John Obey Beach
We spend the next two and a half days hiking north up the coast along the stunning beaches of Sierra Leone, and over the occasional rock bunch along the water. We relax on beaches in secluded coves, with a sea breeze lulling us into a peaceful state. We stop for lunch and get fried plantains and fresh fish and rice.
Then more hiking along soft, fine, empty, long stretches of beautiful white or yellow beach. Swimming in the ocean is perfect, the shallow slope of the beach, the extremely warm temperature of the water (mom, even you would swim here), and the clear and colorful water make it absolutely ideal! A river follows parallel to the coast in many places, so rinsing off in the fresh water, was also helpful.
Some beaches have hotels or guest houses, but we opt for the more secluded beaches which only have a camping option. There is generally a dude hanging out on the beach who says it's his stretch of beach. You pay him a negotiable fee (we're pretty good negotiators) for a spot for your tent, a bonfire, "security," and breakfast in the morning. They'll also cook dinner: rice, tomato and onion sauce, and "catch of the day". Sometimes the catch is fresh, other times, smoked. The fishing villages smoke a lot of fish and crab so they can bring them inland to sell. Without a steady refrigeration method, smoking is the way to do it. One beach we walk pass, River No. 2, is more touristy and an odd German tells us that it was ranked by a tv show as one of the best beaches in the world.
Then more hiking along soft, fine, empty, long stretches of beautiful white or yellow beach. Swimming in the ocean is perfect, the shallow slope of the beach, the extremely warm temperature of the water (mom, even you would swim here), and the clear and colorful water make it absolutely ideal! A river follows parallel to the coast in many places, so rinsing off in the fresh water, was also helpful.
Some beaches have hotels or guest houses, but we opt for the more secluded beaches which only have a camping option. There is generally a dude hanging out on the beach who says it's his stretch of beach. You pay him a negotiable fee (we're pretty good negotiators) for a spot for your tent, a bonfire, "security," and breakfast in the morning. They'll also cook dinner: rice, tomato and onion sauce, and "catch of the day". Sometimes the catch is fresh, other times, smoked. The fishing villages smoke a lot of fish and crab so they can bring them inland to sell. Without a steady refrigeration method, smoking is the way to do it. One beach we walk pass, River No. 2, is more touristy and an odd German tells us that it was ranked by a tv show as one of the best beaches in the world.
Estuary at River No. 2
At one point, the rocks became impassible, and we scrambled up through the brush to find a road, where we were introduced to the spicy baked bean sandwich. Also, there are different varieties of bananas here that are not for sale in the states. They ought to be. They're delicious. Once our time on the beach sadly comes to an end, we fit on to a motorcycle with my bag on the handlebars, the driver, myself, and finally matt with his bag, and drive through the red dust back to Freetown. Our faces are filthy!
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