5 Days to Côte d’Ivoire

It was such a bitter journey

I left London and arrived in Freetown on August 14, 2007. It was a cool and windy Tuesday night. The British airliner Astraeus Airlines, touched down at about 8pm at the Lungi International Airport. There was impenetrable darkness everywhere, covering the lights that lined the main entrance from the runway. It was obvious; the clouds were pregnant and soon began emptying their bellies.

Brother Momoh, a family friend, was on the standby to pick me up. After successfully concluding security formalities, we drove to the ferry station, waited there for roughly an hour before boarding to cross the Sierra Leone River separating the Airport and Freetown. Waiting that long for the return of a ferry was worth it because the ferries were the cheapest option – costing less than $2; unlike the $40 fare charged by the Sea Coach Express and Eco-Water taxi or the hovercraft which charged $50 for adults and $25 for kids.  Unfortunately, the ferries were certainly not the quickest option neither the most convenient.