Off to Banjull - Gambia, 5 Nov. 2009
I'd booked my trip with www.hiddengambia.com on the spur of the moment really, further to a conversation I had with a friend of a friend who recommended it. I didn't even check the competition, it sounded good value for money (£900 for 8 nights, incl. international flights) so I was pretty happy as usually the flights alone can cost £850 if you go to South America or Australasia... The Gambia Experience probably offer something more 'up-market' for those who want a more 'luxurious' experience.
Gambia is incredible value for money and for Europeans very easy access, with just 5-6 hour flight and it's on GMT so, bliss of bliss: NO jet-lag !!! In fact, the biggest hurdle for me was to get all the way down to Gatwick from North London. Thomas Cook insisted on a 3 hour check-in so I had to BE at the airport for 7am which meant getting up at 4am.... a killer for me !!! I *never* fly a.m. unless I have no choice, I much prefer overnight flights... but in this instance, I had no choice. Thomas Cook doesn't even fly every day.
Thankfully I got the bus to Victoria Station within 2 minutes and then got a train within 2 mins too (I went with Southern @ £10.50, whereas the Gatwick Express charged £18 for a single = to gain 15mins, not worth it !). When I did get to Gatwick, the queues for Banjul (my destination) were actually incredibly long.... I was shocked. The girl at check-in asked me a lot of questions about my Visa (French people need Visas, British people don't) and so I got side tracked and left all my travel documentation on her desk when I left... I only had my passport and boarding pass so I didn't realise until much later. I didn't worry too much though as I figured that the next person would have kindly brought it through to me as we boarded the flight as it had no value to them, but no... no one bothered. I was stunned. So I asked the staff to radio check-in but no one could even find my plastic wallet.... so, God knows where it ended up.
I'd prepared my sandwich and salad because Thomas Cook charge £15 for a modest meal and thankfully I was able to get an aisle seat because their leg room is dire... if someone reclines their seat in front of you you are totally trapped. I would have felt totally claustrophobic otherwise.
Once we were in the air, it was plain sailing really... two good movies (though of course you have to buy the headset too, that's the downside of 'charter' flights) and before I knew it, we were in sunny Banjul. And when I say sunny, I mean SUNNY. Boiling hot. Sizzling. 40C. Thankfully I'd come prepared with layers I could strip off easily so just standing on the tarmac waiting for the bus to the terminal I was already tanning fast.
My driver was there, waiting, which was a good thing since I had lost all my contact numbers and would not have been able to check where he was had he run late. Two more people were on my flight so I quickly grabbed a coke as we waited for them to come through. A porter then approached me and handed me a whole pack of £1 and 10p coins and asked me if I could give him a £10 banknote in return so that he could get the equivalent in Dalasi from the bank. I was a bit dubious, having been conned before in Egypt, and checked the coins 3 times over to make sure they were 'real'.. and risked it because I felt that for this man, £10 was probably enormous and a 1/3 of his monthly salary potentially. It turned out that it was a blessing in disguise as the next porter then asked me for £1 to carry my suitcase and I was then able to just give him 10p -which is, trust me, all the tip was worth considering we'd barely walked 10 seconds and £1 is a day's work for most people here so I felt he was really pushing his luck and obviously hoped that freshly arrived tourists would not be able to work out the exchange rate to know better. Sorry mate, I'm well travelled... I know the worldwide rates !
Muhammed then drove the couple to their lodge and then dropped me off at the Safari Garden hotel, about 90mins later. It was very basic, pleasant enough with a pool and nice staff but I felt a bit lonely and worried about going out alone. Not so much for fear of theft because I didn't really feel threatened that way in Gambia, but more for fear of being hassled and pestered by over-eager men as I had been warned they can be terribly persistent.
I asked Muhammed if he could take me around the next day as I'd be keen to visit the city and surrounding beaches as I'm not one to stay by the pool reading a book (I never take any book with me !). He said he could make the time. He also agreed to drive me to a local restaurant so that I could enjoy local cuisine. My hotel served food as well but I wanted to use this as an excuse to sight-see and experience more of Gambia.
Most restaurants had terraces to sit outside as it was so warm... I love warm evenings and this was now perfect temperature. We shared a nice meal and then I asked him to drive me back. It was 9.30pm by then and probably quite early by Gambian standards but I'd been up at 4am and was starting to feel it... plus the heat does make one more tired anyway.
I had a hot shower and then went off to dream-land with the fan on as it was too hot to sleep otherwise...
