Apr 18, 2013 - Freetown, Sierra Leone

As we were coming in to Freetown, we saw something on the shore and were trying to figure out what it was. As preposterous as I knew it would be in Sierra Leone, I said I thought it looked like a hovercraft. I was rather proud & surprised when we went by in our zodiacs & realized that’s exactly what it was. Based on the signs we saw they use it as a ferry from Freetown to some other place. The streets & marketplaces we passed were crazy beehives of activity. Sierra Leone has population of 6 million, & 3 million of those live in Freetown....

Apr 5, 2013 - Sierra Leone--Some reflections

I take so many things for granted... *Clean, drinkable water from the tap *Toilets that flush *Food that I don't have to worry about whether to eat it or not *Ice cream *Paved roads and traffic rules *Internet and TV when and where I want it *Electricity *Warm showers *Showers David, Andrew and I arrived back in London last night and are now at our Aunt Annette's in Suffolk, England. Before we left, David told me that his theme for this trip was "perspective." Mine has changed. My mind is full of the adventures, stories,...

Apr 4, 2013 - Freetown, Sierra Leone

Ok, so it's been a couple of weeks since I last updated, due in no small measure to the lack of any good internet connections. So my last update was from Ziguinchor in the Casamance region. The Casamance is a pretty volatile area , and trouble flares up periodically there although I found it a lovely peacefull area.From here it was off to Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, and it was a very straightforward border crossing with no hasssle at all, in fact, the border guards were very friendly. I arrived there after a few hours and decided...

Mar 31, 2013 - Sierra Leone Rain Forest

Electricity is sporadic and most often in the evening, if at all. The Internet is even less available. I have about 30 minutes right now. So, apologies for the messages I send with typos etc as there is hardly time to go back to check and getting the message in is a little difficult. I will do more from England but for now a couple of tidbits. We left Freetown last Thursday for Bo, then Tiwai Island to the South of Freetown. This part of Sierra Leone is even more beautiful, if possible. It is much more rural with villages of adobe huts...

Mar 27, 2013 - Back in Freetown

Sierra Leone suffered from a horrendous and cruel civil war from 1991-2002. Consequences of that war can be seen everywhere--destroyed buildings and infrastructure, amputee camps and drug abuse. Yet, there is an unvanquished spirit that is clearly evident. People smile and say "Welcome." There are markets and beautiful textiles, baskets and produce for sale. There are new buildings and people interested in investment. This afternoon, we visited a small museum about Sierra Leone with the story of Bunch Castle, a launching place for the...

Mar 25, 2013 - Images

I have 14 minutes to make entries at the Internet Cafe so I just want to share some initial images of Sierra Leone. We arrived yesterday morning about 5:30 and suddenly time stopped. We waited for the hovercraft to fetch us after negotiating our baggage delivery to the beach and the car to take us to the hovercraft. A couple of hours later the hovercraft came towards us, and as we watched flew up on the beach covering us in sand and stopping right next to us. We sat on fake zebra chairs on the boat and traveled to Freetown where Dena picked...

Mar 17, 2013 - Visit to Sierra Leone, Africa 2013

Vaccines Yellow Fever, Polio, Typhoid, Flu, Hepatitis A, Tetanus/Diptheria/Pertussis Started my malaria pills yesterday Sprayed all of my clothes with mosquito spray and packed them in plastic sacks. I'm ready. Almost packed. I leave Tuesday afternoon from Terminal 3 at McCarren Airport on Virgin Atlantic and will fly into London arriving on Wednesday. I will spend a couple of days with my cousin, Eve, and goddaughter, Kate, before meeting my brother, David, and nephew, Andrew for the flight to Freetown, Sierra Leone on Saturday. We will...

Nov 2, 2012 - Freetown the end of Overlanding

Tarmac all the way to the border of Guinea and Sierra Leone. Arrived late afternoon and while it wasn't a long border crossing both side were reasonably efficient by west African standards it was around 5 when we were finally finished. Too late to get anywhere with a safe camp ground d so got permission to 'camp in the customs compound. The locals were fascinated - we had a big audience as we erected our tents put up our kitchen and cooked our dinner. Yet more rain a bit of a theme for a few nights first the lightening then the thunder then...

Jun 1, 2005 - Freetown

I arrived in Freetown today. The aiport is probably the second worst I have ever seen since Monrovia. How ever things went smoothly, I only had 2 carry on bags. The aiport is on some kind of island, so you can either leave by helicopter or ferry. The fastest way being helicopter- which costs like $40 US! So you have to sit in this huge warehouse filled with old broken helicopters, and wait for enough people to fill the helicopter. We finally left, and flew over the open water at sunset heading for Freetown. It was so beautiful. Tomorrow,...