Never miss Nha Trang! You'll regret...

As our journey reached the fourth leg, we felt as surprised as hell to discover a place that resembles more a wester city, than a vietnamese one.
Nha Trang is a real tourist attraction, maybe it is for the perfect beach, for the fantastic climate, for the exciting nightlife, and for the Asian twist that Vietnam has to offer.
Whatever your reason, this is a place where you need to stop.

A few things grabbed our attention.
I was sure that such a touristic place like Nha Trang, would have all the shops names, restaurants menus, and street signs in two languages, Vietnamese and English.
Everything I could expect except finding the second language being Russian (!)
Shops, cafeterias, and restaurants, hotels, tour agencies, you name it they were all in those two languages, and only in a few spots, the signs are also in English.
When we asked for this reason at the hotel reception, they could not offer any answer, mostly because their English wasn't really good, and my Russian is a bit rusty (LOL).

As usual, our best friend, in this case, was Google, where I found a blogger explaining that the reason lies on the fact that Russians consider Nha Trang as the best place for a holiday, and honestly I have to say they are right.
The place is awesome.
Not the right place to find quiet and peace, but it is perfect to have fun. My research led me to another fascinating piece of information, which is that many Russians who can work from home, decide to move to Nha Trang and work from there. They buy apartments, and they establish their "office outside the office" there.
Some other come to spend months here during the right season (far from the monsoon's season that can be a pain in the neck for those looking for fun).
So, let's talk about the main attraction, the beach:

That is something you really want to enjoy; fine, white sand, stretching as far as the eye can see, inviting you to undress and lay down to be caressed by the gentle breeze from the sea and kissed by the Sun as your mind drifts away with the crashing of the waves.

Second, the food. In Vietnam I have enjoyed mostly the local cuisine, and taken aside a couple of not so good experiences, I can say that you need to dig into what the local culture has to offer. Of course, a place like Nha Trang has to offer international cuisine to accommodate the most of the tastes, but, at least for me, going to Asia to have a cheeseburger, is out of the question.
Another thing that will attract your attention is the things that are forbidden on the beach:

Some of them I can understand but really flying a kite is prohibited? Why in this world?
Although, as usual rules schmules, there were people flying kites and fishing.
I am not sure what you might fish on shallow water, on the other hand, I am not a fisherman, so I might be wrong.
Next leg, it's back to Saigon, but there are a  few sites you'll need to see, so stay tuned for the next adventure!
Have a great weekend!

Dōmo arigatō, a Japanese experience never to forget - The Wandering Writer

In this nice spring day, I am going to tell you something about a journey that literally shocked my life:

JAPAN

The land of Samurais, of the cherry blossoms, Geishas, high technology and ancient traditions.
A land that is able to find a sort of equilibrium between a very old cultural heritage and a fast-growing technology.
Our destination and landmark was Osaka, and already as we arrived at the airport, we understood how that would have been a very different kind of holiday.
The organization of the tourist service is very efficient and, on the other hand, everybody seems very eager to help a foreigner, which much probably will find a bit lost.
We could opt for a rail pass, which gave us the possibility to use the train for the entire length of our stay without any restriction. This is something that I highly recommend, because with the train you can go travel the whole country without any problem, saving a lot of time and visiting most of the places.
Be prepared for a cultural shock that will slap your face like a bullet train, and the first thing you will have to face is the language. Regardless the eagerness of the common people to help you if you are lost, it is not said that they will be able to help you in your language, so get ready for an improvised sign communication, and a lot of laughs.
Another thing that might impress you is the pedestrian traffic.

Even the narrowest streets, seem to be crowded, even without people walking through. There is this sense of hurry, perhaps given by the big signs of the shops, that might make you uncomfortable at first, but curious to discover more.

