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faderabraham
203 Posts |
 Posted - 30 Mar 2010 : 17:56:00
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hello everyone has anyone else noticed that since the x ray machines are all working at yundum airport that more people tourists are getting more hassle with luggage being rifled through i have been back in november and had my case rifled for phones and electrical goods then i came back to uk for xmas and went back in january the same thing again and noticed that they was pulling lots of tourist over and asking silly amounts of money for items in the luggage. my partner took extra case with authorisation for charity for a school and they even wanted items from that am really sick of all this and it cannot be a good experience for new tourists am a veteran ex-pat living in gambian and uk i thought it was cos they know me but i see lots of tourists leaving belongings in the side rooms cos they was asking money one young lady was in tears when she had to leave a oil painting that was a gift this hassle cannot be good for tourism when our luggage has already been strictly scanned from uk is not necessary next time i go am be travelling light hand baggage only i will ship the charity stuff.
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sab
United Kingdom
912 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2010 : 20:34:06
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There are numerous postings re the trouble encountered at Banjul Airport, the one that stays with me is
http://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5745
sab. |
The world would be a poorer place if it was peopled by children whose parents risked nothing in the cause of social justice, for fear of personal loss. (Joe Slovo - African revolutionary) |
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faderabraham
203 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2010 : 11:56:06
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THIS WAS SENT TO MY E-MAIL
Hello faderabraham You received the following message from: madosa At: http://www.gambia.dk/forums/ in reply to your posting about the airport security, let me tel you that it is not the custom officers you should blame but yourself for still being a slave minded person. what the hell you mean by you have been strictly scanned in the uk, who the hell cares? we have our own rules n principles which we have to use in our airport n not dat of the uk or God knows whose. you are complainin for the tourist that get every privelegde at our airport even more than us citizens. we the citizens spend even more time in our own airport than the tourist which should not be coz as you might know yourself even when we come back to europe we still spend more time in their airports as blacks or africans or "bushmen" so please if you are fighting for something fight that then n not for people who get privilegde everywhere. it is people like you that just come here n forget their countries n cultures n religions trying to act like a white person which you ll never be, so please my bro or sis just try to emancipate yourself from mental slavery n then you ll ve another way of thinking bout our beloved homeland. gambia is our gambia n not yaya jammeh s gambia coz there was gambia b4 him n there ll b gambia after him so no matter how we dnt like him let s not come to the west n let carried away to b spreadin bad n stupid news bout our homeland. MAY ALLAH BLESS THE GAMBIA, n any leader that ALLAH chooses to lead the country AMEN
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faderabraham
203 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2010 : 12:04:14
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FIRSTLY why didnt you post this on the site and secondly my mentality is RESPECT FOR ALL MANKIND i was born after slavery and you blame me for my foefathers you completely out of order . my intentions in gambia over the 25 years plus i have been living and travelling has always been GOOD INTENTIONS but i gues your pea brain remarks to my e-mail were purely IMMATURITY
SO MAY I SUGGEST YOU GROW UP and debate a solution to the problem i highlited
kind regards
fads |
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jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2010 : 13:50:27
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FADERABRAHAM, this reply is upsetting, because it is the type of person who is at the airport doing the "Customs" inspection.
RThey ask for money for the most trival thing, try taking extra shoes in, and they ask for money. BUT I HAVE TO add that travelling with airlines from UK to Gambia, if you go over they can rip you off. yes we are told about luggage allowance but it can be £10.00 per ilo to go over, financial rip off in UK, personal rip off in Gambia.
for me the introduction at gambia airport is a disgrace, it is known by the authoristies and tour operators. Like the bumsters they think oh well they can afford it. HASSLE IS HASSLE, they should be thinking about image and image. and repeat business. |
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Dembish
Gambia
284 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2010 : 15:12:58
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| Well GUYs let face it I am 100percent Gambian and a very proud one of being Gambian,but the issue the gentle man raised about the custom officers at our airport to me is a Disgrace and rgardless of who complains the bitter truth is the whole operation of custom officers is HASSLING passengers both Gambians and tourists alike.And again a hot spot for riping money off passengers in a way that custom duties to be paid on items are maliciously hiked beyond reasonable price,hence the officers just decide at their own discretion.The authorities really need to do something about this or this greedy officers will impact negatively on our reputation and the wonderful national image of all Gambians.They have to realise that the airport is an entrance to the country and the first experience of visitors at the airport tells a lot about us to the visitors and potential visitors alike. |
There is no egg without a chicken, and no chicken without egg. |
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Nokia Man
United Kingdom
44 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2010 : 00:52:23
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quote:
let me tel you that it is not the custom officers you should blame but yourself for still being a slave minded person.
