Today we made our first trip
out to the slums in Congo Town. It was an early start due to a very loud
preacher at 6am. We waved at the locals from the minibus window as we made our
way through the streets of Freetown. When we arrived we were warmly greeted by
the residents of Congo Town. Making our way down the street we waved and
introduced ourselves as they warmly responded with handshakes and smiles. Soon,
lots of local children gathered around us excited by the ukulele and guitar we
had brought with us.
We sang songs like walking on sunshine and I'm yours and
they all joined in when we sang if you're happy and you know it. After taking
lots of pictures and chatting with the locals it was time to leave. Some
children followed us down the street as we continued singing songs and dancing.
We all had sweets that we were keen to give out, so we gave them all to our
guide Lamin and he distributed them to all the people; it was incredible to see
how such a small act of kindness could make such a huge impact.
For lunch we went to Cafe
Retro, all very appreciative of a cool can of coke! The menu was varied with
pizzas and omelettes. Despite the bother of a few flies and the scorching heat
we had a delightful meal.
The humidity and the heat
meant everyone was ready for a cool dip in the pool. Piggy in the middle was a
popular game with Alice regularly in the middle! Some decided to lounge in the
sun but most of the team enjoyed the water. Only the dark and unacceptable
levels of prune hands forced us out of the pool. One more minibus journey awaited before we
returned to our accommodation for a well deserved rest.
Angharad