 The city is crammed not just by people, but with everything that can fit, and the pedestrian traffic is something that requires some initial acquaintance. However, after the first two days of roaming around discovering the city, we realized the power of our train pass, and we decided to move around not only throughout the city but outside of it.
Something strange that happened to us was that we were not even able to exchange a single word during the day, and only as soon as we reached the hotel, we finally could take out everything that happened during the day. It was like our brains were too busy to record everything and make a sense out of the apparent chaos made of people, lights, sounds, cars and really whatever else.
One thing I remember quite well was the weather. I have no idea whether that was the normal summer there, but it was very hot. Nevertheless, we didn't let this particular to stop us, and even in the warmest hours of the day, we moved to discover everything possible, so the first stop was to visit the Himeji Castle, located at the top hill of the Himeji town.
The difference between this small city and Osaka was clear, and we were glad to see how more relaxed people looked like.
The Himeji Castle was first built in 1333, but dismantled and rebuilt again in 1346, to be significantly remodeled in 1581, and this to tell you that when Japanese people are not satisfied with the result of whatever they are building, they are ready to tear it apart to rebuild it from the beginning.

The castle can be considered a state of the art in terms of defense, and it was very much advanced for being constructed during the feudal period. On the other hand, the creativity and higher technological evolution of the Japanese people are renowned and this castle is just one of the many examples of it.
Going on, we could not avoid but reach also the lovely city of Kyoto, known for the environmental treaty.
However, as we were arriving by train we were attracted by a tall building close by (or what we thought it was so because by walk it took like forever).
We had no idea what it was because we didn't bring with us any sort of map, but we felt immediately attracted. We found out later that it was the Shōren-in, a Buddhist temple, also known as the Awata Palace.

The first impression we had in that torrid day, after a long walk to reach the temple, was a relieving sense of inner peace. It felt like there was no more hurry in that chaos, everything was as calm as the water of the lily pond.
I felt soothed by the slight movement of the water and enchanted by the many animals living in the temple, and I felt invited to sit down and meditate about the meaning of life and how to reach that peace in my everyday life.
All the rest seemed meaningless, like being transported to another planet, another dimension made of peace and calm.

I am not telling you a lie, when I say that we spent most of the day in silence just admiring the surroundings, enjoying that rare moment of inner discovery.

Regretfully leaving the temple, we headed for another "must visit" in Japan, and that is Hiroshima and the memorial museum.
Hiroshima is located in one of the many islands, but reaching it by train you will never guess you are crossing the sea to reach it.
I will leave the historical facts aside, because just like the rest of the country, its history is quite complex, and I might risk boring the reader who is more interested to know what sort of place is Japan from the tourist point of view.
NEVER!!
Therefore, I will just tell you something about the impressions I had as a tourist as I arrived there.
The city was certainly able to heal its scars, yet keeping the memory alive. It seemed clear to me that only by doing so you can finally get over the most traumatic experiences in life. Perhaps this is a good way to remember what we did wrong once and keep in our mind that things like this should never happen again.
As I always believed, history is like our extended memory, and we should learn from every single mistake in the past, what is right and what is wrong.
Unfortunately, this is not always possible, and devastating mistakes are done year after year without learning anything from them.

However, something that will always remain with me about what I saw there at the memorial museum was the reconstruction about the before and after the nuclear bombing in 1945.
That powerful image is something that everybody should stick in their mind, as a reminder of how humanity can fail.

That is the before the bombing and after the bombing, not counting the consequences for all the future generations caused by the radiations. Definitely one of the saddest chapters in human history, and I cried.
Once and for all I wanted to be back to the temple in Kyoto, which felt so far from everything that can be destructive.
The positive thing is, as I mentioned before the ability of the population to get over the past and look at the future, hoping never to commit the same mistake again.