Dear oh dear. That old chestnut. There is currently no colour issue regarding slavery just those who choose to move on and those who choose not to. In psychiatry its well known that those people who hanker or 'hang onto' the past most likely suffered lack of love as a child, so the issue with whoever sent you that email is not colour, an airport or race but most probably abnormal parenting.
My personal opinion is that as a regular European white visitor (not tourist) this customs fiasco would put me off. It won't, but I can understand the concern which created this thread. The internet is alive with tourist sites and reviews on anything from a hotel to an airport and even a country, so it'd not take much for a one or two bad airport experiences to be listed on-line to put many more people off choosing The Gambia as their virgin destination.
I took the time to make this post because I'm not a hotel dweller. Yes I do sleep in hotels from the mainstream companies but I eat, shop and source evening entertainment outside of the hotel grounds and is where the largest amount of my money is spent, on local businesses predominately owned by Gambians.
Would this type of treatment at the airport encourage tourists to venture outside the hotel grounds? I doubt it. This is to the detriment to local businessmen and women, from the juice sellers on the beach and the craft markets and local businessmen/women who have built up a small empire to service what trade that does venture outside the hotel grounds.
Regarding not being loved as a child, he sounds a totally miserable little **** so can understand his parents actions.
NM. |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2010 : 08:34:46
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| If there was a list of charges official displayed at the airport then most people would pay the costs as an import tax. But clearly this isnot what is happening here. The airport staff are checking baggage looking for booty! Eevn when things are for charity they want their cut. It's not a good start to a holiday. |
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jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2010 : 22:02:50
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hello everyone, arrived at the airport expecting hassle, did not get any bagage put on xray as usual nothing mentioned. but others did have hassle.
It still one pound for a handler to take your luggage to the coach, i was asked to change 30 pounds in coins. i want their job. |
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toubab1020
12311 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2010 : 23:05:17
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Its always better to employ a porter to carry your luggage makes things a little easier!
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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snuggels
960 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2010 : 16:20:00
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When you think of the amount of planes per week in and out of Gambia the hassle is a big issue with tourists also the scams are a big money earner.
My experiences -:
OUTBOUND Stopped 3 times The first time was I inadvertedly put a small pair of nail scissor’s in my carry on bag was taken to a side room I think it was by the chief of security and told as I was trying to take banned items on board I had committed a criminal offense and if this couldn’t be resolved I could miss my flight A sum of £50 was mentioned and duly paid and I caught the flight
. The 2nd time I had over the limit of cigarettes again the same man took me to one side and demanded money if not paid he would send a message to UK customs the money was duly paid. The 3rd time the same man approached me and said do you remember me how could I forget and what a memory he had from the thousands of tourists I said yes and Im not paying you any money if anything was due I would sooner give it to my gouvenment than put it in his pocket He walked away Does anyone know the name of this man or find out He is utterly corrupt.
INBOUND
Had case searched where I had a portable player DVD and film discs for use at the compound I was staying in I was told I had to pay a import tax Which I agreed to pay but asked for a receipt as the unit was for my personal use and not for sale so That I could claim the tax back when I left the country. With that with the wave of a hand he ushered me away and nothing was paid
Lesson if money demanded ask for a reciept |
Edited by - snuggels on 08 May 2010 16:22:43 |
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toubab1020
12311 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2010 : 16:45:07
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Ah....... another example of Endemic corruption that is in The Gambia,thanks for sharing your experiences Snuggles,not an easy thing to do, but as Sir Francis Bacon said in 1597, "Knowledge is power" and passing on your tip of asking for a reciept when you think a payment is not correct is very useful indeed. |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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