In Town Again

I’ve been walking in town on my days off regularly now, for a week. Sometimes I get where I’m going on purpose; sometimes it’s not. I went back to the Big Market again today using different streets. I was looking for several specific things: the UPS store on Rawdon St; the Crown Bakery on Wilbur Force St; and Wilbur Force Street in general. I’ve tried a couple of times to find it previously, with negative results. It’s one of the most famous and one of the busiest streets in Freetown. It was named for the Dutch man who was a major contributor for freedom from slavery for the people of Sierra Leone, and the reason behind the name “Freetown”. When I finally found it, with some help, it turns out I had been on it before but street signs are few and far between. I was told about the Crown Bakery by someone on the ship; it was described as an ex-pat place with a guard at the door and a/c inside. As it was very stifling by the time I got there and was allowed in by the guard (I guess I looked acceptable) I almost passed out as I entered. The air was fabulous, the sodas were ice cold (although no Diet Dr. Pepper), and the waitresses were in lovely dresses for uniforms; even the patrons were stylish and clean. It almost seemed a different world than everything else I had witnessed so far in the town.

I’m going to stop visiting the Big Market. I always go there with high hopes but end up having a miserable experience. The shopkeepers hound patrons so badly, it’s impossible to enjoy any of it. I was able to pick up a nice shirt for Hunter and some insanely cute sandals for the baby. I finally remembered to bring my camera along for this trip and took some photos walking to and from the Big Market and the bakery. There are very few “stores” as you and I know them. Almost everything is done on the street and even the shops themselves are very small. The vendors are out all day during selling hours and some of them take naps (or were they passed out…?) right at their table. Their families may be right there with them, and several children hang out under the make shift selling table. One little naked guy was being fed by his big brother. There are some apartment buildings on the main street and some of the people live in the shanty from which they sell their goods or are directly behind the shop. There are streets more quiet and relaxed, but they are not any nicer and are usually dirt alley streets. Even many alleys that join the main streets have vendors on them also. Along with the throngs of vendors, shoppers, walkers, buses, cars and motorcycles, may be any manner of carts, wheelbarrows, homemade scooters and animals, that you can imagine but probably wouldn’t have. Dogs wander and sleep anywhere they can find shade, and they all seem to have some Jack Russell Terrier in them (hmmmm…). Chickens run loose around the tiny houses on the smaller streets. One guy, trolling along on one of the busier streets, not only was dragging along 2 goats but he had several dead ones in the wheelbarrow he was pushing. Now, that was odd, at least to me.

One peaceful area that is right outside the gates of the port is a community garden area. It is nearing the bottom of the hill, and the end of that street, and uses water that has been dribbling down the hill in the drainage ditches on either side of the street. Manmade trenches are used not only to separate crops and pathways, but also to send the water along down the hill towards other crops. Women are out there every time I leave the port, often helping the trenches to be useful if necessary. The bottom of the garden is the beginning of the sea. There are no houses or businesses right there and it’s relative quiet, pretty, and smells a whole lot better than anywhere else along the walk to/from town back to the ship.