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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Jan 21, 2009 07:00 PM Chimpanzees and the warm ocean
I stay in Aberdeen - Lumley Beach area with nice beaches... It is hard to find here cheap and safe accommodatiom - the last expensive solution if you want to be close to the beach is Sweet Mother's Motel where they charge 100 000 leones per room, where (sometimes) they have electric power and running water.
It cost 15 000 leones by taxi each way (like one hour drive) to get to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. They allow tourist to get in at the time of feeding - 10.30 am daily. You have to pay 30000 leones enfry fee and then the guide will take you for the tour.
Chimps - almost a 100 of them - have here wide enclosures and a lot of freedom, but the disadvantage for tourist is that they stay in a distance. I loved most the babies from the quarantine section - I have some good pictures of them. Couple of adult chimps were throwing rocks on the visitors - you should be careful...
I the afternoon I was swiming in the warm ocean. Sierra Leone has probalbly the nicest beaches of West Africa... They are almost empty. Tomorrow I'll fly out of the country - so it was the last chance to enjoy it...
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Jan 20, 2009 07:00 PM Freetown - the capital of Sierra Leone
Freetown is located on the hilly peninsula. In the past - in colonial times it was probably nice city. But now it is one-million people African city. Noisy, crowded and polluted. Withe permanent traffic jams, thousands of people on the roads and sidewalks. It is really hard to survive for the nature-loving traveller like me... But there are still some places to see. Number one is in my opinion old railway museum (they had two lines). Old locomotions and carriages stay in the big hangar and are worth a visit. Entry by donation...
Then there is huge cotton tree in the central part of the city with a court building and some high banks around. When I was taking a picture an agent accommpanied by a policeman stoped me and investigeted who am I and why I am taking the pictures. Finally they decided let me go but it was unpleasant event and it gives you an image how the things go here... National museum has just 2 rooms and charge 9000 leones per person and there is St John churs to visit nearby. I decided to escape from this poluted city to the other side of the peninsula where the beaches are...
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Jan 19, 2009 07:00 PM Poda-poda to the capital
There are two buses per day between two largest cities of Sierra Leone. They depart from Bo at midnight and 4 am.
I did not want to travel during the night - you miss the chance to enjoy the scenery, it is unsafe and tiring...
Thanks God there are also little, carampy and junk minibuses called poda-poda departing in the morning. What is the time of departure? It depends how fast they will fill-up. I was waiting only slightly more then an hour - and this was very good result - as they said. The fare is 20000 leone per passenger plus 2000 per backpack. First hour were driving on the paved road and I became very optimistic. But then asphalt dissapear - it was again well-known red, gravel road with clouds of dust. Palms along the road are red, so are the houses in the villages...
We reached Freetown at 3 pm. The capital has so much trafic congestions that poda-poda do not enter the centre. I was walking about an hour to get to the Place Guesthouse - sweaty way, but also a good exercise after hours spent in the crampy poda-poda!
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Jan 18, 2009 07:00 PM Bo - where the diamonds are...
Old, colonial Sir Milton Hotel in Bo (second large Sierra Leone's town) has water 24 hours per day and the electric power from 7 pm till 7 am! What a luxury! They charge 50000 leones per night including continental breakfast...
I had a chance recharge my batteries and to make a great laundry. And to have a little rest after hard adventures of the last days.
Bo is full of different Diamond Offices - places where middlemen buy raw diamonds mined by the local people in the countryside around. I hear here about Europeans coming here with a hope to find their Eldorado. But many of them loose...
People in Bo are nice and friendly. As you can see I found an internet cafe where they charge 8000 leone for an hour of the slow connection. There are mosques and poor churches, but I enjoyed most the colonial architecture of the commercial streets in the compact center of the town.
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Jan 17, 2009 07:00 PM Sierra Leone - African outback
Tiwai Island on Moa River. In the morning local ranger took two of us for the walk through the jungle. Tiwai Island is descripted to have high concentration of the primates. But do not think it is a ZOO and that chimp monkeys are coming to your hands... They live in their natural habitat. We saw them jumping like in the circus some 15 m above the ground at the top of the high trees. Rare red colobus and Diana monkeys... They eat fruits and fresh leaves... The rainforest was lush, hot and humid and the paths very tiny... We saw also a lot of flowers , butterfies and fruits.
It is advisable to make clear at arrival what you will pay for. Most of Tiwai visitors are diplomats and NGO workers from the capital. They do not take care about the pennies. So the locals try to milk them as much as possible. Make sure what will be on your bill - what your meals and guide will cost!.
In the afternoon we took aboat from the island to the village (it is included). But there were no single car in the village. They called for the motocycles from Potoru. So it was for me another day on the motobike on the red, dusty african roads. We changed the transport twice. In the evening we reached Bo.
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Jan 16, 2009 07:00 PM A night in the jungle...
