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Heathrow airport is one of four airports that are almost dotted like the four points of the compass in and around London. There’s London Gatwick to the south of London, City Airport in the east of London and the Beetle’s most hated airport, Stansted, and home of the infamous Ryanair to the north of London. LHR or London Heathrow is some 24km or 15 miles to the west of London.

Before WW2, the airstrip at Heathrow was little more than a grass strip and a tent a little walk away. Back then, it was called The Great Western Aerodrome and was privately owned by the Fairey company and used largely for test flying. London’s commercial flights took off from nearby Heston and Hanworth Park airfields.

As was the case with many airports in large cities, WW2 changed the nature and importance of these otherwise small airstrips. The UK Air Ministry requisitioned the airstrip in 1944 with a view to it being developed as a major transport base for the Royal Air Force. The war ended before the work was completed but this new airstrip with its modern amenities lent itself to cater for the massive post war demand for civil aviation. One runway was ready for use and when the Ministry of Civil Aviation took it over in 1946 a tented terminal was quickly put in place. By 1947, three other runways had been completed and work on another three, subsequently abandoned as unnecessary, was going on. A new and permanent building arose in the central area at the start of the 1950s, replacing the army surplus tent.

In 1955, Terminal 2 was constructed to cope with the ever increasing demand for flight travel. Next came the new Oceanic terminal handling long-haul carriers, a function it still performs as Terminal 3, followed by the opening of Terminal 1 in 1968. Increased congestion in the central area led to the birth of Terminal 4 in 1986 on the south side of the airport, a 10 minute transfer away by tube.

Today, Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports and has 60,000 workers.

Terminal 1: is for all domestic flights, most UK airline departures to Europe plus EL AL and South African Airways flights.

Terminal 2: is for most non-UK carriers’ flights to Europe and some long haul destinations.

Terminal 3: is the long haul terminal for US, South American, Asian and Asia Pacific airlines plus most African carriers.

Terminal 4: is for British Airways long haul and Concorde flights and BA flights to Amsterdam, Athens, Paris, Moscow and Tel Aviv. KLM and Qantas also use T4.

Richard was a volunteer working in Mikindani, Tanzania for a UK based charity, Trade Aid.

It is with mixed feelings that I am about to leave Mikindani, although I would hasten to add that the vast majority of those feelings are positive. The one experience that will definitely stay with me will be home stay; it was an experience that was both extremely valuable and informative. It has certainly changed the way I think, especially about the lives we lead back in England (sorry the “UK” for all you Irish, Scots and Welsh)

There have been many other interesting, frustrating and somewhat bizarre experiences whilst I have been here. Perhaps the most interesting experience has been the teaching, (the little that I did due to all the predictable reasons, i.e. no teachers or pupils). This has certainly provided me with an insight into the village, the good chances it has for the future and also more realistically, many of the problems that need to be overcome. The will is there, it just needs to be taken advantage of and used. Trade Aid has done a lot towards that.

This interesting experience also ties in with one of the most frustrating experiences, there were many exhausting mornings spent cycling to various schools only to find that they were locked up and not a soul was to be seen, (the previous day was usually spent arranging a time to teach that day with the headmaster). A familiar experience I’m sure for many of the volunteers, patience and calm are certainly a virtue here. I do hope that none of the villagers witnessed my minor temper tantrums when this happened! However the best way to chill out after days like these was always the time honoured Trade Aid method of unwinding. Bingwa!

Work here has included continuing staff training; this was certainly an excellent way to get to know them, and yet again another good way to gain an insight into the village. The one thing that impressed me the most was the staffs enthusiasm to learn and their professionalism toward the guests. As patronising as this sounds it is something that has been mentioned by many of the guests at the Boma. I think that my time here in Mikindani has done many things for me, it has certainly opened my eyes to a very different corner of the world, and it has also made me far more aware of the problems facing the third world. However, it has also moved my views away from the slightly candied images and views we hear and see in the West. I do not mean this in a bad way, just that my views have become more realistic as opposed to simplistic. Africa has many problems, and what I have realised that it’s a two man job to help areas like Mikindani, help from the outside is fine, but the people on the receiving end need to be prepared to help themselves. Thankfully this is what’s happening in Mikindani.

The big question I find myself asking now is how will I feel when I get back to the UK. I have been told by some that it is odd getting used to all of the things that you do not find in Mikindani, and that you have adapted to, such as no Tanesco at inconvenient times, and no hot water. However I have no doubt that I will very easily get used to hot baths again and the sweet, sweet smell of bacon. So goodbye Mikindani I certainly shan’t forget you.

For more information about Trade Aid, volunteers and their work, please visit their website www.mikindani.com or e-mail Sherie on tradeaid@netcomuk.co.uk

Meeting news from our branches around the world.

A recent report by the UK newspaper, the Independent said that the Gambian Tourism Association is fed up with reports saying that 60% of visitors to the country would not return after they found themselves the target of harassment by bumsters (beach boys). Some tourists, who were quoted as saying that The Gambia offers a wonderful and ideal holiday experience, said the bumster menace presents a frightening blot. The Gambia Tourism Authority (GTA) has announced that they are adopting tougher measures against the presence of beach boys (bumsters), through the temporary use of the National Guard.

Comments from tourists reported by the Independent include:

‘I found The Gambia excellent apart from the hassling, not only from the people outside, but also from the staff at the hotels, which should be stopped’, said a tourist who was ending his holiday.

