Fula people

The Smiling Coast of The Gambia 2016

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• published: 13 Feb 2016
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The camera I used picked up the slightest bit of wind. It was nowhere near as windy as it sounds in the video. Around 30 minutes into the video, things get more interesting, as I go away from the coast and visit a couple of compounds and see how urban Gambians live. I say some stupid things, but this is largely to put some people who are a little shy at ease and take the pressure off them, when they are on camera. I try and 'dig myself out of a hole' around 42 minutes into the video, I felt bad, and MarieAnne teasingly slapped me haha. Visit Tijan's Tours: http://tijanstoursofthegambia.com/ My Facebook Gambia group is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418750231657424/ The Gambia, also known as the Smiling Coast of West Africa, is my favourite holiday destination. As usual, and as predicted, I had a nice time, the weather was hot and between averaged between 35 and 38 degrees during the mid afternoon in the two weeks I spent there. The lowest temperature I recorded was 22.6 degrees at 5am, and the hottest was 41 degrees very briefly at 1.38pm. Humidity during the day is less than 20% so heat doesn't feel any worse than a hot UK summers day. I stayed between the 27th of January to the 10th of February. Two weeks should be a bare minimum, there's so much to see and experience, and you never get bored of all the activity going on. When you arrive back in the UK, everything seems so dull, grey and cold. I went with four other friends, two of which stayed in Lemon Creek Hotel, hence my few visits there in the video. I stayed at Palm Beach Hotel in Kotu, around £300 for two weeks through Booking.com. The Gambia is a former British Colony, and as a result, English is the official language, although locals may speak to eachother in local languages such as Wolof, Mandinka, Fula and Jola. The people of The Gambia are friendly and laid back, Muslims and Christians live in harmony, and violent crime is low. This may come as a surprise to many, as Africa has unfairly been stereotyped as a violent continent, but this isn't the case for the majority of it, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, which The Gambia is part of. I feel safer walking around The Gambia day and night than I do in the UK. The biggest hazards are Malaria and road traffic accidents. As you will see in the video, driving in The Gambia is not the same as the UK. Sunscreen, insect repellent with DEET and antimalarials are important, especially if you went during the rainy season. The Gambia is a developing country, and more than 20% of it's economy is based on tourism. It's main export are peanuts. This season has massively recovered from last year, when the fear of Ebola put many off going, despite there not being a single case in the country. The beaches were busy, without being overcrowded like the ones in Spain etc. They also don't have huge Skyscraper hotels ruining the coast line like most European holiday destinations. Hotels in The Gambia can only be maximum of three stories high, and all the coast is palm tree lined, and the majority of the hotels are located there. The main tourist areas are Cape Point in Bakau, Fajara, Kotu, Kololi, Bijilo and Brufut. These areas come under the Tourism Development Area. In the tourist areas, you will see red and green monkeys, crocodiles, parrots, lizards, and further inland, Chimpanzees, Baboons, Hippos and the odd Hyena. There are many different restaurants and hotels that can cater for varying tastes. Upmarket restaurants like Calypso and Scala are popular, and the posh hotels like Ngala Lodge, Mandina lodges, Leo's Boutique and Coco Ocean are very swanky indeed. I prefer rough and ready so I stay at Palm Beach Hotel, which is only a 2 star hotel, but I don't care, as I have stayed in worse places in the UK. If you are thinking of visiting this colourful, friendly, English speaking country and need to ask some questions, just pop over to the Gambia Forum on Trip Advisor (Google it) and someone will be along to help. Many expats live in The Gambia and there are many people who return over and over again who can help you. Hope you enjoy the video. I've never been one for making videos, but I try my best when I am in Gambia, so people in the UK can see it and hopefully want to visit it, its so much more exciting and enjoyable than anywhere else people go in Europe.