Of course, we could not leave the Mt. Fuji unexplored, and with the bullet train:

 we left Hiroshima on our shoulders and headed towards the northern part of the country, and at 100 km from Tokio, we reached one of the three sacred mountains in Japan.
Call it a mountain is, however, incorrect, as it is a volcano, but since it is considered inactive, (the last eruption has been recorded in 1707) it can be easily included into the definition of "mountain."
.
The trip with the bullet train was a real experience, the train reached the speed of 300 km/h and it felt like sitting in my home couch.
The vibrations are very minimal, therefore, when I looked at the display and realized that we were traveling at that speed, it made me wonder.
And of course, it didn't take that much to reach the destination (Honshu island) from where we were supposed to take the bus to reach the mountain.
Now, something people might understand is that the weather is not always on your side, and perhaps you are going to visit the Fuji-san hoping to get great sceneries, and amazing pictures to show, or to look back at, and instead, all you get is this:

Yes, I know it was quite frustrating to find a thick curtain of fog, instead of the great clear images, and stunning sceneries, we saw from the tourist brochure.
As a tourist, you might feel a bit scammed, but bad weather is something to consider whenever going for a trip, and so, we got contented to be there.

As it was the time to say goodbye to Japan, we took a look at Osaka from one of the best vantage points, the Tempozan Ferry wheel:

The wheel is 112 m tall, so it really gives you a great vantage point and one of the best views of the city:

And finally, a real goodbye until the next time, and to all of you, I wish a pleasant weekend, wherever you might be or whatever you might do.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité... and a charming adventure for the Wandering Writer

After some time spent in Africa, even though my heart was yearning to return there, I had to find a compromise with my Africa sickness, and the desire to discover the many beauties in this world. Travelling is not just a question of having a relaxing break from the daily routine. For me, it is finding new inspirations for my books, meeting new and interesting people, knowing other cultures and most of all grow personally and elevating myself to higher knowledge.
Therefore, this time, we decided to explore Europe to discover the jewels around my country, and the second after Spain was France.

Ah, Paris... How to define the hub of the fashion with its history, culture, cuisine and wineries in one single post? It is going to be a difficult task, but I'm in for the challenge.
Besides the city being the capital of France, is also the most populated with its over twelve million inhabitants (if we consider the whole municipality), comprising about the 18% of the population of France.

We didn't really have time to visit every single monument and palace or historical place. However, Paris has a long history that can be stretched until the 3rd century BC; therefore, as you walk the city streets, you are walking the same steps of people that made the history of the country.
You will be walking together with the Celtic Senones, the first tribe who inhabited the area, with the Romans who conquered the Paris Basin. You will be walking with the people who stormed the Bastille during the Revolution.

Paris, just like other historical cities, such as Rome, doesn't require you to visit all the museums; the city itself is a museum, and you can feel it in the air.
As a passionate reader of Georges Simenon, I felt like being immersed in one of the adventures of Maigret, walking along the Seine, thinking about the possible solution to this or the other mystery.
Moreover, as I walked around, I could not avoid but recall all the artists I loved so much during the years of the Art Institute.
The soft beauty of the impressionists, the avant-garde of the cubists or the introspective connection between reality and dream of the surrealists.
The artistic heritage of Paris can still be found in the many artists who, walking the same steps of their predecessors, give a soul to an enchanting city, attracting tourists not simply with the intent to sell their drawings, but mainly to give a dream to bring home.

The non-romantic part is the high pollution of its waters, as periodically the sewerage system of the city might experience failures, and untreated sewage is discharged directly into the river. (Might be wise not to think of swimming there!!).
Nevertheless, sewerage or not, it keeps its poetic beauty, and every picture is a piece of art, framed into a timeless city.

Of course, there are the classical landmarks of the city, those like the Eiffel tower:

The Arc de Triomphe:

The Notre Dame Cathedral:

And last but not least the Louvre Museum:

I know, I didn't have much a good luck with the weather, and if we exclude the first day, it was raining for the whole period. Unfortunately, I didn't think of getting a 'good weather spell' so I was forced to accept whatever it was.
The positive thing is that you can find shelter in one of the many cafeterias, or inside the Louvre, for which you will have to book one entire day to admire all the artifacts and departments.
If I have to be honest, somehow I was glad to have a few melancholic rainy days, so to indulge in the tasting of the many pastries and coffees, being surrounded by the cozy atmosphere of those glamorous cafeterias in the center of Paris.
Maybe sipping a good Calvados, thinking about the many adventures of Maigret or the next adventure of one of the many characters of my novels.
Perhaps, one of them will walk the same steps of Maigret or will be a charming thief, or a mysterious spy.
Whoever he or she will be, I am sure that will be loaded with charm and intensity, delivering feelings that only a romantic place like Paris can deliver.

