Since it appears that I've made it back to base in one healthy piece, I'd say that the day was a great success. The scale of the river we passed during the day seemed to capture the size of our enjoyment.
Last night, we (Brad, Craig, Kelly, and I - with the consultation and approval of Dr. Bart and Abi) decided to spend our final full day in Sierra Leone decompressing at a (relatively) nearby beach. We were given a ride to Lunsar to meet with David, Kelly's guide, who would accompany us to Kent, a small village on the coast. We had anticipated (the rightly dreaded) public transportation, but David allowed us to borrow his family's old but nice Lexus, so long as we paid for gas - another excellent and unexpected development.
After passing a through several villages (including Waterloo, an an absolute madhouse with cars, pedestrians, and animals all vying for the narrow road), we arrived at the beach in about two hours.
The beach was absolutely gorgeous and completely deserted except for the few workers at the restaurant/house where we parked. At first, the workers would not leave us alone, and it was making me more and more frustrated as they seemed to be trying to take advantage of us. In any case, once they left, the day went awesomely. I even had time to do a bit of lifting.
We swam for a couple of hours, walked up and down the beach, played catch and baseball, and just relaxed.
At some point, we ate lunch at the resort, paying a lower cost than the initially inflated price thanks to the negotiation skills of Kelly.
Today was a great day to clear my mind. I am beginning to think more and more about what's ahead, but I look forward to also reflect on my experience here.
Tomorrow, we begin our journey back to the US. While I've enjoyed my time here, I am very much ready to go back. Now, my last shower and sleep in Sierra Leone. Will update in transit.
Last night, we (Brad, Craig, Kelly, and I - with the consultation and approval of Dr. Bart and Abi) decided to spend our final full day in Sierra Leone decompressing at a (relatively) nearby beach. We were given a ride to Lunsar to meet with David, Kelly's guide, who would accompany us to Kent, a small village on the coast. We had anticipated (the rightly dreaded) public transportation, but David allowed us to borrow his family's old but nice Lexus, so long as we paid for gas - another excellent and unexpected development.
After passing a through several villages (including Waterloo, an an absolute madhouse with cars, pedestrians, and animals all vying for the narrow road), we arrived at the beach in about two hours.
The beach was absolutely gorgeous and completely deserted except for the few workers at the restaurant/house where we parked. At first, the workers would not leave us alone, and it was making me more and more frustrated as they seemed to be trying to take advantage of us. In any case, once they left, the day went awesomely. I even had time to do a bit of lifting.
We swam for a couple of hours, walked up and down the beach, played catch and baseball, and just relaxed.
At some point, we ate lunch at the resort, paying a lower cost than the initially inflated price thanks to the negotiation skills of Kelly.
Today was a great day to clear my mind. I am beginning to think more and more about what's ahead, but I look forward to also reflect on my experience here.
Tomorrow, we begin our journey back to the US. While I've enjoyed my time here, I am very much ready to go back. Now, my last shower and sleep in Sierra Leone. Will update in transit.
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