10 hours in the big freezy.
July 29, 2010
Adam Linnard
 
The most interesting events of my trip to Freetown happened shortly after I wrote my last blog. The bus between Kabala and Freetown leaves every day, from either end, at 6 in the morning, so I had to spend an extra night in The Big Freezy (I promise I've never called Freetown that before in my life).
 
At about 7:30 that evening, after a long hard rain, the sun getting close to gone, I was startled by a serene yellow light that filled my room and made my belly appear jaundiced. I looked outside and everything was in deep sepia tones and growing sharper. I got pretty confused and excited and ran back and forth between the window and the door like a hamster. Within 10 minutes it was gone and grey. What a fabulous mystery for an atmospheric scientist to easily explain away with light refraction and water molecules. Oh, science, you humourless totalitarian.
 
Because of the 6 am departure time, I hit the streets early the following morning in search of taxis, which I had been assured would be abundant. They were not. When I eventually caught one and asked, "Lumley?" the driver just kept moving and shouted, "Try the other side of the street!"
 
Eventually I got a poda-poda with an "apprentice" leaning out the side door yelling, "Lum Lum Lum Lum!" Some 20 minutes later we stopped and the apprentice shouted, "Lumley!" I got out and looked around. The bus station is definitely not in the middle of the Lumley roundabout. I don't know why I thought it was.
 
Several kindly assistances later I found myself heading back in the direction I'd just come from. On a motorbike taxi with a driver in a down jacket on the front. And my backpack on my back. And a high school teacher from Bo between the driver and me. And the teacher's bag held desperately in my right hand. And a 24" television set wrapped in plastic sheets on the driver's lap, clutched by the teacher's arms reaching around the driver’s kidneys. The driver could hardly move his arms, but made up for this immobility by driving at great speeds. Blind through the dark, vacant, potholed and speed-bumped streets of Freetown. Fear! Fun! Blog!
 
Can I say something that sounds magical? Early on Saturday morning we're going to climb the highest mountain in the land to buy sweet cow milk from the Fulas.
 
My next blog is going to be apologetic. So look forward to that!