I'd booked my trip with www.hiddengambia.com on the spur of the moment really, further to a conversation I had with a friend of a friend who recommended it. I didn't even check the competition, it sounded good value for money (£900 for 8 nights, incl. international flights) so I was pretty happy as usually the flights alone can cost £850 if you go to South America or Australasia... The Gambia Experience probably offer something more 'up-market' for those who want a more 'luxurious' experience.
Gambia is incredible value for money and for Europeans very easy access, with just 5-6 hour flight and it's on GMT so, bliss of bliss: NO jet-lag !!! In fact, the biggest hurdle for me was to get all the way down to Gatwick from North London. Thomas Cook insisted on a 3 hour check-in so I had to BE at the airport for 7am which meant getting up at 4am.... a killer for me !!! I *never* fly a.m. unless I have no choice, I much prefer overnight flights... but in this instance, I had no choice. Thomas Cook doesn't even fly every day.
Thankfully I got the bus to Victoria Station within 2 minutes and then got a train within 2 mins too (I went with Southern @ £10.50, whereas the Gatwick Express charged £18 for a single = to gain 15mins, not worth it !). When I did get to Gatwick, the queues for Banjul (my destination) were actually incredibly long.... I was shocked. The girl at check-in asked me a lot of questions about my Visa (French people need Visas, British people don't) and so I got side tracked and left all my travel documentation on her desk when I left... I only had my passport and boarding pass so I didn't realise until much later. I didn't worry too much though as I figured that the next person would have kindly brought it through to me as we boarded the flight as it had no value to them, but no... no one bothered. I was stunned. So I asked the staff to radio check-in but no one could even find my plastic wallet.... so, God knows where it ended up.
I'd prepared my sandwich and salad because Thomas Cook charge £15 for a modest meal and thankfully I was able to get an aisle seat because their leg room is dire... if someone reclines their seat in front of you you are totally trapped. I would have felt totally claustrophobic otherwise.
Once we were in the air, it was plain sailing really... two good movies (though of course you have to buy the headset too, that's the downside of 'charter' flights) and before I knew it, we were in sunny Banjul. And when I say sunny, I mean SUNNY. Boiling hot. Sizzling. 40C. Thankfully I'd come prepared with layers I could strip off easily so just standing on the tarmac waiting for the bus to the terminal I was already tanning fast.
My driver was there, waiting, which was a good thing since I had lost all my contact numbers and would not have been able to check where he was had he run late. Two more people were on my flight so I quickly grabbed a coke as we waited for them to come through. A porter then approached me and handed me a whole pack of £1 and 10p coins and asked me if I could give him a £10 banknote in return so that he could get the equivalent in Dalasi from the bank. I was a bit dubious, having been conned before in Egypt, and checked the coins 3 times over to make sure they were 'real'.. and risked it because I felt that for this man, £10 was probably enormous and a 1/3 of his monthly salary potentially. It turned out that it was a blessing in disguise as the next porter then asked me for £1 to carry my suitcase and I was then able to just give him 10p -which is, trust me, all the tip was worth considering we'd barely walked 10 seconds and £1 is a day's work for most people here so I felt he was really pushing his luck and obviously hoped that freshly arrived tourists would not be able to work out the exchange rate to know better. Sorry mate, I'm well travelled... I know the worldwide rates !
Muhammed then drove the couple to their lodge and then dropped me off at the Safari Garden hotel, about 90mins later. It was very basic, pleasant enough with a pool and nice staff but I felt a bit lonely and worried about going out alone. Not so much for fear of theft because I didn't really feel threatened that way in Gambia, but more for fear of being hassled and pestered by over-eager men as I had been warned they can be terribly persistent.
I asked Muhammed if he could take me around the next day as I'd be keen to visit the city and surrounding beaches as I'm not one to stay by the pool reading a book (I never take any book with me !). He said he could make the time. He also agreed to drive me to a local restaurant so that I could enjoy local cuisine. My hotel served food as well but I wanted to use this as an excuse to sight-see and experience more of Gambia.
Most restaurants had terraces to sit outside as it was so warm... I love warm evenings and this was now perfect temperature. We shared a nice meal and then I asked him to drive me back. It was 9.30pm by then and probably quite early by Gambian standards but I'd been up at 4am and was starting to feel it... plus the heat does make one more tired anyway.
I had a hot shower and then went off to dream-land with the fan on as it was too hot to sleep otherwise...
posted by Sylvie at 9:24 AM
<< Home