No 2 beach

Saturday I went to No 2 beach, so called because No2 river reaches the sea there. Why the river is called No2 I have no idea.

No2 beach and river.

It was a pretty good day for the rainy season, light drizzle and the odd bit of sunshine interspersed with heavier downpours. We played around in the surf between the rain, when the sea was warm and the drizzle light it was great fun but the rain was cold so then we sat in the beach bar drinking Star lager, the local brew.

No2 river and misty mountains in the drizzle.

To get there we travelled along what is probably the worst road I have ever been on. The only potholes we encountered were at the bottom of water filled craters. It took well over an hour to go about 15 miles. If the sun was shining it would be well worth the hardship of being thrown around the car like an ice cube in a cocktail shaker. As it was it was still an unforgettable experience.

Sunday started of pretty lousy so spent the morning in the hotel. Around midday the rain eased so went into Freetown to look for niknaks and geegaws. Found lots of toot for sale along with fresh? fruit and veg in the street markets. Have come to the conclusion that street markets are virtually the same the world over, selling the same guff, fruit, veg, spices, clothes, shoes, tools, weel just about anything you could want. Only difference in the various countries I have been to is the quality and the price. Still I love to wander around these places as it is where the locals shop and you get the feel of the place and all the local colour. A police truck went down the street below and the market parted like the red sea for moses only to immediatley close behind it as if it had never been there at all.

Freetown market.

By early evening the sun was trying to break through so went for a walk along Lumley beach. This could be a really nice public beach if the city council took the trouble of cleaning the rubbish. I saw all sorts of shit there from used hypodermics to babies nappies (daipers for the yanks out there) to faeces to all manner of plastic crap.

Lumley beach

Despite this as it was Sunday the beach was crowded with lots of football matches being played. Went to the Atlantic bar for a rest and a cider and to watch the sunset as the weather had cleared. Walked back in the gathering night with just the moonlight to guide me. Not as romantic as you would think as I had to keep dodging all the crap on the beach.

All in all a fun weekend.