Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Gambia's Magic Stone Circles


The Senegambian stone circles lie in Gambia north of Janjanbureh and in central Senegal. Coordinates: 13° 41 N - 15° 31 W. Approximate area: 15,000 square miles (39,000 km²). They are sometimes divided into the Wassu (Gambian) and Sine-Saloum (Senegalese) circles, but this is purely a national division.


The stones were erected around the eighth century on top of earlier graves. The ten to twenty-four stones in each circle vary in size up to ten-ton stones, from 1 to 2.5 metres high and are generally of laterite. The stones mark burials and were erected before the twelfth century. There are around 1,000 stone circles, the biggest concentration being more than 1,000 stones in fifty-two circles at Djalloumbéré and those around the village of Wassu, which has a museum devoted to them. One notable circle is actually a V formation.


Traditionally, for unknown reasons, people leave small rocks on the stones. The use to which the stones were put is not clear but recent excavation work (2006), reported by the National Geographic Society, suggests a funerary purpose given the large number of human remains found at the sites. Archaeologists at the site are pursuing the theory that different parts of a body were buried at different sites and at different times


Contact details and Reservations:

Luigis Complex for the best Gambian self-catering apartments, serviced flats, beachside accommodation, bed and breakfast, restaurant and eco-tourism excursions.


Relax and enjoy your Gambia Holidays with us!
info@luigiscomplex.com
www.luigis.gm/
Tel +220 4460280

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Gambian Ninki Nanka Expediition


A Ninki Nanka is a legendary creature based inWest African folklore.  According to tradition, the Ninki Nanka lives in the swamps of West Africa. The animal is said to be extremely large and very dangerous. It is said that when a child gets too confident and feels they can disobey their parents and go into the swamp they will be taken by the Ninki Nanka.


The "dragon" is rumoured to look rather like a game of zoological "consequences", possessing the body of a crocodile, the neck of a giraffe and the head of a horse with three horns. Less fantastically,Richard Freeman of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, suspects the ninki-nanka of being a species of colossal monitor lizard. "Whatever the truth," he says, "this is the first dedicated expedition to search for this animal."


More encouraging are the witnesses. A compelling chap called Papa Jinda had described a scene of devastation at a pumping station where, the blog gushes, "a ninki-nanka had destroyed several pipes". It continues: "The mention of a ninki-nanka had caused a panic among the workers, and they had asked for a mirror as it was thought that the only way to get rid of the animal was to show it its reflection.

Back in 1983, amateur naturalist Owen Burnham discovered the fresh carcass of a strange beast on a remote beach in the Gambia. It was around 15 feet long and looked like a cross between a crocodile and a dolphin. Realizing that it was something unknown to science, Owen, a missionary’s son, made detailed sketches of the creature. He and his family then buried it in the hot sand above the tide line, hoping that the dry sand would preserve the body. He also made a detailed map.


Makasutu a 500-hectare piece of bush in the Kombo central district of the republic of The Gambia is deemed by some to be a sprits home. They say he is there in the form of a ninkinanko or dragon, and protects the hidden crown and clothes of King Jatta from Busumbala who was killed 200 years ago by the Muslim king Kombo Silla on his way east to take over the country. Jatta's men took the crown and clothes and placed them for safekeeping in the area of Makasutu, now known as the Big Forest.


Contact details and Reservations:
Luigis Complex for the best Gambian self-catering apartments, serviced flats, beachside accommodation, bed and breakfast, restaurant and eco-tourism excursions.
Relax and enjoy your Gambia Holidays with us!

Tel +220 4460280

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Gambia To Host Africa’s World Tourism Congress


The Republic of Gambia will host the Africa Tourist Association’s (ATA) 35th Annual Congress in its capital city of Banjul in May 2010. “It is with great pride that we are once again partnering with ATA to invite the world to visit and explore The Gambia,” said Gambia’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, the Honorable Nancy Seedy Njie. “The Gambian government places great priority on tourism, which has contributed significantly to our country’s growth and stability. We hope that the ATA Congress will help us continue to promote our country in new marketplaces and attract new investment in the sector.”

