Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Australia 2000 trip
Soon I'll be filling you in about our trip to Australia in 2000
Amsterdam-Sydney 2 November 2000
We flew with Garuda as we have special memories to our first flight together in 1985.....
Then Garuda's flight went form Amsterdam to Sydney with 5 stops. As we liked that we tried to plan the same flight . Unfortunatly they did not have such a flight any more so we composed one of our own in four steps.
Amsterdam - Singapore- Jakarta-Den Pasar-Sydney.
But we had not counted on delays, so our flight took 38 hours.
When we arived in Sydney we were paged. Wondering what that could be we went to see the pager and he directed us to costems.
What happend is that our luggage was left behind in Bali! So we had to start without a fresh set of clothes.
Picking up our camper
We had arranged a camper in Holland and we could pick it up at a hotel near the airport.
We went there to find nobody of Batrak. It took them an hour to come to the hotel with the camper.
So after a flight with 4 hours delay, loss of luggage we had another hour of waiting in a hotel lobby.
When the lady finally arrived she acted as if nothing happened and she acted almost as if we were disturbing her.
We checked the camper and a noticed that the tiers had strange bumps. I was ensured that the tiers were in good condition and that we could have a save trip. We did not know then that Batrak was not the friendliest company to do business with.
Seeing old friends
After picking up our camper we went to North Sydney to see old friends. But I can assure you that it was not the most pleasant drive I ever made, as by now it was rush hour. Also it was my first time driving a camper with the wheel on the wrong side of the car! Also I had to get used to shifting gears with my left hand.
But we just did fine and found our way from the airport to Allambie Heights.
Amsterdam-Sydney 2 November 2000
We flew with Garuda as we have special memories to our first flight together in 1985.....
Then Garuda's flight went form Amsterdam to Sydney with 5 stops. As we liked that we tried to plan the same flight . Unfortunatly they did not have such a flight any more so we composed one of our own in four steps.
Amsterdam - Singapore- Jakarta-Den Pasar-Sydney.
But we had not counted on delays, so our flight took 38 hours.
When we arived in Sydney we were paged. Wondering what that could be we went to see the pager and he directed us to costems.
What happend is that our luggage was left behind in Bali! So we had to start without a fresh set of clothes.
Picking up our camper
We had arranged a camper in Holland and we could pick it up at a hotel near the airport.
We went there to find nobody of Batrak. It took them an hour to come to the hotel with the camper.
So after a flight with 4 hours delay, loss of luggage we had another hour of waiting in a hotel lobby.
When the lady finally arrived she acted as if nothing happened and she acted almost as if we were disturbing her.
We checked the camper and a noticed that the tiers had strange bumps. I was ensured that the tiers were in good condition and that we could have a save trip. We did not know then that Batrak was not the friendliest company to do business with.
Seeing old friends
After picking up our camper we went to North Sydney to see old friends. But I can assure you that it was not the most pleasant drive I ever made, as by now it was rush hour. Also it was my first time driving a camper with the wheel on the wrong side of the car! Also I had to get used to shifting gears with my left hand.
But we just did fine and found our way from the airport to Allambie Heights.
Saturday, July 26, 2003
The Gambia the smiling coast of West Africa
The Gambia is a small country on the west coast of Africa. The capital is Banjul, but the largest city is Serakunda. The shape of The Gambia is quite unusual and dates from the time it was a colony of England. It is as wide as the guns of a war vessel could reach and as deep in to the country as far as the war vessels could sail The River Gambia.
The population is a mixture of several tribes that live in harmony although each tribe speaks, besides English, its own language. Most spoken language after English is Wooloof.
We have visited The Gambia 7 times starting in October/November 1995.
The first time we stayed in the Palma Rima Hotel. We had a wonderful time an have visited many sites with a tour operator. But the best things we saw was with "our" local guide Malik and a young man form the hotel called Bibie.
Getting arond in The Gambia
Later on we found out it was best to get around the Gambia in a Bush taxi (as there is almost no public transport).
Outside most hotels there is a taxi stand, but they charge higher prices then the bush taxi, but they will bring you from door to door. Be sure to negotiate and fix a price before you get into the taxi and always be sure to have a lot of small change. If not you will find yourself at the end of a ride with a taxi driver having no change! Prices may vary and rise strong after 20.00 hours as the Bush taxis have stopt running. Be sure to get friendly with a cab driver if you don't want to take the bush taxis. Come to an agreement with him and he could be your cabby during your stay. Most are trustfull but some will try to take advantage of tourists. Use your intuition and common sense.
If you stay at Palma Rima Hotel and need a taxi all you have to do is leave the hotel and cross the street and wait on the corner for a bush taxi to pass by. Just raise your hand and the taxi will stop and you'll have to sqeeze in.
