Trip report: Sierra Leone

Visited in February 2019

---

Sierra Leone was the last country I visited on a short trip through West Africa. Originally, I should have spent three full days in this country, but due to a canceled flight, my stay in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital, eventually lasted only 1.5 days (or two days if you count from the moment I crossed the border).

At this point, once again a big thank you to Ethiopian Airlines. I recommend to read the story about the extremely exhausting journey from Guinea to Sierra Leone before this article. Some elements of this report build on this previous story.

Introducing my new buddy Cissé

The day before my arrival in Sierra Leone, I met a 25-year old student named Mohammed on my way to Freetown. He was a big help during this trip. For example, he prevented me from paying a bribe at the border between Guinea and Sierra Leone. He also accompanied me to my hotel in Freetown and saved me the search for taxis and tough negotiations with local taxi drivers.

Since we got along well on the journey, he told me he had nothing to do during the weekend and could show me around in his hometown. Mohammed is called Cissé by his friends, which is why I will call him that here as well.

Cissé is a lively and humorous fellow, very likeable and friendly. He came like me from Guinea, where he visited his father. His father separated from his mother when Cissé was little and left for his homeland Guinea. The father did not consider it necessary to take care of his children and lived his life at home as it suited him.

Cissé is studying political science and his father assured him that he would pay for the next semester, which was the reason for Cissé’s trip to Guinea. Unfortunately, the father did not keep his promise, as he suddenly couldn’t or didn’t want to pay anymore.

So, Cissé did twice the extremely unpleasant trip between Sierra Leone and Guinea for nothing. He came back empty-handed and the start of the new semester was in three days. For Cissé it was clear that he would not have 500 dollars until Monday to continue his studies.

The first afternoon in Freetown

I needed some cash myself. I idiot didn’t feel it necessary to take a few hundred euros or dollars to Africa. Although I thought about it, I decided against it in the end for inexplicable reasons. That was simply stupid and a rookie mistake, because most banks did not accept my card. So our program for the next two hours was to go from one ATM to another until I finally received some money.

However, the search for an ATM gave me the opportunity to get a first impression of Freetown. My impressions were quite positive, especially in comparison to the other cities I have seen before on this trip. Freetown’s city center seemed interchangeable with other African city centers, but what makes Freetown special are the beautiful green hills surrounding the city and the beautiful beaches. The city also had a cool vibe. People seem to be relaxed and in a good mood.

Cissé and I talked about all sorts of things while we were looking for an ATM. Since Cissé is studying political science, a little more sophisticated conversations about world affairs and politics in Sierra Leone were possible too.

I don’t want this to sound disrespectful, but it’s somehow logical that you will have more interesting conversations with a student than with a waiter or a fisherman. I am thinking of my tour guide in Guinea, a fisherman, who confronted me with all sorts of false facts about Conakry.

When I told Cissé that at least 90% of my friends and colleagues in Switzerland did not know whether Sierra Leone was in the north, east, south or west of Africa, he could barely believe it. It also baffled him when I told him that many of my friends think that Sierra Leone is a dangerous country. He was laughing out loud when I told him that.

However, I explained to him that many Europeans associate Sierra Leone with the film Blood Diamond with Leonardo di Caprio in the main role. This movie portraits the cruel civil war that raged in Sierra Leone some 15 years ago, but those days are long gone. Today, Sierra Leone is a peaceful country.

Since my time in Sierra Leone was scarce, I really wanted to see something of Freetown this afternoon. With Cissé I now had a private tour guide. This was very convenient for me because I asked several tour guides if they could send me a quote for tours through Sierra Leone. The prices I received were beyond good and evil. One provider suggested a three-day tour for 1,850 dollars. And with that tour we wouldn’t even have left Freetown.

After we finally found a bank that accepted my card, we drove to the most beautiful beach of the city. This beach is called River Number 2 and is about 20 minutes from Freetown’s city center. Sierra Leone has a taxi system that I have never seen before in the world. Although there are normal taxis, it is common to stop a passing car, tell the driver where you want to go, and then give him about 20-60 cents. In most cases there are other passengers sitting in the car or some getting in and out on the way. So it is not unusual for a car with four seats to have seven people sitting in it.

