The TEFL Times

By Gordon S. Forrester

Its True! Bournemouth “Gaza Strip” DOES exist - at least thats what the locals in the suburb of Charminster call it …

Bournemouth - An Introduction

“Sunny Bournemouth” is just 100 miles away from London, on the south coast of England - it is nearly opposite the Isle of Wight, and famous for its music festival and many yacht regattas. The town is home to over 200,000 people, which swells by many thousands at weekends and during the Summer months - it is a well known resort with many hotels, restaurants, and leisure activities on-hand. The town also benefits by being a premier English language teaching centre, with many schools attracting students from all over the world to learn English.

Where to Go - What to Do

Bournemouth is in the county of Dorset and is an ideal tourist base. Tourists benefit from a nine mile Sandy Beach, and it is well-placed for visits to Salisbury, Stonehenge, Winchester, the New Forest and Dorchester (the famous market town residing in whats known as ” Hardy Country”). The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site is only 45 minutes away, with over 90 miles of stunning coastline containing fossils dating back 180 million years recording Earths history.Nearby is the Sandbanks Penisula, which has some of the most expensive homes in the world - the houses have beautiful views of the Purbeck Hills and across one of the worlds largest and most stunning natural harbours anywhere - it provides the perfect environment for sailing and watersports. The mudflats and salt marshes are an ecological paradise for roosting birds.Bournemouth is also one of the hottest spots in Europe for young people going clubbing. It is also a firm favourite for stag and hen parties.Bournemouth was recently voted the “Happiest Place to Live in the United Kingdom” - it received a vote of over 82% to take first place.

The ” Gaza Strip ”

Let me reveal all about the “Strip”. I have already mentioned the great influx of language students visiting our town - they used to come Spring to Autumn, but nowadays the schools are very busy all year round, such is the demand for English as a language worldwide. The consequence is that Bournemouth has become one of the most truly cosmopolitan towns in the United Kingdom. To answer the needs of these new temporary residents, the main street in Charminster has burgeoned with bars, restaurants, cafes and shops selling exotic ethnic foods. Most of the owners of these outlets tend to be from the Middle East, with Italians, Spanish, Portuguese and Turkish people supplementing their numbers. Korean,Japanese,Chinese and Asian foodshops are on the increase. It has made the main street a vibrant and colourful place to eat, drink and shop.The bars and restaurants tend to serve food and drink all day long - you wont go hungry on the Gaza Strip.

There has, I have noticed, been a change in the body language and traditional greetings of the English, due to the influence of the traders and the students - many more men kiss and hug each other in the street quite readily! I have also noticed more back-slapping and handshaking than would have been seen previously. All in all, the Gaza has benefitted the community as a whole. Also, due to the Smoking ban in shops and bars, there are more people lining the street - they have adopted an almost bazaar-type comradeship. If you take a ride along the Gaza, youll notice the number of people calling out to each other with jokes and comments across the street, previously unknown in conservative England. Depending which end of the strip you start from, the boundaries of the “Gaza” are as follows: starting from the north, you have Sinbads Restaurant at the traffic lights, commonly known as “Kebab Juction and the Corner of the Gaza” (this was a genuine instruction to a taxi driver by a passenger, and he was taken straight there), you reach the end of the strip in the south at Tesco Express. In-between these junctions, you can feast on just about any mouthwatering food you desire.

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Restaurants & Bars

Listed below are but a few of the venues on the “Strip”. I have also included the nationalities of the owners, who have spotted the opportunity to provide services to an extended community. They are to be congratulated for their foresight and capital investment in turning what was a mediocre suburban shopping street into a vibrant experience for all to enjoy.

In no particular order:

Sebis Brasserie (Iranian)

Serves mainly continental food and a varied selection of wines, open until late, very popular in the evenings, gets very busy, mainly due to the efforts of Miguel, Marco, Einstein ( Ali ) Guzel and Ishmael the Boss -all great lads who always have a smile and a welcome for you… not to mention their wicked cocktails.

The Nippon Inn (Japanese / English)

This little restaurant and bar is run by Steve and his Japanese wife; they are right next door to Sebis, and serve some amazing versions of Japanese food resembling Spanish Tapas… nice people.

Salsa (Syrian)

This small, friendly bar restaurant has a reputation for Italian / Spanish food with a fair smattering of Middle Eastern meals. It benefits from having a very sunny patio, where you can while away the time and enjoy eating garlic olives, a slice of pizza and a glass or two of wine whilst watching the antics of the people parading up and down the Gaza. Tariq is mine host and will always give you the time of day.

Peppinos (Iranian)

Serves mainly Italian food and wines together with that lovely Peroni beer, open until late, very popular in the evenings, gets very busy - they have great Jazz nights and always do their best to provide lively entertainment.

Sal e Pepe (Iranian)

A great Italian restaurant operated by the lovely Nikki and Nico the owners, upmarket food and drink for the discerning, just wish they opened at lunchtime again.

San Lorenzos (Italian)

Certainly the most famous Italian restaurant on the strip, very friendly, and ably run by Ann and Lorenzo for many years. This restaurant has a very long association with the soccer fraternity, having hosted many dinners for professional footballers when they have come to compete in the town. You also have the following to choose from: Havanas Night Club… The Vibe Nightclub… Bar Zuka… Retro… San Miguel… Baraca… Damascus… Bedouin… Pasa Mr Falafael…

STOP PRESS… Soon to be opened by an Englishman will be an “American Diner” - ah, but he is half Italian… God bless.

All of these venues, and this is by no means a complete list, are owned or operated by the following nationalities: Lebanese, Israeli, Turkish, Morroccan, Palestinian, French Algerian… these great people have made the “Gaza Strip” what it is today. Many Thanks, all. And if you are visiting Bournemouth with a group of people and need Hotel Accommodation why not use our Services….. be hotelsmart

Welcome to the ” Gaza Strip “… whenever.

About the Author

Gordon Forrester is the Managing Director of Hotelsmart a Conference & Hotel Accommodation booking service based in Bournemouth but operating Worldwide, The service is Free to Clients. They offer their services for group bookings primarily but also have an online booking service producing savings of upto 70% on hotel rates for the independent traveller Hotelsmart