WEEKEND WEEKEND10 WESTERN MORNING NEWS SATURDAY JANUARY 23 2010 WESTERN MORNING NEWS SATURDAY JANUARY 23 2010 11

MRS Ida Cham Njai strolled through themarket, head held high, gently weavingthrough the chattering crowds towards

the waterfront, her proud and striking red-cladfigure standing out against the mass of ramshacklewooden stalls and patchwork of huts to either sideof the dusty pathway.

I followed close behind, feeling self-conscious inmy borrowed lime green apparel, a traditionalGambian three-piece of floor-length wrap skirt,with matching overdress and a simple scarf, whichIda had conjured into an elaborate headdress torival her own. But in the morning heat, alreadynudging 30C, if not cool, I was far morecomfortable than my Western clothes would haveallowed.

Trotting down a gentle slope, suddenly the sceneopened out on to Tanji beach and the mostextraordinary assault to the senses I have everexperienced.

There was an overwhelming odour of fish,enough to catch in the throat at first; on thecrowded sands scores of women crouched overbuckets wielding big, sharp knives, deftly removingheads and guts from the day’s catch and throwingthe waste towards the water’s edge, where seagullsswooped for an easy breakfast.

A little way out at sea, teams of fishermen lolledlazily on a dozen or more long, open boats, theirwork done for the day; children no older than sevenor eight carried big round trays of fruit or bread ontheir heads, urging us to buy, while others hassledfor money or gifts; men old and young standaround smoking cigarettes.

At a cloth-spread table staffed by a row oflaughing, gossiping assistants, Ida poked andprodded some fierce-looking fishy specimens andprompted me to hand over a couple of crumpledDalasi banknotes. With some of our lunch in thebag, we moved back into the market throng toselect vegetables, rice and spices from assortedsellers. A woman with a plump sleeping babybound tightly to her back approached, pointing atme, smiling and saying something in her nativeMandinka. The two women laughed.

“What did she say?” I asked.“She says you look very beautiful and asked if you

were wife number two,” Ida replied, laughing,explaining that men in this chiefly Muslim countrywere allowed up to four spouses. The young motherwas making a gentle joke.

So, this was shopping, Gambian style – an honestslice of everyday life in this tiny West Africancountry. With no refrigerator in the average homemany housewives go through this ritual twice aday.

It made a striking, but welcome, contrast to theaddictive splendour of the Coco Ocean Resort andSpa a short drive away, where I could haveremained indefinitely cocooned in the most divinevacation luxury. I love all that five-star treatment, ofcourse, but I also get immense pleasure fromengaging with the real people of the places I visit. InThe Gambia this is not only possible, but it’s amajor part of their sustainable tourism strategy andit’s helping to keep threatened traditions andcustoms alive.

The Yabouy home cooking day run by Ida is anexcellent example. A regular excursion, run byWest African Tours and easily bookable as part of a

Gambia Experience holiday, it offers tourists achance to shop, cook and eat in traditional style.

The following day my party set off bright andearly, climbing up a ladder into the back a hugefour-wheel drive lorry. We trundled down the dustytracks that pass for roads in The Gambia – only thetwo major routes are Tarmac – to catch somesnapshots of town and country life in the companyof our most charming and chatty tour guide,football fanatic Mucki.

A former British colony where English is themain language alongside local dialects, TheGambia is not only small – half the size of Wales –but it’s incredibly flat. As we drove, people andbuildings emerged abruptly from either side and itwas impossible to anticipate what was coming upahead.

We negotiated the low-rise shanty metropolis ofSerrekunda, a sea of tatty shopfronts andsingle-room business premises, the noisy streetssimply swarming with people.

Nothing could have prepared us for theenthusiastic reception waiting at one of the localschools where tourists regularly call in to lookaround and give donations of greatly appreciatedpens, pencils and books.

Every child, immaculately turned out in greenuniforms, wanted to say hello and shake our hands,and in the sparsely furnished, electricity-freeclassroom they proudly demonstrated theirimmaculate English pronunciation as the teacher

led them through their “Jollyphonics” chantingroutines.

Back on the lorry and deeper into the unknown,lofty vegetation sweeping past our ears, Muckipointed out the plethora of colourful birds, namingeach one carefully and accurately, throwing in asmattering of football-themed humour.“Red-beaked hornbill: Gambia 2, England, nil.”

Eventually we emerged onto a deserted seafrontwhere a lone cafe overlooked an idyllic beach. Wequenched our thirst with fizzy pop and selected alight lunch from a laden hot and cold buffet beforehopping across the baking sand and plungingneck-deep into the balmy waves for a leisurely swim.I dried off dozing and swinging gently in a stringhammock. Total bliss.