The Gambia, known as the “Smiling Coast of Africa,” is situated on the West side of the continent. It is the smallest African country on the mainland, and shares borders with Senegal to the north, east, and south. Comparatively, the Gambia is slightly smaller than the island of Jamaica, and less than twice the size of Delaware. It is known for many luxurious beach resorts, quaint fishing villages and magnificent coastline. 

The nation bills itself as an “affordable and safe west African country, which includes peaceful and friendly people, eco-tourism, sports fishing, bird watching and safaris, music, dancing and traditional wrestling matches, and the opportunity to visit trans-Atlantic slave trade sites.” 


Statue of the Unknown Soldier
The ATA’s congress in Gambia will be attended by African tourism ministers and industry experts representing tourism boards, travel agencies, ground operator companies, airlines, and hotels, including participants from the travel trade media and the corporate, non profit, and academic sectors. 


The four-day event will focus on engaging delegates in discussions on a range of industry topics, such as “public-private sector partnership, marketing and promotion, tourism infrastructure development, industry trends, and social media.”


mong other events planned are a networking reception for young professionals in the tourism industry, and a marketplace for buyers and sellers specializing in Destination Africa to interact and do business. Delegates to the Congress are invited to explore Gambia prior or after the ATA event, all aimed at experiencing the opportunities that the country has to offer.


Approximately 120,000 charter tourists, mainly from Europe, arrive annually to the Gambia. Its tourism Ministry plans to attract 500,000 arrivals by 2012, by targeting the United States and the luxury tourism market, and by lengthening the tourist season to all-year round. Both the public and private sectors are working to increase its accommodation stock, and currently, a new conference center is being built.



The Gambia has a population of approximately 1,782,893 people. It has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of approximately $2.264 billion, of which the travel and tourism economy account for 16%. Its form of government is that of a Republic.

While Gambians are free to practice whatever religion they choose, most are Muslins (90%), Christians (8%), and others (2%). The official language of the country is English.


Contact details and Reservations: 
Luigis Complex for the best Gambian self-catering apartments, serviced flats, beachside accommodation, bed and breakfast, restaurant and eco-tourism excursions.
Relax and enjoy your Gambia Holidays with us!
info@luigiscomplex.com
www.luigis.gm/
Tel +220 4460280

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Gambia Tribal History

Ebrima Fode Kombo Silla
Manly Touray was King Silla's father Mbisin Njie, daughter of Burr Sine was his mother. Manly Touray, in the same way as his father, Amatora Touray, was a famous marabout. He traveled from Gunjur to other parts of the country and used to travel to Senegal too. One day during his visits to Senegal, he went to Sine and married the daughter of the king of Sine called Mbisin Njie. It happened that one Ebrima Sillah a famous marabout from Pakau Sillah   kunda was on visit in Gunjur when Fode was born. He asked Fode´s parents to name the baby after him and the parents agreed and named the baby Ebrima Sillah.

 

When Ebrima grew up to the age of learning the Koran, he was sent to Darsilami Sillah  kunda at Pakau in Cassamance to learn the Koran. He found many scholars and some of them were called Ebrima Sillah as well. To enable easy identification of those who had the name Ebrima, prefixes were added to their names.Ebrima learned the Koran quickly and within a short period, he made a fantastic progress in his lessons and had flying colours among his fellow scholars. In those days and even today, brilliant Koranic scholars who mastered the Koran well are given the title of "Fode".


 Enlightenment Under The Baobab 


After winning the title of "Fode" from DarsilamiSillah kunda, Ebrima Fode Kombo Sillah  returned to Gunjur and joined his family. He remained with his family for several years and left for the Island of Sangama to worship God. The Sangamar Island is in the Atlantic Ocean. Fode traveled to the Island through the help of the people of Nyombato.For sometime after crossing, Fode stayed and worshipped God in the Island, and one day, the people of Nyombato heard the beating of drums just in the same way as drums are beaten on Friday for prayers. It raised a lot of surprise among the inhabitants, as they have never heard the beating of drums from the Island. 

