Message from Mr Travis from Gambia16th June 2011

Arrived in Banjul airport on Tuesday afternoon after a comfortable flight down from Gatwick. Good views of the southwest tip of Portugal as we left Europe, flew doen the Atlantic coast of Morrocco before crossing the dusty red of the Saraha and then dipping below the clouds to see the the wide mouth of the river Gambia. We were greeted at the airport by PIA team and loaded into minibuses for the short journey to the Rhun Palm Inn beside the Gambia naional stadium (in you want to see us on google earth). The journey from the airport tells you that this is a different continent and everyone was looking out at the hundreds of roadside shops/stalls, lots of adults and children and every sort of transport form deluxe cars to donkey carts with most folk on bush taxis/minibuses. The Rhun Plam is on Stadium Road and the PIA training centre and school are at the back

We all started working on Wednesday morning, bright and early before it got too hot. the Meldrum squad are refurbishing a classroom where the termites have got in and eaten all the desks. So is it everything out and to the tip down with the ceiling and up with the loose concrete floor, we hope that the computers that were packed into a container in Aberdeen will go in here but it needs to be sprayed, the floor made good and tiled and then a new ceiling in before desks, again from home, and IT goes in. We will use some of the money raised to but materials and pay for tradesmen to do the jobs that we and the school staff cannot do ourselves. But no job starts without buying the materials so we had to buy a lorry load of sand, next cement then wood then tiles so we will go off to see the folk and buy the goods.

It is not all work and we so in the afternoon we walked to the beach, across the fine sand into the warmest sea that you can imagine.

Today, Thursday, more termite damage this time in a container of 'stuff', again from Scotland. So everything emptied for a thorough sort out. Some too the tip, some to the workshops in the training centre. Off to see the Crocodile Pool in the afternoon and perhaps a dip in the sea.

Out on boat to JamesIsland and the 'Roots' museum on Friday. Inland to Kerewan by bus and ferry on Saturday for five days.