The ride to the River Number 2 beach was a little more expensive than the usual 20-60 cents and we paid 50,000 leone (yes, the currency in Sierra Leone is called leone), which is about 5 dollars. We didn’t drive in a car either, we drove in a tuk-tuk. The locals call it Kee Kee.

The grey sky unfortunately ruined the view on the beach a bit, but nevertheless the River No. 2 beach was stunning. Sierra Leone is lucky to have some sensational beaches. Unfortunately, this does not really have a positive effect on tourism. Most people probably don’t know anything about it or they have seen Blood Diamond…

Cissé and I stayed there for about an hour. I drank a Sierra Leonean beer that wasn’t too bad, while Cissé gave up drinking for religious reasons. Instead he ate something. I then took over the bill for everything. Additionally, we had to pay 50,000 leone for each chair we used on the beach, which is a impudence for a country like Sierra Leone.

In Sierra Leone, 5 dollars has at least the value that have 50 dollars in the western world. That means that only expats and the small upper-class of the country can afford to have a drink on this gorgeous beach, which is a shame.

Cissé and I went by boat from the beach to a small island that was about 100 meters away, where we walked around a bit. Afterwards we made our way back to Freetown. Not far away would have been Tokeh Beach, another dream beach in Sierra Leone. But there was no time for that, as the sun was setting slowly.

If I had to say spontaneously which name of a country was the most beautiful for me, it would be Sierra Leone. The name sounds incredibly pretty in my opinion. On the way back to Freetown, Cissé explained to me how Sierra Leone got its name. Sierra Leone developed from “Sierra Lyoa”, which means Mountain Lion, because the Portuguese colonialists apparently discovered lions in the mountains when they arrived here. Or at least they thought that they had seen lions.

Cissé wasn’t quite sure which version was true. Furthermore, my companion explained to me what the colors green, white and blue mean on the flag of the country: Green stands for the natural resources of Sierra Leone, white for justice and blue for the sea.

Freetown at night

I was glad Cissé was with me. Even finding an ATMs or negotiating a trip to River No. 2-beach would have been more difficult without him. Cissé said that we could go out together in the evening. That didn’t sound bad. But he wanted me to visit a student party first. When I said that I would rather take a quick shower in the hotel, he almost urged me to come to this student party. He really wanted to introduce me to his friends and I couldn’t deny him this wish.

We drove in a tuk tuk back to the city center and took two friends of Cissé with us. After about half an hour we arrived at the student party. The party took place in an empty house, about 30-40 people were present, all danced and drank fruit juices. Fruit juices? Sierra Leone is a Muslim country and although the country is secular and not particularly conservative, many seem to refrain from consuming alcohol.

The party was pretty busy and also this experience would not have been possible without Cissé. How many travelers can say that they once took part in a party among students? Not many presumably. “If you want any woman, tell me. I know everyone here and can get you any one,” said Cissé. Funnily enough, many conversation during this West Africa trip sooner or later led to this topic. Whether I was talking to a waiter, a student, or some random man on the street, I was asked at some point if I needed a woman. I politely declined Cissé’s offer.

Cissé also introduced me to one of his best friends. He explained to me that in the previous semester he could only continue to study thanks to this friend. Last semester he had no money to continue his studies. He was in the same situation as now, and his friend took over the fees therefore. In return, Cissé helped him prepare for the exams. I wondered whether the friend he had just introduced me to would pay for the next semester as well.

We spent the rest of the evening in a bar at Lumley Beach. There was live music and even quality alcohol. I ordered a few long drinks while Cissé continued drinking his fruit juices and smoking shisha. A little later, two friends of Cissé joined. To be honest, I was happy that I didn’t have too much cash with me and left my bank card in the hotel, because for everyone it was a matter of course that I paid for everything. I didn’t mind paying for Cissé, but I didn’t want to finance his friends I barely knew.

Nevertheless, the evening was cool. According to Cissé, the live band was one of Sierra Leone’s most famous reggae musicians. But their performance was rather poor. But so we used the time to chat, drink and smoke shisha before I went back to my hotel at 3 o’clock in the morning.