However, after sometime, the people who crossed Fode to the Island explained that a visiting marabout from Gunjur was there worshipping God. Few days later, Fode was seen sailing down to the shore from the Island on a praying skin. The following Friday morning, the people found him sitting down under a baobab tree. He prayed for them and they left. He remained under that baobab tree for a few days and left for Gunjur. 


Many ideas were associated to his trip to Sangamar Island but the most reasonable one was that he went to the Island of Sangamarand and while sat under the Baobab tree in meditation and pray  he was enlightened with the mission to take up the responsibility of ruling and spreading Islam in the Kombos.


Meeting At Gunjur
A delegation of Muslim elders was chosen to meet Fode to ask him to lead them in war against the Soninke villages in Brikama, Manduar, Kitte, Siffoe, Busumbala, Yundum, Lamin, Mandinaring, Latrikunda Mampatokoto, Talinding Kunjang, Serekunda, Bakau, Mandinaba, Tuba Kuta , Selety, Pirang, Farabanta, Farabasutu and Kafuta. He listened to them carefully and after they had finished, he replied that it was sad to hear of their troubles which took place in his absence, but at the same time, he was please to accept their offer to make him a leader.


In preparation for Jihad, Emir Fode made jujus monthly and put them into all Muslim village wells for the safety of the villagers against any possible disaster. One afternoon, while sitting down and discussing with the people, the Emir suddenly turned sad and the people asked him why he was so sad. He replied that nothing had happened to him. However after a little while, two horsemen arrived from Pirang and announced the murder of Arfang Tumani Jabang by the Soninke king.



Conquest of the Kombos
In further preparation for the inevitable Muslim and Soninke war, the Emir entered in a private praying period know as "Haluwa" and begged God to punish the Soninkes and make his people victorious in the war. He ordered the blacksmiths Amara Sulu Sawo of Gunjur, Saba Cham of Gunjur and Famara Keita of Tujereng to start making local guns and bullets in secret.When it was fairly dark enough, Fode made his soldiers to leave Sansanding to attack the principal Soninke villages of Brikama, Yundum and Busumbala. These three villages were not only known for their population but had also all the bravest Soninke warriors.

The company that attacked Brikama arrived at midnight, before the afternoon of the following day, the remaining soninkes either left Brikama or surrender to the Muslims. Having defeated Brikama, Fode`s troops advanced towards Yundum and Busumbala. They arrived at night and attacked Yundum at night. The battle here lasted more than a week because it was a very strong Soninke settlement full of brave warriors. According to some soldiers, the Soninkes of Yundum had opted to die rather to surrender to the Sillla's troops,


The Situation at Busumbala was the most critical one as compared to that of Yundum. Here, the battle took the longest time when compared to battles fought in any soninke village. Busumbala had more brave warriors than Yundum and the bees at Yarambamba forest created more problems for the Silla's soldiers. 


The bees were said to have been sent by the soninke idols and when they bit the Silla's men, they either died or were rendered completely useless and ineffective in the battle. In this way many warriors lost their lives in Busumbala and the whole army wereclose to defeat. As the situation turned more and more drastic on the side of the Muslims, the troop leaders sent for the Emir himself to come and see the situation himself.

On arrival, Fode was astonished and shed tears when he learned about the fall of his bravest soldiers. He immediately gave orders to withdraw the soldiers and report at Sansanding. He himself returned to Darsilami where he entered his hiding and begged God for the Jihad to end in favour of his troops.


Silla and the Ninki Nanka Dragon
His prayers were answered, and one morning when the Soninkes at Yundum and Busumbala got up from bed, they discovered that the whole villages of Yundum and Busumbala were ambushed by a mighty dragon. Nobody went in or out of the two villages for eight days, at the end of the eight day, the Soninke in both villagers sent word across to Emir Fode in Darsilami that they had surrendered and would become Muslims. The following night, the dragon disappeared. 


The victory for King Silla in Busumbala and Yundum which were the strongest Soninke settlements caused the rest of the Soninkes in Kombo to surrender to the Emir and joined his religion.


