Sarah and Kathleen were brilliant to us throughout our visit, they greeted us with welcome hugs as we arrived in Freetown via a seven minute helicopter ride from Lungi Airport and spent all of Saturday with us showing us the sights of Freetown.
Predictably our first stop was at Aberdeen Beach on the Atlantic coast where we splashed about in the ocean before driving to Leicester Peak, giving stunning panorama views of the bay and the surrounding mountains. We also visited Fourah Bay College, the oldest university in West Africa, founded in 1827. We headed back into the city centre for a photo opportunity with a famous landmark in Freetown, the huge cotton tree, which is permanently adorned with hundreds of bats.
We visited the crowded street market and following a close call with would-be thieves we moved on to a craft market where wood carvings, fabrics, jewelry and ready made shirts were available. Outside we witnessed the apprehension of a thief who was caught stealing shoes from outside a mosque. I’m sure he was relieved to see the Police arrive as street justice was delivered on him.
We returned to Aberdeen Beach for the remainder of the day and watched local fisherman who were happy to chat with us whilst the net was untangled, prior to heading back out to sea.
For me the highlight of the trip was visiting Kathleen’s school, the Freetown Teachers' College Practicing School, where we spoke to each class briefly and joined them for their break. The year 1 class had 73 pupils, who were incredibly well behaved. The nursery class performed a song and dance, which we joined, in our own uncoordinated way.
Since the end of the Civil War in 2002, and the election of a new President in December 2007, Sierra Leone is still struggling with the basic need for electricity, with power cuts common throughout the day and night and the telephone services remain in disrepair. However, there were many signs of development, with the skeleton of several hotels in Aberdeen, which will give stunning views of the beach and sunsets.
