Last weekend was a ships holiday giving us a three day weekend. A group of us decided to be a little adventurous and travel up country. Here it is very easy to stay in the area around Freetown with the hills and beaches but the idea of coming to Sierra Leone and not experiencing other parts of the country was disappointing.
We decided to head to Kabala, a town at almost the furthest point away from the ship (in the north east corner of the country on the map).
View Larger Map
On Friday morning we set off early, full of anticipation for the weekend ahead (note the excited grins!)
The road to Makeni (in the centre of the country) was great - smooth with no potholes. We were about 3/4 of the way there when we heard a loud noise. Once we pulled over, we saw that the tread on one of the tyres had completely sheared off! No problem, we thought, we'll just put on the spare and be on our way. The jack and wrench were duly fetched from the car only to find that because the tyre had alloys, the wrench would not fit onto the nuts. So with 12 white people standing by the road, we flagged down several vehicles none of whom could help us. Eventually the decision was made to drive, very slowly, to the next place that we could get help.
We soon arrived in a small village by the road which had a mechanic shop (more like a palm hut). Of course in these situations as soon as white people appear out of a car a crowd gathers. Most things done here also involve the whole community which meant around 10 men gathered around the car with various sized wrenches. A lot of debate ensued but after a while the wheel was successfully removed and the spare tyre put on. In that time we had also collected most of the local children who were entertained by several of my friends!
The crowd of children (note another crowd also gathered on the other side of the road!)
Soon we were on our way and made it to Makeni. We were advised that the road to Kabala was not great so we should carry another spare tyre. This was duly purchased for Le120,000 (around £17.00!). The advice was not wrong, the road to Kabala was pretty bad however we made it in one piece arriving in the afternoon. Our guesthouse sat at the foot of the cliff/hill that dominates the skyline of Kabala.
In attempting to find somewhere to eat in the evening we suddenly realised just how spoilt we are in Freetown. Being used to some variety it was a bit of a shock to realise that yes, we are in one of the poorest countries in the world in the middle of nowhere. The only place to eat in town was ironically called 'Choices'. But it certainly didn't have any choices. You were given what they happened to have which that day was beans and rice and some chicken which looked like it had been cooked for a week. After debate, Jeff the adventurer of the group suggested that we should buy eggs and bread and a frying pan and cook a meal over a fire. He also just so happened to bring 40 hot dogs with him (don't ask). The eggs were purchased and Jeff decided to play the game with a kid where you throw an egg and try to catch it without it breaking. Each time you stand further apart until the egg breaks. This gathered quite a crowd and a lot of cheering until the kid dropped the egg. Much to our surprise (but not the locals) the egg did not splatter on the road but bounced. It was hard boiled. Thankfully these were swapped for new (non hard boiled) eggs. 12 white people buying goods and water did cause quite a stir in the (very small) market area.
Carrying water back, African style. Not as easy as it looks!
We dispatched 2 guys from the guesthouse to get coal, wood and a burner and in no time quite a feast was cooked up in the field next to the guesthouse. It was a beautiful evening as not only did we have an amazing electrical storm but I also saw my first firefly's twinkling in the grass around us.
The following day we set off to hike up the hill behind the guesthouse. It was a pretty steep vertical climb which required a lot of scrambling up a muddy, slippery path. We are informed that at New Year the locals have a party on top of the hill. This requires carrying a large sound system and generator up the hill, of course in African style, on the head! It was challenge enough with just a backpack.
Once we reached the top though there was a beautiful view over Kabala and the mountains in the distance.
On returning back from the hike, we decided to head back to Makeni for the second night. On arriving we went to check out a guesthouse. Our guesthouse in Kabala was cheap, but this took it to a whole new level! We left our stuff and headed out to the most expensive hotel in Makeni
My friend Miriam in our luxurious accommodation (the picture does not do the grottiness justice)
The following day after very little sleep and a lot of coffee, we headed about 30 miles north east of Makeni along a very potholed road to waterfalls at Bumbuna. As we arrived some friends (who had overlapped with us for most of the trip) were just finding out that their van had been broken into whilst at the waterfalls. Sadly they had several things stolen. This meant that after they left we decided to split and stay in a small group at the van whilst the others went to the waterfall and then we swapped. It would have been great to see it all together however the risk to our stuff was too great. There were several kids hanging around to see if we left the van so it was probably just as well we stayed! The waterfall was huge and so stunning. Certainly worth the 2 hour trip!
Van guarding
On the way back to Makeni the trip was much shorter. It was fascinating to drive past rural life, through villages with thatched huts and people living their lives. It makes me wonder how people in such rural areas survive. But somehow I think that their quality of life is better in these communities than squashed in Freetown with no job. There were also several near misses with the van and animals (goats, chickens and dogs mostly) and one duck fatality!
Here are some of the interesting sights along the way:
(This, believe it or not, is quite a common sight)
After filling up the tyres with air in Makeni (surprisingly the spare had a slow puncture!) we headed back to Freetown, arriving at the ship at 8pm. Exhausted and smelling pretty gross (from having cold bucket showers all weekend) but having had an amazing time. Most definitely an epic adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment