A
flight to a new country, The Gambia and a week to experience a
different Africa to that visited before. Holidays in Tunisia and
Egypt in the past had shown me African Saharan desert life but this
was going to be . . . . not sure. What exactly would this tiny west
African nation which straddles a mighty river actually be like? To
be honest I hadn't thought much about it all, just allowing the
excitement of the new wash over me after our flight of six hours from
Gatwick.
The
flight, a east-facing window seat and three small sleep sessions
interspersed with my favourite activity when flying, sussing out
where we are at any given moment.
Three
hours sleep the previous night, picked up by two excited Birding
Clams, Jason and Tony, the short distance to Gatwick from my cousin's
house in Ash Vale was speedily done as conversation was brisk at the
early hour, yet it all came down to the same thought. What was it
going to be like in The Gambia?
Most
particularly, as we are all avid birders, what birds will we see. The
reputation for The Gambia is one of birding Paradise.
Gatwick
proved to be an easy airport to access. Car Park for Terminal 2
quickly found, car parking space luckily found easily too. Bus to
Terminal with four Muslim girls from Worcester and a couple on their
way to the Rugby, Scotland versus England with a small, smiling girl
of one year old. Mum was from Texas and on any sign of humour opened
her mouth endearingly to give a huge wide-mouthed laugh. Meeting
people and chatting, I love it and it whiles away the wait for the
bus.
Breakfast
for a Vegan; porridge with rice milk, maple syrup and banana and a
two hour wait for boarding.
Terrahawks
moment to get into the air and off and up and into the early morning
sunshine found over the top of the clouds. Terrahawks, well I would
love to hear that theme music as we take off, especially the theme
tune of this wonderful Gerry Anderson childrens' puppet programme
played by the London Symphony Orchestra.
Cloud
cover with a gap and hazy view down to Southampton, the New Forest
and the Isle of Wight. Flying over the wonderful Reynold's pair,
Kerry and Dominik, mother and son.
Next
view between the clouds was southern Brittany and I had had a short
sleep by now. Coastline marshes towards Vannes. Out over The Bay of
Biscay and another nap.
Jason,
sitting beside me, wakes me up. He has an inebriated man of my age
but of an uncertain national origin sitting to his right, who
insists on 'more red wine!'
The
Picos Mountains to the east with snow-capped peaks, large flooded
river valley lakes have golden sunrise reflections and the knowledge
that Montfrague is being passed as the plane skirts the
Spanish-Portuguese border.
Alongside
Morocco and a view of Agadir, the rest of the country is
cloud-covered across the desert until the Atlas Mountains show in the
distance, snow in Africa.
South
of Atlas Mountains and over Senegal, desert, immense sandy areas of
absolutely no habitation, no roads and no sign of life. Seemingly
endless, two hours of crossing the sands, features become their own
oases to draw one's eyes, lines drawn in the sand by geologic forces
and wind.
A
small river under the plane but there is a huge river near the
horizon, it must be Gambia!
The
huge river draws nearer as the noise from the engines are cut and the
descent begins.