We drove some of the way back along the smoothwet sand, calling in to check out some of thedifferent kinds of hotels The Gambia Experiencepackages offer, including the smart, high classWestern style Sheraton Gambia and the exclusiveand very private boutique chic of ocean-front Ngala

Above, the busy scene on the beach at Tanji fish market; below right, a shopperchooses vegetables from a table-top stall; below left, girls share a preciousworkbook in class at a Gambian school

JACKIE Butler travelled with The GambiaExperience, the UK’s only specialist touroperator to The Gambia and the only one tooffer flights from Bristol International Airport.The last Bristol departure for this winterseason is on February 19.

■ Jackie stayed at the Coco Ocean Resort andSpa. Prices are from £988 per person based onseven nights bed and breakfast in a junior suiteand £1,324 per person for seven nights bedand breakfast in a Beach Club villa. Pricesinclude return flights from Bristol, in-flightmeals, hotel transfers, Government tourist taxand airport taxes.The above prices apply todepartures up until the end of January 2010.

■ The following late offers are currentlyavailable departing from Bristol:

Two grade hotel allocated on arrival (AOA):seven nights – £249, departing January 29and £349, departing February 5.

Kairaba Beach Hotel (5 grade): seven nightsdeparting January 29 and February 5 –£829(deluxe room), representing a saving of up to£142 per person.

Sheraton Gambia (5 grade): seven nightsdeparting January 29 – £699, representing asaving of up to £204 per person.

The above prices are based on bed andbreakfast and include return Bristol to Banjulflight, in flight meals, airport taxes,government tourist tax and hotel transfers.

The company’s Gatwick flights operate yearround; Birmingham and Manchester flightsoperate until April.

● For all bookings and further information callreservations on 0845 330 2087 or visitwww.gambia.co.uk.

FACTFILE

Dress up to findthe real Gambia

In the lap of luxury atthe Coco OceanResort and Spa.Clockwise from topleft, a monkey enjoysthe shade on thegrand, steppedwalkway down to therestaurant and the sea;the huge terrace of myBeach Club villa, andthe spacious and stylishinterior. Below, a plateof fresh fruits from therestaurant includingpapaya and starfruitfrom the estate; theidyllic, deserted sandybeach outside thehotel (main picture)

THIS year’s Farmhouse Breakfast Weekfrom January 24-30 encourages people toactively pursue a healthier lifestyle withthe theme Breakfast Benefits, and it’shappening right on your doorstep.Cartwheel members offermouth-watering farmhouse breakfastsusing delicious local produce, stunninglocations to relax and recharge andquality accommodation.

Higher Bodley FarmhouseRELAXED, silver award winning, four-starfarmhouse B&B combining luxury withExmoor tradition, near the Devon coast atBarnstaple. Traditional English breakfastwith locally sourced ingredients, smokedsalmon and vegetarian option. Homemadebread, preserves and local honey. Packedlunches and flask top-ups for long walks.Dogs welcome. Prices from £32pppn.

Bre Pen FarmWARM Cornish welcome with temptingfarmhouse cooking awaits you at thisfour-star National Trust farm on the Cornishcoast at Mawgan Porth near Newquay.Hearty breakfast with vegetarian option.Farm shop and tea room on site – a showcasefor local produce and homemade food. Price£65pn for a double room.

Wood Advent B&BELEGANT four-star country house B&B,situated in beautiful Exmoor National Parknear Roadwater in West Somerset. Choice ofbreakfasts – hearty traditional with freshingredients and local sausages, plus extensivevegetarian option. Evening meals alsoavailable in the farmhouse. Price from£30pppn.

Rezare Farmhouse B&BBEAUTIFULLY furnished four-star B&B inpeaceful hamlet near Launceston inCornwall. Enjoy a tasty breakfast of freshbread, homemade preserves and locallyproduced smoked salmon or treat yourself toa full English. Cycle the Tamar Trail andunwind with a glass of local wine or cider.Well-behaved dogs welcome. B&B from £31pppn.

Burton FarmAWARD-WINNING 15th century four-starfarmhouse in area of outstanding naturalbeauty near Kingsbridge in Devon.Four-course farmhouse breakfasts includingporridge with homemade clotted cream.Explore sandy beaches and beautifulcountryside. Country restaurant on site.Water sports at nearby harbour townSalcombe. B&B from £35 pppn.

