Sierra Leone
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Travel Tips
If you are bringing US money, bring it only in $100 denominations. The forex places prefer the new bills (with the big Benjamin Franklin face).
English is the official language and mostly everyone will understand what you are saying, especially if you speak slowly. Krio (not Creole) is Sierra Leone's most common colonial language. It is an interesting combination of pigeon English, French influences from Guinea and other tribal languages. It is a challenge to learn although upon hearing it many of the words at least sound familiar.
Mark Hanis, USA (Jun 03)
Moving About
It is nice to fly to/from the airport in a helicopter but since it costs US$35 each way it is not fun for 6 minutes for a not so spectacular flight. For those with time I suggest travelling one way by helicopter and the other way by ferry or boat. The latter is an operation which will take almost 3 hours to complete.
The first step is to take a shared taxi from the Cape to Aberdeen Junction (it is harder to find taxis from the Cape that go all the way to the city centre). Then take a minibus to Victoria Market. From there ask about a mini bus going towards Kissy ferry or walk for 400m to the end of Sani Abacha Road where all the eastbound traffic passes. The mini buses can drop you at the junction to Kissy ferry and from there you need to walk about 250-300m to the pier. If a ferry is leaving by that time (10.30 in the morning) you can board and pay the ticket. If not there are always fishing boats going and coming across the bay. Also there is a morning ferry at 7.00am leaving from central Freetown behind the government pier. The price is Le5000 (US$2.5) for foreigners though you can insist on paying the price of the locals which is around half. The difference with the ferry is that you simply embark and go. The boats have a wet landing or you can hire one of the young men who wait with open arms to carry you the 10 metres to dry land for Le500. Give something more if you are overweight. From the small market nearby shared taxis to the airport leave for Le2000.
Haralampos Bizas, Greece (Jul 03)
Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes
FREETOWN: From the first moment you have the feeling you are entering in a war zone with so many helicopters and UN cars moving around. Only in Kosovo can you see more UN forces. Nevertheless Freetown is a peaceful city with very kind and helpful people. They are ready to go out of their way to help a foreigner.
Haralampos Bizas, Greece (Jul 03)
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