04 February 2010 - Nottingham Evening Post - Adam Moss
IN The Gambia, it is hot, all of the time." That was the first thing our tour guide said on the PA system as our bus pulled out of Banjul airport. And he wasn't lying. The Gambia does have a rainy season, between mid-June and early October - but those are usually the hottest months. The rest of the time, the thermometer doesn't tend to drop below 24C during the day. Six hours earlier, I'd been knocking back an anti-malarial tablet on a dull and chilly morning at East Midlands Airport. Now, I was wishing I hadn't decided to travel wearing a pair of jeans.The bus was making its way along one of only two roads covered with Tarmac in the entire country.
The dusty orange landscape at the side of the highway was dotted with small buildings with corrugated-iron roofs and tables with parasols outside. These buildings could have been either people's homes or shops - it was difficult to tell. This short journey served to hammer home the message that The Gambia is still very much a developing country.
So you'd perhaps expect the accommodation for a tourist who heads off to this winter sun destination to be pretty basic too. Wrong.
We were staying at the Coco Ocean, which might sound like something out of a Barry Manilow song, but it's actually a luxury resort and spa. Its pristine white buildings elegantly rise out of the golden beach and are covered with Moroccan-style domes and arches.
And in stark contrast to the world outside, it has every mod con you could ever want: pools, spa, gym, air-con, wi-fi and a ridiculous amount of space considering it only has 59 rooms. And as the hotel's general manager pointed out, if you don't find its marble floors, big suites, huge beds and fresh food (often grown on site) luxurious enough, the staff will bend over backwards to make sure you're every whim is tended to.
The Coco Ocean is one of the top-end places to stay, but from what I saw, regardless of which hotel you choose, you're hardly likely to be roughing it. And with such plush surroundings, it'd be easy for any visitor to The Gambia to simply chill out by the pool and enjoy the sunshine.
But that would be a mistake; when you venture outside, the personality of the country really comes to life. About a third of the population live below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day. But the nuts and the fruit and fish are plentiful, so no one goes hungry. Gambians pride themselves on the place's reputation as "the smiling coast". Every tourist will almost certainly be approached at some point during their stay by a "bumster", who will try to get a few Dalasi (the native currency) out of them.
But the bumsters in the Gambia just seem to have a more pleasant demeanour than their counterparts across the world. Even after they'd accepted the fact I wouldn't be parting with any cash, the bumsters I met were still keen to have a friendly chat.
The Gambia is a country of such stark contrasts that it can almost make your head spin. And I have to say, it's one of the most remarkable places I've ever been to.
Anyone who wants to sample a slice of Gambian life can book one of the following excursions through West African Tours:
Makasutu Culture Forest: Makasutu is a 1,000-acre eco-tourism centre. During our visit, we went on a walk through the forest, took a canoe ride in the mangroves and came face-to-face with the resident baboons. Visitors can also stay at one of the floating lodges.
Visit to a local school: The second we stepped off the bus, we were virtually mobbed by joyously happy schoolchildren who were enormously over-excited at the prospect of visitors. The school buildings at Wellingara Lower Basic School in Kombo are incredibly basic by English standards, the classroom walls need a lick of paint and have wire mesh where the windows should be. This was one of the most rewarding parts of my trip and it was a privilege to watch a lesson and see how keen the children were to learn.
Visit to a market and Ida's cooking experience: The sights, sounds and smells of Tanji market need to be experienced first-hand to truly be believed. Boats only a short distance out to sea net the fish, which are then expertly gutted and de-scaled by the people on the crowded beach, before they are sold. We visited with Ida Njie (pictured below) , who gave up a career in tourism to run a Gambian cooking experience at her home in Brufut.
We travelled with The Gambia Experience, the UK's only specialist and biggest tour operator to The Gambia. Prices from £949 per person based on seven nights bed & breakfast in a junior suite and £1,289 per person for seven nights bed & breakfast in a beach club villa. Prices include return flights, in-flight meals, hotel transfers, Government tourist tax and airport taxes. Flights available from Birmingham, Manchester and Gatwick.
Reservations tel: 0845 330 2087. Visit www.gambia.co.uk for details.
