Kamabai to Makeni - Day 221

Date: March 27th, 2010
Distance: 38km
Country: Sierra Leone

Woke up not feeling rested at all. It was way to hot in Lamin's place. I should have set up my tent outside. That would at least have cooled down at night. Plus I wouldn't have been molested by bugs all night. For once mosquitoes weren't a problem. It was ants. Tiny ones too. They were crawling all over me. I woke up every couple of minutes or so to brush them off my arms or legs. Not a great way to sleep. So I was glad to be up early and on the road.

I had a bit of breakfast, said goodbye to Lamin, and headed out. Fortuneteller it was only a short day. There were a few rolling hills along the way, but nothing major. I was into the city of Makeni before noon.

By that point it was hot, and I was out of energy. I stopped to eat one of my mangoes before going on. While I was waiting there I started talking with a guy who said he knew a place I could stay. It was just up the way, and he could show me. That meant a 20 minute walk pushing the bike uphill in the brutal heat. Finally I couldn't take it and said I could get there faster on the bike. When I did get to the place it turns out to be the most expensive hotel in the city. The prices weren't even in Leones, the local currency. They were in U.S. Dollars. Urgh.

So I headed back into the city. I didn't know where to go, but while I was riding I saw a lady selling a delicious looking hamburger. So I stopped to eat that. Turns out, it was nothing like what I expected. The burger consisted of a bun with spaghetti, potatoes, lettuce, cucumber, fried plantain, a hardboiled egg, a bit of tuna, and all topped with mayo and ketchup. It was amazing. I decided I should come back for dinner.

While I was there, I got directions from some of the guys hanging out for a place to stay. The Northern Motel as it turned out wasn't a bad place. Actually, it looked like a nice place at some point. The years haven't been good to it, or most of the city for that matter. Many of the pipes for water are still in place, but haven't worked in years. The fixtures, the sink for instance, appear to have been sold off along the way. The drooping city power lines still connect to the building. They just no longer have any electricity. That is provided by a generator for a few hours a night. Still, it was cheap, clean, and safe. No complaints from me.

I spent the afternoon doing some laundry. I know I am not very good at hand washing. I usually end up paying someone else to do it. Still I wanted something to do in the early afternoon. While I was washing a couple of girls came up to talk with me. One of them told me that her sister loved me. Which I think is quite a trick, since we had never spoken. (I guess that puts me firmly in the camp against love at first sight.) I know the (white) girls I have talked to here say they get marriage proposals all the time. I guess this is the other way around.

After the laundry was finished I took a walk around the town. It was much cooler in the afternoon, and a thick layer of clouds came over. So I took a stroll through the market. I wasn't sure that I really wanted anything. I just wanted to see the place. I do like the hustle and bustle of the commerce going on. While I was there I bought a few things to snack on. The had something akin to peanut-brittle.

For dinner I did go back to the lady selling hamburgers. She was out of those, but made a plate with basically the same stuff over a bed of "chuck". This is ground up kasava. It looks a lot like coos-coos. Still, very tasty. I also found a couple of kids down the street selling what they touted as "ice-cream". It tasted more like frozen peach yogurt. Not that I minded. It was good.

I got back to the hotel just before dark and took in the laundry. It wasn't really dry, but I thought I could take it into the room. I was hoping the evaporation could cool off the room a little. Boy am I glad I did. About 10 minutes later it just started pouring rain. I wasn't expecting that.

Once the power came on, I started a little sewing project. My cycling shorts keep slipping down while I ride. Let this be a lesson to you. Never buy clothes that fit when you are fat and lazy, then spend 7 months cycling around in them. Doesn't work well. So I took the shorts in about 2 inches on each side. That worked out really well when I tried them on. I can't wait to use them tomorrow.

I think I should also retract a statement I made in a previous blog post. I said that because I was traveling I couldn't set up where I was living the way I wanted. This isn't precisely true. I spent probably a third or more of most days on the bike. So I can make that the way I want it, like I did with the water bottle holder in Labe. Also my clothes. I can get them the way I want. So I do have some things I can fix up the way I like.

-Dravis