Warm Autumn Day & Red Dirt Roads

So while it is Autumn back home in Georgia, it is still hot weather here. So what should you do if you have a day off of work? Go to the beach of course! That's exactly what I did yesterday. Three friends and myself left the comfort of the ship and took the two hour journey to River Number 2. Okay, let me start from the beginning. After we walked down the gangway, which is always a feat (I really don't want to fall down the stairs). We walked through the gate that separates the shipyard from Freetown. The moment you step through this gate you are automatically on guard, you have to jump out of the way of zooming okadas (motorbikes) and make sure that you are not hit by a poda poda (taxi). Lucky for us there was a group of men outside the gate that was more than happy to help us to the beach. We jumped in the small SUV and off we went. Leaving Freetown is not easy task, there is so much traffic of not only cars, but also poda podas, okadas, wheelbarrows and not to mention the thousands of people on the street. After about an hour we made it out of the city and were on our way! We traveled down a very, very long red dirt road. The main income in this particular area is granite. After the granite is mined from the side of the mountains, it is manually hammered into smaller pieces. So all along the way I saw huge piles of granite with men, women and even children sitting atop them hammering away at their designated pieces. Every now and then we would drive past a child who just couldn't help it and would have to jump up to smile and wave. Even though it was a long journey, I absolutely loved it. Windows down, long stretches of dirt road, listening to whatever random rap or R&B the driver had. It was absolutely beautiful. Eventually we finally arrived at the beach. Rows of colorful fabric bags, dresses and wooden crafts welcomed us as we pulled in. Apparently this is one of the best places to buy souvenirs. It was an absolutely marvelous day, whether I lounged on a sandbar in the warm murky waters of the Atlantic Ocean or waded through the cool crystal clear waters of River Number 2.  After a short little Sierra Leone rainy season shower, we were off on another adventure back to the ship. What a wonderful day!