African markets

Cissé absolutely wanted to take me to a graduation party at his university the next day, but after that evening I didn’t manage to be at the university at 10am. So we met again in the early afternoon at my hotel.

I asked my new buddy if he could show me the markets of Freetown. And the Cotton Tree, the landmark of the city. We were still discussing if we should go out to Tokeh Beach, but time was too short for that. I also left Sierra Leone that night and didn’t want to get on the plane with sandy clothes or feet.

I always find markets in foreign countries exciting. African markets in particular. Sub-Saharan African markets often have a similar character. They are colorful, chaotic and offer a variety of products. However, the food on sale often looks a bit unappetizing. But it wasn’t that I wanted to buy anything. I just wanted to look at it.

The Freetown market offered the usual things you see at African markets: Fish, vegetables, fruit, spices, fabrics and much more. Interestingly, I saw almost only women at the market. I don’t know if it was coincidence or not.

Beside the many stalls, which were set up along the street, there was also a large market hall. We went in there to meet Cissé’s mother. She worked there and cut some African herb. I was happy that Cissé introduced me to his mother. And I somehow had the feeling that it was important for Cissé that he could introduce me to his mother.

“Do you know what the average salary is in Sierra Leone?” I asked Cissé. He said it was about a million leone, a little more than a hundred dollars. “But doctors earn 20 million leone,” said Cissé. He added that the family was particularly important in Sierra Leone. It is often the case that there is only one earner per family and he bears all the burden for the other family members. Depending on the size of the family, even a doctor is no longer rich if he has a big family and is the only one with an income.

In Sierra Leone, a family often invests all the money in the education of one family member. This family member then bears the responsibility for the whole family. Cissé explained to me that he was the one in his family who carried the burden. It was quite interesting to learn about these things, which I probably would not have if I was traveling alone.

We reached the main landmark of Free Town, the Cotton Tree, a little bit later. It is a gigantic, old tree in the middle of the city center. Actually, the tree is nothing special, although it looks impressive. However, it has a great historical importance, as the slaves used to gather there.

Unfortunately, we missed another sight, the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, as we did not have time for that anymore. However, you can find mixed opinions about it on TripAdvisor. Some are enthusiastic about this attraction, others call it a bad zoo where chimpanzees are crammed into tiny cages. So, perhaps it was a good thing that we did not visit it.

Instead, Cissé showed me the House of Parliament of Sierra Leone and the House of the Judiciary. He told me about Sierra Leone’s politics, about the parties and their characteristics. It was very practical to have such an educated person with me, who was sympathetic on the one hand and knew a lot about his home country on the other.

Shortly afterwards we went to a restaurant where Cissé ordered a typical African meal. He insisted that I tried it. To be honest, it was one of the less good African meals I had during this trip. But the ice cream afterwards was great. I also paid the whole bill here.

As I said before, in this case it was a matter of course for me to do it. Cissé made it possible for me to have a great stay in Sierra Leone and I could show my gratitude. After several Africans wanted to make friends with me in the last eight days, in order to ask me for money a little later, Cissé seemed to be an exception. He didn’t spend his time with me because he was hoping for something in return, but because he liked me.

The twist

“Can you pay the 500 dollars for my next semester?”

The question hit me like a fist in the stomach. Although I kept asking myself in between whether Cissé would still be addressing this issue, I always ruled it out 100%.

“I mean, we are friends now. And you could help me,” said Cissé. I hesitated first and then said that the bank account I used for this trip didn’t have $500 left (which was true, by the way). “You could at least pay me a part…?” said Cissé.

It worked like crazy in my head. Was that Cissé’s plan since he saw me at the Conakry bus station? I tried to count one and one together. He just came back from visiting his father. The father didn’t want to give him money, although he promised it and made Cissé travel from Sierra Leone to Guinea and back. Cissé then saw a white man on his way back and knew that this stranger would be the last chance to get the 500 dollars he urgently needed until Monday. All he had to do was make friends with the white man, spend two days with him in Freetown and then he’d have the money.