Did you hear about Tiwai Island Wildlife Sancturary? I the remote part of Sierra Leone there is an island on the Moa River - it is 12 km long and 6 km wide. The local authorities establish there a sort of National Park.
From the little village of Potoru I was traveling again by motorbike - it is 10 miles on the narrow gravel road and the charge 15 000 leone for the ride. 1 USD is worth 3000 leone. Then from the little village on the bank of the river they will take you to the island. they have a camp there.
The entry to NP with accommodation in the tent costs 60000 leone per day. That's the place where I spent a night listening to the sounds of the jungle. There were two tourists only on the lush island!
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Jan 15, 2009 07:00 PM Bribes, bribes, bribes to the border...
In the morning I took a taxi (5USD) to the Duala Motor Park in Monrovia. There were crowds of people and vehicles waiting in the middle of the huge, dusty market. I found a shared taxi to the border - they charge 390 LRD per person and you are squized for 2,5 hours (6 pass in the little car) My backpack is large - they charged me 50 LRD extra. We started...
And then...
First checkpoint: police do not come to the car - they want you one by one in their hut. Passport and demand to pay. Not much... But there are MANY checkpoints till the border.
I was the only foreigner in the car. Do you know what I invented? I always started the disscusion informing them that I just visited a friend in the UN office in Monrovia and that I willl be back there in a few days. It works! Other passengers paid but I did not! Try this method too!
Same at the border... It was noon when I was walking through the border bridge. Welcome to Sierra Leone!
People are much nicer and helpful on this side... No transport... The only method was to rent a motorbike. Believe or not - we were driving 4,5 hours on the dusty, red and bumpy gravel road full of holes and water streems. O my poor backbone!
But this it true African adventure! And what you see around: beautiful mud-made village - like from the African fairy tales...
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Jan 14, 2009 07:00 PM From hot and humid Africa...
I have been to Monrovia museum. The museum is little and free (donations requested). Reading visitors book I recognized that I was the first visitor since 3 days... But the museum is worth to see: there are interesting masks, woodcarvings, old photos and documents and the throne from the Masonic Temple. The temple once was a main landmark of Monrovia, now - after the war it stays empty on the hill. I have been to the Providence Island on the river where first settlers from USA landed years ago... The island is tiny and stays closed to the public. No monuments...
After 3 hours walking around the city my shirt is usually wet. It is so hot and humid! The nicest buildings of Monrovia are on the Capitol Hill - new Government and Presidential Palaces (they have lady-president!) but it is writem on the fence: Absolutely no photographs. So I did not take the risk.
UN has still strong presence. I met one of UN workers - But it seems that they know country only through the windows of their cars.
I kon that the minibuses to the Sierra Leone border goes from Douala Motor Park - tomorrow mornining I'll try mu luck and go to the frontier...
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Jan 13, 2009 07:00 PM The only tourist in Monrovia
From the airport taxi drivers wanted to charge 35 USD (no public transport), but I was bargaining down to 20. Taxis in the city are expensive - they charge 5 USD per ride (no meters) - you have to bargain. I prefere to walk around the city by foot, but in the African heat it is not so easy to walk the whole day. Sunset is the deadline: they announced that I should not leave the hotel after 6.30 pm - it is not safe...
Yesterday during the day I did not see any other white tourist on the streets of the capital. But the people so far are nice to me. They speak English, but very often their pronounciation is not clear... There is one little beach near Mamba Point but is empty... The Waterside Market is busy place (watch your pockets) but they sell there mostly second hands goods and the trash from the Far East...
You will see here many handicaped people - this is the effect of the war, they are begging. I plan to visit the museum today - we will see if they saved something throughthe war... I try to find out how to move to the border of Sierra Leone...
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Jan 12, 2009 07:00 PM How to survive Liberia...
Yes, I am already in Liberia and I found sloooow access to the internet. Liberia surprised me at the beginning: empty airport, smooth arrival procedures and then - 60 km of excellent road to the distant capital (built by Chineese).
But that's all. Monrovia still suffer from the years of civil war. No water in the tubes, electric power only few hours per day.
I went to the recommmended by friend former Florida Motel.
They changed the name again - now it is called Rose Jam Motel. Run down institution. I asked the charming and young black lady how much they charge for the dump room. The response was: Five dollars per hour including me...
Then I explained that I want to stay overnight and she said: 20 dollars US.
Update your info Kris: now here is no need to register at the police, to supply photos and to pay extra 25 USD fee - sounds better!
They have local currency: Liberian dollar. On the streets there are plenty of money changers on the holed streets and they give 63 Liberian for 1 USD. But in fact USD are loved and accepted by everyone. Banana cost 5 LRD, big orange 10 LRD. Expensive! It is the capital city - the province is probably cheaper. I'll try to survive...
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