cheese spread. no cutlery we asked they said it was stolen in the night oh i see what do we use then mmmmm.. improvise share the odd one or two pieces of cutlery still left. we had to manage at least we could go out and buy somthing i thought.
we complained at reception we was talking to the wall, so of we went to the side entrance as (then it was at the side) outside the hotel to the left a tarmac road to the right the sea give us a clue. needless to say we didnt need no clue wasent long before we was surrounded with THE BOYS.
TO BE CONTINUED.
only if anyone is interested has i said am no scholar. |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2008 : 00:01:13
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ibrahim
keep going. |
diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
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Momodou
Denmark
11738 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2008 : 07:43:07
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Hi Turk,
C'mon lets hear about your first visit to The Gambia. Why did you choose The Gambia?  |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2008 : 08:59:10
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momodou
If you promise not to edit/delete/censor due to content of the details about my first personal experience/memories, I will give you all the juicy details about it. I may even provide some picture. |
diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
Edited by - turk on 26 Sep 2008 09:00:39 |
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Momodou
Denmark
11738 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2008 : 09:34:57
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Turk,
I look forward to reading your "first personal experience/memories" and why you choosed The Gambia. I don't see any barrier to that from our side. |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2008 : 09:43:54
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well
last time i post some pictures about travel pictures about english ladies and 'decent turkish men' from the british travel magazine, you deleted that post due to graphical content. My personal experience may have similar content. There are high moral people here. :) |
diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
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Momodou
Denmark
11738 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2008 : 10:10:53
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Turk,
No pre conditions!
You accepted the policy of this forum before joining and you are quite welcome to choose not to post if you have the feeling that what you intend to post will violate the policy you accepted in the first place. I am sure there are many other places in Cyberspace where you could go to.
Honestly it’s up to you.
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2008 : 10:39:36
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Momodou. No, I am perfectly fine with the rules. I was just playing.
I travalled from spain to dakar, following the Dakar rally route. I really liked gambian country side during my journey. Later I decided I volunteered in basse. First I spent some time in senegambia like tourist. I had nice time, night life, beach. Than I travelled to the country side and eventually end up in basse. I probably have been to places in gambia many gambians have never been. After, I got married with a gambian lady three years ago, spent mostly in serekunda/senegambia area. At this point, I just want to go gambia and stay either in Gunjur or jinnack island and with my daughter. I really really don't want to be in serekunda. I would go to senegambia once in a while to have fun.
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diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
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Hiz Princess
United Kingdom
464 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2008 : 11:41:07
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Abraham yes please continue it makes interesting reading thank you |
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faderabraham
203 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2008 : 12:43:15
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THE BOYS,
all these strange sounding names lamin , kebba, seikuba etc. well lamin won the day for escorting down the then dust road to the beach at that time there wasent much we passed one place. ABIS CAFE & ROOMS, then a closed down casino and on the beach SOLOMANS.. i tell you that lamin didnt have it easy pushing a wheelchair in the sand even he had a sweat on... we liked the boy he worked hard at what he did. we soon learnt many things about gambia .
a good day was had on the beach at solomans . we talked had some food and a few julbrews lamin had the usual malta, strangely thats all i drink now i didnt like it at first tasted like liqurice still does, anyhow we enjoyed the day cheap food etc and cheapest cigarettes i ever bought. the sunshine friendly people what more could we want . after being used to spain benidorm ...WE WAS HOOKED FROM DAY ONE.. good fishermen the gambians in many ways.
so back to stalag 13 they telling us in reception after we enquire about a fridge that they got stolen too so what about a fan , oh yes we have a fan but its xtra of course well we was on holiday what a luxury a fan, afridge would have been nice, we did get a fridge 2days later and it was extra too. lebanese business.
we met a gardener a very wise young man we chatted to him for many hours over the month we stayed. how i wish i had listened to him back then instead of distrusting him he turned out to be 100 percent correct in everything he told us but it took us many years to find out and many dalasis out of pocket .
we spent some time around the pool area after the first venture my late wife was coming into remission and feeling better with less pain even starting to walk better .