Maybe I’m doing Cissé wrong. I don’t know. But the more time passes, the more my suspicion that this question didn’t come spontaneously is confirmed. Instead, it must have matured during the journey from Conakry to Freetown. Why did Cissé want to show me his university? Why did he take me to a student party? And why did he introduce me to his mother? Or his friend, who took over the fees for the last semester? I suppose he wanted to show me what he was about to lose if he didn’t get the money.

In the next two hours I have questioned my no as an answer again and again. I wondered whether I should give him 100 or 200 dollars. It wouldn’t have been a great loss for me, but I just couldn’t get rid of the suspicion I described earlier. Anyway, his question ruined the mood of both of us. He asked it about three hours before we said goodbye to each other, but during those three hours it was more or less quiet as we hardly talked anymore.

Cissé was disappointed because his last hope for his studies had been dashed. I don’t blame Cissé here. In Sierra Leone, many people have to make sure they get food on the family table somehow. I probably would have acted like him. But you also have to see that this question came after I was asked non-stop for money in the last eight days by Senegalese, Gambians and Guineans.

I was disappointed because I thought that Cissé was one of the few exceptions who simply wanted to spend time with me without expecting anything in return.

Good bye Freetown

The mood was definitely gone and it was quiet. Lumley Beach was our last stop before I went back to my hotel and to the airport after.

We drank a cup of coffee in a newly opened restaurant directly at Lumley Beach. “What do you want to order?” asked the waitress after we sat down. “Can I see the menu?” I asked. “There’s no menu yet.” A restaurant that has just opened, but the menu doesn’t exist yet. T.i.A.

The bill cost 32,000 Leone and I only had 10,000 notes with me. But the restaurant didn’t have any change either. T.i.A. At least they were satisfied with 30,000 Leone. In Guinea there was simply no change back in the same situation.

Cissé and I separated afterwards. It was a strange farewell. I owe him two great days in Sierra Leone, but the end was shitty. I still wonder today whether it was the right decision not to give him any money. All this unfortunately leaves a bitter aftertaste at an otherwise really great time.

I went back to my hotel, picked up my luggage there and drove with a speedboat to the airport. We all wore life jackets, because every now and then such a speedboat sinks on this route. At least, this is what I read. My time in Sierra Leone and West Africa was over. It was an exciting and intensive trip, but also an extremely exhausting one. Four countries in eight days. Many new stories.

Is Sierra Leone worth the trip?

Although I had only two instead of three days in Sierra Leone, the country was my highlight on this West Africa trip. I certainly owe this to Cissé, because it was a big advantage to have a local with me in a country like Sierra Leone. However, in the end it is also disappointing that I couldn’t see everything I had in mind.

In return, I can say that I have experienced things in Sierra Leone that most travelers are unlikely to experience. I was able to attend a private student party. Or I never had to drive the official taxi, but always with some cars for a few cents. I also got a deeper insight into the everyday life of the people of Sierra Leone through the conversations with Cissé and his friends.

That was certainly an advantage of traveling alone. I think it is extremely unrealistic that I would have been hanging out with a local for so long if I had been traveling with a friend.

Sierra Leone offers more than just Freetown. The country has incredible landscapes, nice people, delicious food and exciting sights. All this makes Sierra Leone a highly underestimated tourist destination. But as long as most people in the first world believe that this country is dangerous, tourism will not play a big role here.

So, to the crucial question: is Sierra Leone a destination I would recommend? I would say yes. Sure, it’s definitely not a beginner’s country in Africa and it doesn’t have the infrastructure of, let’s say, Ethiopia. But for travelers who like to travel off the beaten track, it is an extremely interesting destination. For me Sierra Leone would be, next to Senegal, the first West African country to which I would travel a second time.

Epilogue

Only a few hours after I posted this article, I got a message from Cissé. He wrote that he is going to have exams in a few weeks if he can pay the fee of 3.5 million leone. He said he already paid 2 million leone, but 1.5 million (~$170) are still open.

I answered him that I will send him the money via Western Union. I see it as a kind of salary for him for being an outstanding tour guide during my stay.

---

Find the travel reports of the other countries I’ve visited here!