April 12 - Sweet Salone

Arriving in Freetown we weren’t sure what to expect. According to what I found online, Sierra Leone is supposed to be one of the safest countries in West Africa but we were still a little nervous given the recent history of this country. Arriving at the airport (which is actually called Lungi International Airport) we were swarmed by the usual money changers, taxi drivers, people selling SIM cards, etc… It was 3:30am and we needed to take a small boat across the water to get into Freetown. When we arrived it was starting to get light and fishermen were throwing dynamite into the water to stun the fish.

Freetown is dirty, crowded, sticky and completely chaotic. There are maybe 3 million people packed into a city that was built for 500 thousand and the basic services that we take for granted are non-existent. Paved roads are rare, electricity seldom works and traveling 2-3 kilometers across the city can take up to 3 hours given the poor infrastructure and heavy traffic. The people here are some of the poorest in the country and most of them struggled to survive during the very bloody civil war which was started over control of the diamond mines. We met many people who were happy to share their stories like the army officer who told me that the rebels would ambush cars, rape the women inside, kill the men and sometimes even eat parts of their bodies because of a shortage of food. Sergeant Abdul spent 10 years fighting the rebels and killed “many, many people”. Another person we spoke to watched the rebels decapitate his father in front of his eyes when he was just a little boy.

Stories like these are common yet the people here are surprisingly happy, friendly and extremely positive about their future. They are currently celebrating their 50^th anniversary as an independent country and you can feel their optimism and hope in the air. The potential for this country is enormous and it is only a matter of time before it explodes into a flourishing tourist destination.

Out of all the places we’ve been so far, we have definitely felt the safest and most welcomed here. If anyone is looking for beautiful secluded beaches, great food and a bit more than just a regular vacation, I strongly recommend a trip to Sierra Leone.     

Lungi at Lungi

A gas station in Freetown