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faderabraham
203 Posts |
 Posted - 28 Sep 2008 : 11:03:53
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LAND AND CORRUPTION
i decided to leave that one alone and get on with other aspects of my memories .my late wife and i had a week round the hotel area with lamin but then he moved on to some other area we think he just disappeared but by that time we wasent short of guides as we had long conversations with the staff we did all the usual trips with the operators at top dollar prices.. so in our second week we used the friends in the hotel to go places my wife was in remission and walking well so no wheelchair.
one roomboy took us on a trip to see his family long way up country towards basse a small village traveling on bush taxi wow what an experience on the dust road mile after mile on the road of the the road red dust everywhere .
we was brave in those days we didnt have a clue where we was going i couldnt believe the little mud huts were peoples homes seen the tv but to see in real life and feel it smell it so different.
eventually after several hours and lots of red dust we got of the bush taxi in a small village very very hot in the midday sun
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Edited by - faderabraham on 28 Sep 2008 23:48:56 |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 28 Sep 2008 : 23:15:51
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There is significant difference between my being tourist, volunteer and somone actually living there. Further, if you have a family, i.e. half gambian child and live like gambians, have in-laws, the experiences are completely different.
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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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faderabraham
203 Posts |
Posted - 28 Sep 2008 : 23:57:39
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very good point , what you say is correct i think like lots of things in life its the individuals perceptions, i personally dont have a problem with interacial marriages.
in fact i nearly went down that road and i have friends of over 20 years ..gambian lady---english--man---3 kids they very happy living in the gambia .
possibly a thread on the subject
PS...i been to australia and love it i would have live there if i was younger many happy memories of oz
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Edited by - faderabraham on 29 Sep 2008 00:00:07 |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 29 Sep 2008 : 00:31:13
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ibrahim
Oz has nice landscape, climate. I am here on temp base due to work. I will eventually back to toronto, canada. Than, Bermuda triangle of Gambia, Turkey and Canada. :)
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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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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 29 Sep 2008 : 08:15:49
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Your triangle sounds a nice interesting life.
My straight line is leicester to Yorkshire and Yorkshire to leicester.  Not half as interesting! |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 29 Sep 2008 : 08:19:05
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| bev. than i suggest you get a half-gambian baby. your life suddenly changes. |
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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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 29 Sep 2008 : 08:38:03
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If I was 20 years younger maybe!
I have several 'adopted' children in Gambia that I do hope to keep going back to see. 
Perhaps my daughter will marry a Gambian and have a lovely half Gambian baby? |
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Hiz Princess
United Kingdom
464 Posts |
Posted - 29 Sep 2008 : 10:14:54
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This is a wonderful thread thank you Abraham for starting this.
I look forward to your next installment each one makes me smile.
Despite the postings of late I do hope that visitors to the Bantaba can now see the attraction that lures some of us back again and again. |
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Hiz Princess
United Kingdom
464 Posts |
Posted - 29 Sep 2008 : 11:42:17
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quote:
Originally posted by faderabraham
LAND AND CORRUPTION
i decided to leave that one alone and get on with other aspects of my memories .my late wife and i had a week round the hotel area with lamin but then he moved on to some other area we think he just disappeared but by that time we wasent short of guides as we had long conversations with the staff we did all the usual trips with the operators at top dollar prices.. so in our second week we used the friends in the hotel to go places my wife was in remission and walking well so no wheelchair.
one roomboy took us on a trip to see his family long way up country towards basse a small village traveling on bush taxi wow what an experience on the dust road mile after mile on the road of the the road red dust everywhere .
we was brave in those days we didnt have a clue where we was going i couldnt believe the little mud huts were peoples homes seen the tv but to see in real life and feel it smell it so different.
eventually after several hours and lots of red dust we got of the bush taxi in a small village very very hot in the midday sun
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I know Sibnor very well heres a few pictures to bring back some memories of that dusty highway, I hope.
http://africanphotos.gm/africa/gambia/sibanor/photos
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faderabraham
203 Posts |
Posted - 29 Sep 2008 : 12:28:25
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morning princess thankyou i see somone stole the tarmac...lol so peacefull round that area in the rice fields and the ladies growing vegetables i call that area MY PARADISE... we used to go there 2 times every year and walk near the mangro and watch and listen all we heard was pure nature birds wild pigs with a vulchure on its back i have that picture, and turmite hills as big as houses, at that time i wanted to stay there forever in the fields under the baobab tree just being silent and watching and listening to the wonderfull nature of AFRICA, we then went back to the village for a wonderfull african meal totally organic the taste of beef back then was wonderfull we manged to get back to the hotel eventually, bush taxi to brikama taxi to serrekunda to hotel.. late in evening .
we looke like martians red all over i went in the shower fully clothed THE BUSH TAXI THAT BROUGHT US DOWN TO BRIKAMA LITERALLY FELL TO THE FLOOR WHEN WE GOT OF ALL THE SUSPENSION SHATTERED..someone above was taking care of us that day |
Edited by - faderabraham on 29 Sep 2008 12:33:30 |
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njucks
Gambia
1131 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 12:41:59
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quote:
Originally posted by faderabraham
........... THE BUSH TAXI THAT BROUGHT US DOWN TO BRIKAMA LITERALLY FELL TO THE FLOOR WHEN WE GOT OF ALL THE SUSPENSION SHATTERED..someone above was taking care of us that day
your experiences are really interesting. i personally met a tourist who had first been to The Gambia as early as 1973 and he had some very interesing experiences. even crossing from Banjul to Barra in the 1970s was something.
after 40 years experience in tourism i think it would be a good idea if there was an exhibition to celebrate this with stories/photos from people like you. its a living history.