NEXT TIME LAND AND CORRUPTION |
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jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2008 : 17:05:37
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faderabraham, you made me smile, my fist trip was to visit a friend who had settled inGambia, What an adventure I was going to GAMBIA ,
first things the flight, i checked in with my luggage limit and was greeted by many people with over the weight my many kilos, this was at gtwick, the check in staff were ruthless, peop;el were being charge extorianate amounts , but hey they made money I sat next to and near thre gambians who were being deported they had overstayed there visas, 
arrived and my friend had been delayed so no-one was able to meet me at the airport, i was left there for two hours, every person uniformed and non uniformed offered me help. In the end I managed to get a lift to my hotel.  
WELCOME TO GAMBIA
i was staying Tafbel   AS A TYPE THIS HAPPINESS IS COMING BACK
i checke din to a cockaroach filled ROOM, i changed and walked out of the front of the hotel, what an atmosphere, BUMSTERS, young girls selling peanuts, loud voices, tourists, lots more conversation with the locals, oh yes, they offered to help me find money changers, taxis go for drinks.
I met up with my friend and hit the ground running, it was fab, the hotel then was a bit of a brothel, but i got up before break fast and went for walk along the beach and just enjoyed the calmness. during the week i met many interesting people, sponsored a child to school, went to church and SHOPPED, what a toubab i was hooked
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 27 Sep 2008 : 08:20:07
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My fisrt trip to Gambia was also my first trip to Africa. I was travelling as part of a party of almost 100 people. I didn't sleep well the week before with excitement.
Drove down to Gatwick from Yorkshire to meet up with pupils I was escorting. Then finally off to Gambia.
I LOVED it from the moment we landed. Dry heat and smiling faces!
The drive to the hotel...so different and so much to look at and take in.
Badala Park...not luxury, but better than I had expected. Great staff.
I wasn't expecting reggae music every where. I loved it!
Dancing at hotel every night.
The beautiful beach and the wild sea. Walking and swimming in fantastic surroundings.
Thats the holiday bit..
Then we come to the purpose of the visit. We take the pupils to various local settings: Banjul market, Gambia High school, Brufut to DIana nursery and to see Ghana town.
The meat and fish market are difficult for our protected children to walk through, the sights and smells are quite overwhelming. A bit different to buying meat wrapped in plastic from Tescos!
Diana nursery is always delightful.
Then we go further inland...to follow. |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 27 Sep 2008 : 12:42:25
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Poor you..I suppose someone has to live there! 
North Yorkshire is SO much nicer!
I'm just off to Wetherby (west Yorks) and Thirsk (north Yorks). Sunny here.
Will post more this evening. |
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Formby
United Kingdom
246 Posts |
Posted - 27 Sep 2008 : 19:27:28
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My first time...hmm...many years ago. Me and two mates just picked it off teletext, we were in our mid 20s then and just took off, shorts, tee shirts, bathers, very light. My mother had died 6 months or so ago and I hadn't really smiled in a long time but Gambia saw to that. What they now call Bumsters (and yes the last time I went that had become more aggressive) were just local boys then who would take you around, no pressure. In those days the senegambia area was nothing like it is now, very sleepy and small, and the action seemed to be round one beach bar which is now sadly demised and still missed and talked about. We went all over the place, Sankullykunda, Cassemance, Jangjanburreh. We drank julbrew, we partook of the nyamo and I've been back quite a few times since and the boys and girls of those days who were the same age as us, I still know most of them. We've all grown up together really. Many of them have been to live here in the UK doing business or because they married or are studying and I am just as happy to help them arond the place when they first get here as they were then.
I haven't been to Gambia in a few years as I am nearly married myself now and my OH wouldn't, I don't think, see what I saw in Gambia. Also the boys have become more persistant now and the last time I went I took a tirade of verbal abuse off a young hothead in an Osama bin Laden teeshirt. That doesn't bother me really in the scheme of things but it would bother the OH and in our limited free time we go to Ireland or Italy (where his old parents live) but I certainly don't say I'll never go back. I know I will. |
Edited by - Formby on 27 Sep 2008 19:28:04 |
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