There always seems to be a spot for another person.....
If you stay at Bakotu Hotel , leaving the hotel you go to your left and 2-5 minutes walk you will see the starting point of the Bush Taxis. They both bring you to "Bamba" (almost the end of Sayerr Jobe av) at Serakunda.
Bush taxi prices vary for 2 dalisi for a short trip to 10 dalasi for a longer trip. You travel form one taxi stand to an other and then if you want to continue your ride change for a taxi that brings you to a next taxi exchange.
Places to eat.
Of course you can go to the tourists restaurants or eat at your hotel. Prices will vary. You will find good Italian Pizza's, a Surinam restaurant, more then one good European style (German, French, English, Dutch owned) restaurants. Best food however is to be found in the local restaurants. They cook on traditional wood fire and serve traditional African food.
Base mostly is rice or sweet patatoes with fish or chicken or beef. If you, like me are a vegatarian, you will find it hard to get a good meal, but if you become friendly with the owner of a local restaurant they wil perpare a loacal meal adapted to your wish, just by ordering it a day in advance. (as it is prepared in the same frying pans as the other meals, you might just find some bits of beaf or fish, but that can't be helped. Just move it aside and enjoy the rest of the meal and think about the mass of the locals that can't afford the meal you are eating).
We loved to go to a place run by a couple called Cathy and Moussa. The speak French. Kathy had a meal for me ready every day. Just in case I would drop by. And of course I always did.
Also we ate quite often at the Mango Tree. These two restaurants are to be fond in the back streets of Serakunda in the district near the Bamba taxi stand close to the big market.
If you eat in a local restaurant be sure to leave a good tip as the food is sold for local prices for local people. As you come from wealthy countries you can afford to pay the some extra money.
If you go around be sure to buy some big bottles of water in the local super market and always drink PLENTY of water. If you feel thirsty you already are starting to dehydrate. Drink at least 3 liters of water a day. Avoid to drink water from the tap.
Hotels
There are quite some nice hotels in The Gambia. Most of them are on the coast near Serekunda Bakoto.
Our favourite hotel was Bakoto Hotel.
It has nice rooms, but the most attractive part is its location. Just leave the hotel cross the street passing a small market and you find yourselves on a wonderful beach!
Not far form Bakoto (just across the raod) you will find Novotel Hotel and just bit further down the road Badala Beach Hotel
Bumpsters a local plague
All throughot The Gambia you will run into Bumsters. Be ware of them as they will try to conn you into anything from selling slippers 10 times the price on the local market to sex.
For sex it's not a good idea to go to Africa as the AIDS is killing more and more Africans each day.
Friendly locals are a blessing
Problem is there are nice guys on the beaches aswell trying to make a honist living selling souvenirs, silver, fruit juice, wooden handcraft or offering their service as a guide.
They will prove to be a belssing (but always be aware for the bimpsters). We were lucky to find Malik on our first trip, at that time he was a guard at Palma Rima Hotel. Some trips later, when we were stayng at Bakotu Hotel we met Auguste who also helped us getting around. Auguste was selling orange juice on the beach. They will bring you werever you want to go. Be sure to preset a price for their services. During your outing buy them a good meal and offer them drinks and treat them as you would treat a friend.
But our best souvenir of the Gambia is our friend Bibie. He was an entertainer at Palma Rima Hotel.
He became the manager for a shop in second hand car parts that I helped starting of for fiends of us. Bibie was a refugee form Sierra Leone .
He now lives in Canada and still is our friend.
News Flash 10 August 2003
If you are going to visit the Gambia you will not find the restaurant of Kathy. What happened is the following. There was a football (soccer) match between The Gambia and Senegal. The Gambian team lost the match and just out of spite the supporters ravaged homes and businesses of Senegalese people. Lots of the Senegalese have to fligh form the hooligans and take refuge at the Senegalese embassy. Kathy found their restaurant and house completely destroyed.
They have decided to go back to Senegal. Is this the beginning of the end of the quite and friendly society called The Gambia?
The population is a mixture of several tribes that live in harmony although each tribe speaks, besides English, its own language. Most spoken language after English is Wooloof.
We have visited The Gambia 7 times starting in October/November 1995.
The first time we stayed in the Palma Rima Hotel. We had a wonderful time an have visited many sites with a tour operator. But the best things we saw was with "our" local guide Malik and a young man form the hotel called Bibie.
Getting arond in The Gambia
Later on we found out it was best to get around the Gambia in a Bush taxi (as there is almost no public transport).
