Where did I roll my egg this year?

A belated Happy Easter!

In the last few years a tradition has come about for me to roll my Easter Egg in Elgin assisted by Kate, Hannah and Eve.  Not this year as I was many miles away from the cold and snow of Scotland. No this year it was the beach.

I may have mentioned before that there are beautiful, unspoilt, quiet beaches in Sierra Leone.  Luckily for me they are on the Western Peninsula so within 1-2 hours of Freetown.  I love to have something to aim for so I have made it my mission is to have sampled the sea and sand of each one in the next 12 months.  So where next?  Well here

This is a beach called Black Johnson about 1.5 hours from Freetown in time but felt like a world away.  I had been invited by three other VSO volunteers to spend Easter at Tito’s Eco Lodge.  Not so much a lodge but very basic accommodation of two huts and a couple of tents. Simple meals were provided and there was a cool box of beer for sale. 

Tito met us on the side of the main peninsula road to lead us through the forest to the beach.  It was like entering paradise: a beautiful sweep of sand with the waves rolling up the beach all framed by vibrant pink flowers.  There was a menagerie of animals including newly born kids curled up together under the table where we had lunch – there was much cooing by us girls.  In my short time here I have noticed that there are very few cats – dogs a plenty but a lack of cats.  Not so here as there was one black and white kitten who took a shine to us and, while AWOL in the day, could be found trying to jump onto our knees in the evening.  We were surrounded by the dogs during the weekend as they followed us on our walks up the beach and could be found sleeping around us as we relaxed under the shade of a tree in the day.  Quite a life: three days of swimming, sleeping, reading, eating and drinking.  Here are some more pics so you get the idea!

Ah but all was not quiet in paradise.  Tito had gone off to one of the other beaches leaving us in the capable hands of Alpha and Abigail who ensured we were fed and watered.  The lodge is very basic but they did have a generator which allowed them to watch dvds.  The remoteness of the location and lack of electricity around meant the lodge was a centre of evening entertainment for the local youths.  Unfortunately this entertainment was in the form of Sierra Leone films with unintelligible plots played at a horrendously high volume.  Has you can see it had them rapt.

It must be said that dvds at loud volumes are not conducive to a relaxing evening. The sound of the waves lapping the shore was obliterated by the shouts of the hero and heroine.  On the first night we coped with this but by the second we had made a decision to ask for music.  Not sure that this went down well but they at least still watched the pictures but with no sound – just like my dad really!

By Sunday we were totally chilled so when Ed arrived to give us a lift back into Freetown he found a very happy and relaxed bunch.  We made our way back to Freetown where after a stop for dinner I had an early night – all that doing nothing is exhausting you know.