The ship made it safely to Freetown on time Monday morning, June 14th, and we were greeted by local dancers and drummers on the quayside. After a lengthy two week stay on the ship with 400 people, most were eager to go onshore to explore the city and build friendships with locals. But as for me, I had to be back down in the engine room for a bit of work to finish up day. I didn't think my first day in Africa would involve leaving the ship...
Around 5:30pm, while laying down for a bit of rest before dinner, my cabin phone rang. Apparently, one of the ship's drivers went into town on a priority run for some much needed supplies when the van's engine decided African driving was not going to happen for too long. I was beckoned on an emergency run to go and fetch him and tow the van back via nylon rope. I had to leave immediately; the sun was falling quickly...Freetown is no place to be after dark. Why me? So they tossed me the keys (Logos Hope has 5 VW vans), a map, and one thing that actually saved my life: Mark, from Zimbabwe as passenger. With his African driving experience, we were sure to complete the endeavor. Driving from the ship's side to the port exit gate, I was still trying to figure out if people drive on the left or right here. After a long time of "convincing" the police we were from the ship (did I mention the vans are enveloped with "Logos Hope" decals?), the gate was victoriously opened for us to set out on an adventure I now refer to as: "Operation drive-to-survive". I'll spare you most of the details except for my personal favorites:
1. The roads were so narrow and covered with people, I was literally hitting them with the van continuously. The side view mirrors were eventually folded in by themselves after they "made friends" with countless backs of pedestrians.
2. People like to slam their fists on your vehicle as you drive past.
3. I'm still not sure which side of the road people are "supposed" to drive on in Sierra Leone.
4. A policeman stopped us, trying to open our locked doors vigorously, trying to come in the van while scolding us. He wanted to come inside and have us drive him to the station because we didn't have the correct plates. After he took my Arizona driving license and passport, Mark strategically called his bluff and won my documentation back...I guess the police just wanted a bribe. Good thing he was with me.
5. In two hours we made it about 4 KM.
6. Swerving to miss people is hard. Swerving to miss ladies with gigantic baskets on their heads full of fruit is very hard.
Right before I was about to have a nervous breakdown, we came to our logical decision of heading back to the ship and calling it quits. We phoned the other ship driver, telling him to get a taxi back and just leave the van there. So my first time on African soil wasn't the most pleasurable by any means, but I still want to remain positive nonetheless. Kingston, Jamaica was supposed to be a culture shock to me and perhaps it was slightly, but Freetown is different from Western culture in every empirical way possible...especially when walking through the immense market.
Enjoy the pictures I've attached of the arrival and please keep my safety and health in your prayers.