Contact details and Reservations: 
Luigis Complex for the best Gambian self-catering apartments, serviced flats, beachside accommodation, bed and breakfast, restaurant and eco-tourism excursions.
Relax and enjoy your Gambia Holidays with us!
info@luigiscomplex.com
www.luigis.gm/
Tel +220 4460280

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Luigis Reviews







1.  Luigis restaurant and hotel

Destination Expert for Gambia
Luigi's' is very nice. it is a restaurant with accommodation. Julie is the wife of Luigi and she is English and very nice indeed. I haven't been in the rooms but i hear it is a very good standard. it is a stones throw from the beach quite a safe area but she will get hassle as anyone would. From the airport about a 20 mins and D500 ride, make sure she agrees the fare first.
Tripadvisor

2.  Luigis restaurant and hotel

daisy7889 Luigi's is a lovely place to stay and have a pool,and 1 minute from the beach, they may be busy for xmas so book quickly 0220 4460280 Julie is luigi's wife she will be there if you need to book over the phone,have stayed there myself hope your daughter has a good time.
Tripadvisor


3. Luigi's: Pizza, pizza, wow !!!!!! PIZZA !!!

When you visit The Gambia and when you like pizza then you must absolutely go to 'Luigi's'. It's an Italian who has a very good restaurant. Specially his pizza are delightfulness. Go and taste'
Specially his pizza are delightfulness. Go and taste it ! Directions: In Serrekunda - Kololi - not far from the Palma Rima hotel. If you ask for Luigi's, everybody knows. Even the president of the Gambia knows it !!!
Virtual Tourist


4. Luigis offers exceptional value

Submitted By: P Mcdowell
Luigis offers exceptional value for money, is exceptionally clean, service is excellent and so is the food, this accommodation is just down the road from the palma rima and i would highly recommend it!!! if you want european standard accommodation.
Holiday Watchdog


5. Christmas at Luigis
Our friends stayed in the apartments at Luigi's restaurant. They were really impressed and have already booked their flights for Christmas/New Year this year. Holiday Truths
 

6. Loved Luigis Apartments

Luigi's Complex
Trip type: Family 2/2 found this review helpful
I highly recommend staying at Luigis Apartments. The accomodation was excellent and very clean, with fresh towels and bedding every day. All amenities are included e.g air conditioning, ceiling fan, safety deposit box, cable t.v and telephone. There are no hidden extras what so ever. We stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment which was of a very high standard and beats any accomodation in England. The staff are very friendly and go out of their way to make sure you enjoy your stay and Julie and Luigi the owners are more than happy to help you, nothing is a problem. The pool and jacuzzi are excellent and clean and the food is just amazing.


Having previously stayed at hotels in Gambia we would not stay any where else after staying at Luigis and would strongly advise that if you are travelling to The Gambia to stay at Luigis.


Liked — Everything, it was very clean and of a very high standard.
Disliked — Nothing.        
Trip Advisor



7. Luigi's Complex contributions kent, uk
Trip type: Family 2/2 found this review helpful


further to t/a comments it seemed we would have a good chance of eating decently. on the 4th day we went there and the reviews were underestimated. the ambience was amazing.they have built a magnificent luxury complex, offering fantastic foods, from a comprehansive menu .great steak,pasta and pizzas are just a few to mention. with fantastic ice cream desserts and milk shakes.a comprehensive range of wine and spirits are available. great friendly service in immaculate, spotlessly clean and spacious lower and upper seating.upstairs benefits a open air section with balcony and sea views.

there are w/cs on both levels and downstairs offer a great childs play area , making it even better for families without the worry of interupting other diners. the cost is equal to any other restaurant within the area, although the standards and servings are truely superior. amazing food.