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serenata
Germany
1400 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 13:54:38
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Thank you all for sharing your experience. My first time in Gambia was only a few months after Jammeh's coup, and I came to meet my family-in-law. Today it seems to me that I got the last glimpse of the old Gambia - snug, amiable and a little bit sleepy. I liked it even before I sat a foot on it's ground; it looked so nice from the airplane, after the black, dry and harsh landscapes of Mauretania and Northern Senegal.
Maybe I am too much of a fashion addict, but what impressed me most on the way from the (old) airport to my brother-in-law's house in Dippa Kunda were the women's clothes. My husband laughed a lot and he still tells the story of me, grabbing his arm every ten seconds, crying: "Look at this lady! What a gorgeous dress! Did you see that! Wow!", and so on. I was so excited!  |
Edited by - serenata on 30 Sep 2008 13:56:45 |
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faderabraham
203 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 18:51:00
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yes i think it would be good becouse there has to be many more people out there with lots of pictures and stories of great interest,
ah the fashion clothes really nice especially these days in gambia more shops and good cloth am a fella but i like to see good quality clothes and nice fashions obviousley ON THE LADIES...but i wear my kafkans out there . when in rome .etc
am looking forward hearing some more memories from all of you out there. i got lots more to say yet, be nice to hear somone else ....
THE HUSTLE
we got very friendly with a security guard ex police from the 1981 coup...we spent many hours talking and on later visits supporting his family we decided to buy some land and build so of we went everyday looking at plots going to the physical planning in banjul visiting ministers even in the quadrangle we was offered an old abandoned tourist lodge near the border at kartoung we went out to look at it it was wonderfull we thought lots of potential,
so back to banjul physical planning this guy said he needed certain amount of money to start the procedure conveniently has we was going back home in 2 days time (WE WAS WET BEHIND THE EARS IN THOSE DAYS)
we gave him 10,000 dalasis . remember exchange at that time was 9 dalasis . and the full cost of all would be for planning land 25,000 bargain we thought. went into banjul changed some money in a dark corner with a money changer sorted we thought.
can you believe handing over that sort of noney from the back seat of a taxi in a street in banjul to the planning guy, CRAZY.
so of we went back home few pieces of paper with official looking stamps on them brought to us at the hotel by our taxi driver. oh we bought a motel lovely just sit on it for a while i was back at work doing double time planning the next visit to build...COS IT WAS SO CHEAP WASENT IT ?...
to be continued
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faderabraham
203 Posts |
Posted - 02 Oct 2008 : 10:40:05
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REALITY CHECK.
working back home and taking care of my wife and aged parents was taking a toll.
constant phone call to gambia very expensive, remember those days no texting or e-mails, time passed and we was prepairing to be back in gambia.
arrived back in the lovely sunshine and our so-called friend was there to meet us with our regulat taxi man off we went to the hotel chatting and excited about everything making plans of what to do at kartoung off we went to the quadrangle .....surprise they didnt know anything of this motel either the physicla planning too.
they said the name on the paper was an official who used to work there but he been gone a long time.
so big dissapointment and many lessons.. we quistioned our friend and the taxi friend they never short of convincing words but they never give in to anything os substance.
after much thought and talking to others THE WISE GARDENER COMES TO MIND.. we found him and talked in great detail of the experience he explained to us everything very truthfull .
they was all in it it together confusing us delaying us the so called friend SECURITY.. THE TAXI DRIVER. and all involved in our GOOSE CHASE. round the ministers of different depatment at the quadrangle.
SO...reality came to us but we still loved the gambia and was determined to figure it out needless to say we got rid of those people out of our life.
not an easy thing to do in gambia in those days or even in these days they have a MAGIC that captures you in your mind thats part of it i reckon we europeans dont understand and until we do reality will evade us.
remember this is just my own perceptions and true experiences not neccesarily how it is for everyone. we never ventured on anything else for many years we had been bitten too hard to forget BUT WE WAS WISER.
so it was sun sand and lovely holidays for somtime after that every year twice , my late wifes health permitting and my work and commitment back home.
THE GARDENER TOLD US ALL THIS IN THE BEGINNING WE SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO HIM...
next time modern time attempted kidnapping...robbery while we slept..and much more... |
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Hiz Princess
United Kingdom
464 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 10:26:19
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Sadly this is still going on  
On another forum someone had posted a warning, only the company in question is a UK based company that is now ripping people off.
Look forward to the next post Abraham |
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