”I found it difficult to cope with the harassment outside the hotel and the constant begging. There were times when I did not to go outside the hotel’ another complained to the Independent newspaper.

Other tourists were however more interested in the brighter side of the country, saying that in spite of harassment from bumsters they will return.

The bumsters said that the approach adopted by the GTA, having armed guards patrolling the beaches is a curb on their freedom. They noted that since the start of the tourist season soldiers are seen in every part of the industry armed with guns and arresting any individual or group of people on sight. However they said people arrested around hotels are taken to the Fajara military barracks, where they are subjected to hard labour and their heads completely shaved. According to them even girls found around the TDA are not spared. They are rounded up and forced to do laundry.

Despite the bumsters, the Beetle wondered what there was to do in The Gambia and has come up with the following suggestions.

When to Go:

The Gambia is a popular winter holiday destination. The best time to go is between November and March when it is dry and cooler than the searing hot summer months. The rainy season is June to October. Visitors no longer require a Yellow Fever certificate, (unless you are arriving from a country where Yellow Fever is endemic.) Most visitors from Europe do not require a visa for stays of up to 28 days. There should be no jet lag coming from the UK, as Gambian time is (theoretically!) the same as GMT. The Gambians have a reputation as being a very friendly people, but watch out for the beach boys, locally called “bumsters” – see above – who have a tendency to harangue, hassle and generally ask tourists for money.

Where to Go:

Most people come to the Gambia to stay for a week or two on one of the beaches on the Atlantic coast. It’s pretty easy to get to as the 10 km stretch of hotels is only about 15km from Banjul International airport. Popular resorts include Bakau, Fajara, Kotu and Kololi where you can find many good class hotels with all the usual tourist attractions including golf courses, water sports, cycle rental and good beaches for swimming and sunning. Incidentally, the further south you stay, the better the beach is likely to be for swimming. Banjul is served by a number of charter and scheduled flights from Europe and other African countries.

Banjul, the Capital:

You might be tempted to step outside your hotel compound as there are some interesting sites around The Gambia. Banjul, the capital city is on an island at the mouth of the River Gambia, separated from the mainland by a narrow creek. Because of its location, it has never really grown into a large city and it is worth maybe half a day to wander around. Take a look at Albert Market, a great example of an African market, with its fruit and veg stands, shoes and clothes and household goods. Close to the market on MacCarthy Square there is a War Memorial and Fountain, erected to commemorate the coronation of Britain’s King George VI in 1937. The Gambia National Museum is a bit decrepit but has displays of photos, maps and text about archaeology, African people and the colonial period. Close by is The Gambia’s tallest building, the 35m (115ft) Arch 22 which was built to celebrate the military coup of 22 July 1994 (led by Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh, who is still The Gambia’s president). You can go up the arch – take a camera as it has great views over the city and the coast.

Roots:

If you enjoyed reading the book Roots or seeing the film or TV series, you could take a tour to explore Jufureh, a small village on the northern bank of the River Gambia about 25km (15miles) upstream from Banjul. In Roots, Jufureh is the place where Kunta Kinte, Alex Haley’s ancestor, was captured here and taken as a slave to America some 200 years ago. Today, Jufureh is very much on the tourist trail as it’s easily reached from Banjul although there’s actually not a huge amount to see there, but the locals put in an appearance, there’s an artisan’s market and again, according to the Lonely Planet, an old lady called Binde Kinte, (a descendant of Haley’s), makes a guest appearance at her compound. Photos are produced of Haley and Binde Kinte and of the griot (storyteller) who first told Haley the tale of his family. The tours you can take usually include the village of Albreda. Here you can see the ruined ‘factory’, a fortified slave house originally built by the French in the late 17th century, and there’s a museum that tells you about the history of slavery on the River Gambia.

Well, that’s Banjul visited! If you are a twitcher, there’s good bird watching to be had around the mangrove swamps of Banjul Island; there are plenty of tours. The Gambia’s largest town and de facto capital is Serekunda. This is the transport hub and the economic centre of the country. There’s not a huge amount to see here for the tourist, but if you want to look around urban Africa, then this is it.

OK, so back to the Atlantic resorts: Bakau, the northernmost resort has botanical gardens, if that is your thing. They were established during colonial times and according to Lonely Planet it is looking “a little dilapidated now, but it’s still a peaceful, shady place that’s good for spotting birds”. Also at Bakau there is the Kachikaly Crocodile Pool, a sacred site for the local people, who come here to pray, as crocodiles among some tribes in The Gambia represent the power of fertility. At the southern end of the coastal strip at Kololi, there is a small wildlife reserve, Bijolo Forest Park, which has trails through dense, shady vegetation, where you can often see monkeys and birds.

Getting Around:

It is pretty easy to get around in The Gambia. Green (Tourist) Taxis are painted green with a diamond sign and a serial number on the side. They are licensed by the Gambia Tourism Authority and dedicated to serving tourists and other visitors. They are normally parked outside the hotels in the resort areas. Yellow and Green taxis are mainly 4 passenger saloon cars painted in these colours which run a shared taxi service between short distances or park by the roadside for individual hire. Collective (Bush) Taxi: The most common way of travelling in The Gambia is by Collective Taxis otherwise called ‘Bush’ Taxis. These are mainly 7 passenger saloon cars, vans and mini- buses and buses. They do not have a single colour and operate everywhere.

The Beetle would like to hear from you, if you have visited The Gambia – how did you find it?