APPARTMENTS to the rear of the restaurant are the luxurious appartments, set amongst secure gardens and laid to lawn with flowers,plants,and even fruit trees. the swimming pool and bar area is for guests enjoyment and towels are provided.beuety and massage service are avalable {at a small charge}and a laundry and tailoring service is also available.appartments are tailor made to your requirements. 1 or 2 bedrooms sleeping 1-6 persons.they have en-suite tiled bathrooms with power showers , w/c and wash basin [for those who appreciate this luxury as so many hotels bathrooms are appalling ] a relaxing lounge and open planned kitchen with comfort and efficiency carefully planned and executed .

air conditioning and safety deposit box are inclusive. daily maid service and change of towels. the beds and bedding are of extremely high standards and no neighbouring hotel or appartments can match the overall standards the proprietors have accomplished.breakfast is available as well as lunch and evening dinner at additional cost.


Liked — 10 star in comparison to others.modern clean and immaculate
Disliked — nothing at all and i am very fussy
Trip Advisor


8.Un Ambiente Familiare

Luigi's Complex
contribution rome

Trip type: Family
 Vado nella Gambia dal 2000, da Luigi's già nel 2007 avevo passato una settimana.



Quest'anno abbiamo deciso con un gruppo di amici di andare.nella Gambia per due settimane, anche perchè avevo deciso con la mia compagna di sposarci in Africa. E' andata tutto bene, il personale era gentile, gli appartamenti sempre in ordine, la cucina sempre pulita. i miei amici sono rimasti soddisfatti , ed inoltre dato che luigi e la moglie julie il 14 agosto partivano , abbiamo trovato la sorpresa di una torta preparata da julie per la nostra festa.


Liked — il clima amichevole dei proprietari
Disliked — non saprei
Trip Advisor



9. Luigis Complex
"People who know me well would assure you that I once had an ardent, almost psychotic, dislike of food which ended in "a" or "i".

I often remarked that any country whose culinary product relies on a surfeit of tomatoes and an overdose of garlic and oregano has to be suspect.


Now I am converted. So let me extol the virtues of Luigi's, at Kololi Beach, (pass Palma Rima Hotel, towards the beach).
This is a real FAMILY restaurant. I appreciate that kids of all ages, (like up to a hundred years old) know and enjoy risotto, spaghetti, tagliatelle, pizza and pasta etc, but I offer my impressions of this colourful and attractive menu for your consideration.


• Good Food
The Garlic Bread, with or without cheese, is crispy and not too overloaded with the pungent root. Luigi’s "Special" Pizza with spicy beef and prawns was a real delight. Luigi is rightly famous for his Pizzas, anybody in this country who knows about Pizza will tell you about Luigi’s Pizzas.


The Seafood and Mushroom baked in Cheese sauce is a smooth and interesting invention, vegetarians may like the Mozzarella Cheese fried in batter with Aubergines in a Neapolitan sauce.

• Style
From the pasta menu try Matrican, bacon and onion with a spicy sauce served with tagliatelle. Or try Risotto Pesce, rice and fish with tomato, simple, but effective.
The finest taste in Luigi’s, to my mind, is the "House Special", Chicken cooked in a spicy coating. Mindful of my waistline I often remove batter and breadcrumbs from such dishes. Joy of joys, the flavour was actually infused in to the flesh of the chicken. Col. Saunders can retire.

• Decor
The plain clean lines of classic Roman villa architecture resemble a movie set from "Ben Hur". Sensuous balustrades, bronzed caryatids, a Tuscan fountain, and marble tiles. Plenty of space and marble topped bistro tables which can be moved around to accommodate large parties. Or take the stairs to the roof top balcony with a sea view.
The waiters (obviously) are dressed in the red, white and green of the Italian flag. The wines are fine. The house red is a Merlot, well kept and well presented.

• Praise
At Luigi’s Italian food reaches a peak which many trattoria would break their hearts to achieve. So do get down this sepulchre of ambrosia and enjoy........or use the Take-Away service which includes all the Pizzas and most of the rest of the menu.
And do not forget the milk shakes (THESE ARE FOR ADULTS ONLY) and there are some glorious ice-creams."
Food writer: Harmattan

Contact details and Reservations: 

Luigis Complex for the best Gambian self-catering apartments, serviced flats, beachside accommodation, bed and breakfast, restaurant and eco-tourism excursions.
Relax and enjoy your Gambia Holidays with us!
info@luigiscomplex.com
www.luigis.gm/
Tel +220 4460280