I’ve finally found five minutes to write my last holiday blog…it only happened a month ago! It’s a good thing I have a good memory. Well I spent May half term in Sierra Leone. Again it’s one of those unusual holiday destinations that have been on my list forever.
As I stepped off the plane it hit me right in the face, the smell of Africa with a little BO thrown in for good measure. I say a little but there was quite a lot of body odour actually. I took out my little bottle of perfume at the airport and sprayed myself and when no one was watching sprayed some people as well.
To get to my hotel in Freetown I had a long drive and then a ferry crossing which I didn’t expect. I didn’t expect to be crushed either while trying to get off which is what happened. The crossing was at night so I couldn’t really see the condition of the ferry but I could imagine it. Made out of rusty tin with holes everywhere. There were way too many people and cars boarding, I could feel the ferry sinking with the weight. The guide assured me that this was normal and everything was fine. He suggested we wait in the dining/bar area which was difficult to get to and was upstairs. The ferry was packed. I guess this must have been the only way to get to Freetown. When it was time to get off the guide and I made a move to get back to the car but at the same time so did the porters who were coming into the dining area to carry people’s bags. This was the point where I nearly got crushed along with a couple of hundred other passengers. It was quite scary especially trying to get down very steep stairs while being pushed in all directions. I really thought I was going to fall. Then a small scuffle broke out on the steps between the porters and the ferry guys, I just wanted to be anywhere but there. Eventually I made it to the jeep without any injuries, I lost the guide but he eventually joined us a few minutes later. I had a feeling he was in the scuffle. So that was my first couple of hours of landing in Sierra Leone.
I had a very inexperienced guide or should I say lazy…that’s it, lazy. My driver was ok but he kept trying to reassure me that I was safe at every opportunity, this made me nervous. The hotels were out of the town centre which made it difficult for me to do stuff on my own. The hotel guys always insisted I took a cab and wouldn’t let me walk anywhere…which I love to do. Remembering what the driver said to me about me being safe with my guide and driver I decided not to chance it. Besides it was so bloody hot, the air conditioned hotel was heaven. Unfortunately this did not happen in all the hotels…the odd power cut at the most stupid times.
I loved Freetown; it’s the liveliest cities I’ve been too. It’s so loud and so full of people in every corner, every street all selling something. As there are no jobs, the people turn to self employment and sell things. Everybody has something to sell and they are all in Freetown.
As we moved out of the city towards the south you get to see more villages...they’re not too big and have very basic huts normally corrugated iron sheets used as walls and roof. It’s almost like a shanty town but not so overpopulated, it’s more spaced out as they have more land. Also there was a lot more boobs being on show. The ladies covered themselves up in the city except for a few who just had their tops around their necks with bra on show as it’s too hot. It is predominantly a Muslim country but when you’re hot you don’t want to be covered from head to toe in a burkha. I’m starting to realise that wearing a burkha is nothing to do with religion but it’s more of a subservience thing. I’d like to see the Iranian Fashion Police enforce their Islamic dress codes here.
I think my favourite place in the trip is Banana Island. I had a hut right on the beach and I was the only tourist on the whole island so had the beach all to myself. The hut was adequate with ensuite facilities but solar power only so none of my gadgets worked after the batteries ran out. Also the bar/restaurant was kind of closed as it was out of season, hence me being the only tourist on the island. Banana Island is full of mango trees and hasn’t even got 1 banana tree growing on the island. So it’s a good thing I was there only 1 night. I was able to go wandering and pick mangoes for dinner. Luckily I had brought some snacks, in fact I brought lots of snacks but I love mangoes and had them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This was also the night of the Barcelona and Man Utd match and there was only 1 TV on the whole island. In my hut there are double doors, one is a screen to let the breeze in and the other is a proper door. As I was changing, out of habit I closed the proper door. As I got ready to leave to go watch the match I went to open the door and realised it was stuck. I tried pushing it, pulling it, shaking it and kicking it and it didn’t budge. I kept yelling for my guide or anyone else that might have been around but no one came. Worst still I knew they wouldn’t come as they were all watching the match and wouldn’t hear me. In the end I decided to climb out of the window…this was harder than it sounds. The window was almost shoulder height and not that wide. Eventually and in a very unlady like manner I managed to get through the window in one piece without breaking anything. I then made my way to where they were watching the match and sat there as if nothing had happened. I never shut that door all night even with the thunder storm…it was fantastic.