TredinneyDELICIOUS award-winning homemadefood on dairy and beef farm. Three-staraccommodation set in peaceful and unspoiltcountryside near St Buryan near Penzance,Cornwall. AGA-cooked breakfast using localand homemade produce. Special dietscatered for. Watch the early morning milkingand enjoy the milk at breakfast. B&B from£30 pppn.

● Visit www.cartwheelholidays.co.uk.

RURALGETAWAYS

Cooking benachinTHE fresh ingredients we purchased at Tanjiwere transformed into a delicious traditionallunch to eat beneath the shade of a big oldmango tree in Ida’s courtyard garden at BrufutVillage. A group of ten, we helped sort, peel,chop and pummel the vegetables, pick andwash the rice in her outdoor kitchen, while sheand her family members fried up the fish.

For authenticity, the benachin was served on acouple of large communal platters. We sat oncarpets on the ground and scooped the foodwith our right hands, learning how to squeezeand roll the rice into little balls. It was absolutelydelicious; most of the ingredients are readilyavailable in the UK – only the bitter tomatoesmay be tricky to get hold of, but it works equallywell without. Ida’s recipe below is a flexible one– she offers no set quantities; use your instinctand gauge according to how many are eating.

Ingredientsbig pieces of fish, gutted but with heads on if youlike, or you can use chicken pieces or beef chunksvegetables cut in big chunks: bitter tomatoes,pumpkin, sweet potatoes, potatoes, okra,aubergine (known as garden egg in TheGambia), cassava rootgarlic cloves, onion and fresh tomatoes, mashed ina pestle and mortartomato pastecarrots, diced very smallfresh sorrel leaves (like spinach)par-boiled white or brown ricefresh lime cut in wedgessoya bean oil

MethodHeat the oil in a large pan. Add the mashedgarlic, onions and tomatoes, with a healthydollop of tomato paste.

Cook on a slow heat for about an hour,adding a little water now and then. When themixture is very soft add more water and thevegetables along with the fish. This can be friedin advance or fried in the pot before adding theveg. If using chicken, you must fry it inadvance, but beef can be added now. Add seasalt to taste.

Steam the cleaned sorrel leaves, mash in apestle and mortar and set aside.

Let the stew simmer for at least 30 minutes.Remove all the ingredients, leaving the brothbehind, covering to retain the heat. Add the riceand carrots to the broth. When the rice iscooked, serve on a platter, laying the vegetablesand fish on top, with dollops of sorrel paste andlime wedges around the edges.

Lodge. Earlier in the week we’d enjoyed dinner atthe mid-range Kombo Beach Hotel in the Kotudistrict, where a more British ambience prevails.

That night, we dined at JoJo’s bistro and grill,known for its fish and steaks, in the busy andpopular Kololi resort, home of the Strip, wherethere are restaurants of all nationalities, exceptGambian, loads of bars and a couple of clubs.

But for me nothing could exceed the appeal ofthe top class Moroccan-style Coco Ocean and Spaat Bijilo, where I luxuriated in my spacious singlestorey studio-style Beach Club Villa, which boasteda furnished outdoor terrace as big as its bed-sittingroom and bathroom suite. Stroll along the quietbougainvillea dotted pathways, and there were

gorgeous pools, an oasis of calm in the spa wherethey offer soothing massages and treatments.Foodwise, breakfast was included in the package,and I enjoyed a fabulous a la carte dinner in theirclassy Safran restaurant. I guess I’m a five-star girldeep down, and I’d go back for more tomorrow.

If you’re looking for winter sun, sea and sand, butwith a slice of authentic local flavour, then TheGambia is an ideal choice for a variety of budgets;it’s only a six-hour flight from the UK and, being inthe same time zone, there’s no jet lag to worryabout. Over the winter – from November to April –long hours of dry sunny weather are guaranteed,with comfortable temperatures peaking at around32C. You are wise to have some precautionary jabs,

Jackie Butlerflies to TheGambia fromBristol forsome culturalenrichmentand winter sun

take malaria tablets (it’s in an active zone) andmake sure you spray yourself with insect repellentand slap on high factor sunscreen regularly.

● The Bradt Guide to The Gambia (£13.99) ispacked with excellent travel advice and offers acomprehensive guide to the whole of The Gambia.

■ Next week I’ll be writing about my visit toThe Gambia’s Makasutu Culture Forest andto schools in the Ballabu Conservation Projectarea, where they are working to preserve foodgrowing traditions with help from the EdenProject’s Gardens For Life educationalendeavour.

Ida with the finished dish and,below, buying spices in Tanji market

PICTURES: JACKIE BUTLER

DORSET MEDIA SERVICE