Lungi

The Freetown airport at Lungi was a pleasant surprise. Chicken and chips at a lovely cafe just outside the terminal, and an air conditioned waiting lounge inside with BBC on the television. Nice bargains at the duty free.

The baggage handlers were annoying and somewhat aggressive, and a guard at the entry door politely requested a bribe, which I politely declined to pay. Other than that, all was more official and organized than on any previous trip.



I'd urge the casual tourist to be escorted, but the savvy traveler should have no trouble with the airport. Still not good enough to encourage tourism or investors, but better than it used to be.

East Defeats West In Hard-Fought Match

The press were on hand for a recent series of three friendlies on the pitch at Fourah Bay Road near downtown Freetown. The matches were organized in conjunction for a rally to promote peace during the upcoming municipal elections.



I stopped by to watch friend Bonor Kargbo compete in the third match for one-legged amputees. All the players have one leg, except for the goalies who have two legs but one arm.



Bonor's match was between the East Side (blue and white) and the West Side (yellow). Bonor is a West Sider, the one with the flag of Sierra Leone as a head scarf.



Bonor's team worked hard, but ultimately was no match for the more powerful East Side squad, who defeated them 2 nil.

Sleight of Hand

Teenagers and young boys are everywhere at the Lungi ferry, which connects Freetown to its international airport. Medium-sized boys offer to carry your bags for a small fee. Once aboard for the hour-and-a-half crossing, small boys sell candies and crackers.

And then there are the other boys, mostly just hanging around, watching, or pretending to do something when they're actually doing something else. It can be a bit like Oliver Twist. Watch your pockets.