Makeni to Musamilla - Day 222

Date: March 28th, 2010
Distance: 106km
Country: Sierra Leone
Song of the Day: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - U2

Woke up and tried getting out as fast as possible. Still, that wasn't too good. I did get on the road before 10:00 though. I knew I wasn't going to make Freetown in one day. So I figured as much as I could do, would mean less to do tomorrow.

The first 50 kilometers were amazingly flat. Yeah, a few hills here and there. Nothing bad though. I had left the forested hills and was now in a rolling grassland. It did remind me of the midwest back in the states. The only difference, no farms. I am not sure what the deal is with that. Maybe there is something I am missing, but it seems like a perfect area for agriculture. I don't know why it is going unused.

I was having a bit of an issue with the headwind. It wasn't that strong though, so I was still making good time. Later in the afternoon, by the time I turned off to head to Freetown, it had picked up significantly. That really put a crimp in my evening. I was hoping to make another 20km, but it didn't happen.

Instead I found the village of Musamilla. They had a pump well, so I could get water. It was locked up for the night, but they were kind enough to unlock it so I could get some water. I also asked if I could stay in the village. Fortuneteller the chief was there and said it was okay. It took a little while to explain that I had a tent, and didn't need a place inside to stay. (I would rather stay in my cool, bugless tent anyway.) At first he said that I could stay at the market. The ground there was hard packed and covered in trash though. They did have a soccer field right behind it though. So that is where I camped.

I was a big hit with the village. Really, people are bored here. So twenty or thirty people watched as I set up my tent and cooked my dinner. Excitement. I wasn't all that happy to be outside though. I was being eaten alive by mosquitoes. The last few days have been pretty light on them. I couldn't wait to zip into my tent. I had to chase the spectators off before I headed to bed, though.

Sadly once I got into be I found I had let a few mosquitoes in. So I spent a while killing them. It isn't a big tent, but someone I got the feeling I hadn't found them all. So I went to sleep feeling a bit uneasy.

-Dravis