Outside most hotels there is a taxi stand, but they charge higher prices then the bush taxi, but they will bring you from door to door. Be sure to negotiate and fix a price before you get into the taxi and always be sure to have a lot of small change. If not you will find yourself at the end of a ride with a taxi driver having no change! Prices may vary and rise strong after 20.00 hours as the Bush taxis have stopt running. Be sure to get friendly with a cab driver if you don't want to take the bush taxis. Come to an agreement with him and he could be your cabby during your stay. Most are trustfull but some will try to take advantage of tourists. Use your intuition and common sense.
If you stay at Palma Rima Hotel and need a taxi all you have to do is leave the hotel and cross the street and wait on the corner for a bush taxi to pass by. Just raise your hand and the taxi will stop and you'll have to sqeeze in.
There always seems to be a spot for another person.....
If you stay at Bakotu Hotel , leaving the hotel you go to your left and 2-5 minutes walk you will see the starting point of the Bush Taxis. They both bring you to "Bamba" (almost the end of Sayerr Jobe av) at Serakunda.
Bush taxi prices vary for 2 dalisi for a short trip to 10 dalasi for a longer trip. You travel form one taxi stand to an other and then if you want to continue your ride change for a taxi that brings you to a next taxi exchange.
Places to eat.
Of course you can go to the tourists restaurants or eat at your hotel. Prices will vary. You will find good Italian Pizza's, a Surinam restaurant, more then one good European style (German, French, English, Dutch owned) restaurants. Best food however is to be found in the local restaurants. They cook on traditional wood fire and serve traditional African food.
Base mostly is rice or sweet patatoes with fish or chicken or beef. If you, like me are a vegatarian, you will find it hard to get a good meal, but if you become friendly with the owner of a local restaurant they wil perpare a loacal meal adapted to your wish, just by ordering it a day in advance. (as it is prepared in the same frying pans as the other meals, you might just find some bits of beaf or fish, but that can't be helped. Just move it aside and enjoy the rest of the meal and think about the mass of the locals that can't afford the meal you are eating).
We loved to go to a place run by a couple called Cathy and Moussa. The speak French. Kathy had a meal for me ready every day. Just in case I would drop by. And of course I always did.
Also we ate quite often at the Mango Tree. These two restaurants are to be fond in the back streets of Serakunda in the district near the Bamba taxi stand close to the big market.
If you eat in a local restaurant be sure to leave a good tip as the food is sold for local prices for local people. As you come from wealthy countries you can afford to pay the some extra money.
If you go around be sure to buy some big bottles of water in the local super market and always drink PLENTY of water. If you feel thirsty you already are starting to dehydrate. Drink at least 3 liters of water a day. Avoid to drink water from the tap.
Hotels
There are quite some nice hotels in The Gambia. Most of them are on the coast near Serekunda Bakoto.
Our favourite hotel was Bakoto Hotel.
It has nice rooms, but the most attractive part is its location. Just leave the hotel cross the street passing a small market and you find yourselves on a wonderful beach!
Not far form Bakoto (just across the raod) you will find Novotel Hotel and just bit further down the road Badala Beach Hotel
Bumpsters a local plague
All throughot The Gambia you will run into Bumsters. Be ware of them as they will try to conn you into anything from selling slippers 10 times the price on the local market to sex.
For sex it's not a good idea to go to Africa as the AIDS is killing more and more Africans each day.
Friendly locals are a blessing
Problem is there are nice guys on the beaches aswell trying to make a honist living selling souvenirs, silver, fruit juice, wooden handcraft or offering their service as a guide.
They will prove to be a belssing (but always be aware for the bimpsters). We were lucky to find Malik on our first trip, at that time he was a guard at Palma Rima Hotel. Some trips later, when we were stayng at Bakotu Hotel we met Auguste who also helped us getting around. Auguste was selling orange juice on the beach. They will bring you werever you want to go. Be sure to preset a price for their services. During your outing buy them a good meal and offer them drinks and treat them as you would treat a friend.
But our best souvenir of the Gambia is our friend Bibie. He was an entertainer at Palma Rima Hotel.
He became the manager for a shop in second hand car parts that I helped starting of for fiends of us. Bibie was a refugee form Sierra Leone .
He now lives in Canada and still is our friend.
News Flash 10 August 2003
If you are going to visit the Gambia you will not find the restaurant of Kathy. What happened is the following. There was a football (soccer) match between The Gambia and Senegal. The Gambian team lost the match and just out of spite the supporters ravaged homes and businesses of Senegalese people. Lots of the Senegalese have to fligh form the hooligans and take refuge at the Senegalese embassy. Kathy found their restaurant and house completely destroyed.
They have decided to go back to Senegal. Is this the beginning of the end of the quite and friendly society called The Gambia?