Lost in the country of tango and flamenco - the Wandering Writer, dances again

It was an almost obvious choice that after visiting Morocco, we would have been tempted to take the ferry and travel to Spain. And in fact, this is what we did.

The number of sailings from Tangier to Tarifa scheduled daily can be quite impressive, and it should bring into perspective the definition of tourism from Spain to Morocco, not as something to discover new cultures, but as a way to get better deals on the purchase or spend a weekend outdoors.

The ferry stops in Tarifa, but we continued with the bus to Malaga via Algeciras, our final destination. Once again choosing the bus revealed to be a good choice, as we could have a better glimpse of the country, and the different sceneries offered by one of the countries which offer an incredible diversity in terms of microclimates in Europe.

In fact, Spain offers at least eight different climates from the cold desert, cold semi-arid, warm Mediterranean, temperate Mediterranean, oceanic, temperate continental humid, cool continental subarctic (under the Pyrenees) and temperate continental.

This diversity makes of Spain one of the most attractive countries where to live, but soon I am going to give you more reasons that will make you want to quit everything and think about moving in this sunny pearl of the Mediterranean.

I will not spend much time describing the history and the main touristic attraction of Malaga, because I do believe that the real attraction is the city itself, with the great food experience, the friendliness of the people, the mild climate, and the relaxed lifestyle that is generally part of the Mediterranean lifestyle. It is the second largest city in Andalusia and a real pearl facing the Mediterranean sea.

If you ever wondered the reason why people living in the Mediterranean area live longer lives, I can tell you that, besides the healthy cuisine, there is a no-stress way of living. Nothing has to be done necessarily now, and there is no shame in procrastination.

A healthy lifestyle also means that you have to take time for yourself to recharge and have quality time either alone, with your family or with your friends. A life lived only thinking about your job doesn’t have any balance and won’t make you happy in the long run.

Something I would recommend for a great afternoon, is to get immersed in history, visiting the Alcazaba and Roman Theatre. For me, being an adorer of Roman Empire, it was almost a must to visit, regardless the initial reluctance of my husband (who after thanked me for insisting on going… men!).

Alcazaba is a Spanish word that comes from the Arabic and means citadel. It was built in the 11^th Century during the Hammudid dynasty and represent a fortification of the original palace. Like any other fortifications, it has been built on the hill adjacent to the coast, and the reason was obviously to have a better vantage point to spot the early income of enemies and be prepared to defend the city.

Nowadays it just offers a great view of the valley and on the adjacent Roman theatre, which was partially used to build the ramparts (what a shame!)

Walking on the streets, you can be tempted to have a stroll on one of the fanciest streets and perhaps fall into temptation for a shopping spree. Not being myself a real shopper, as I do buy only and exclusively what, and when I really need something, I indulged myself in a very inexpensive and amusing activity, window-shopping. This means looking at the windows, maybe going inside the shop to see what they have to offer, and continue without buying anything (I guess the personnel of the shops hate people like me!).

Calle Larios is for this sort of activity, one of the best shopping streets, and can also offer interesting entertainment by random performers.

Being Malaga a city on the sea, could you really avoid and check out La Costa del Sol? Absolutely not, and so we also did and had a lovely afternoon on the beach, sipping a fresh beer and enjoying the sweet part of the deal.

Travelling is indeed a big part of my life, and I always feel restless unless I do not have a flight ticket in my pocket. Sometimes it had been only one holiday in a year, some others I have been in many places, but it doesn’t matter whether the destination is an easy and relaxing place or a conflict area with a due load of excitement. What really matters for me it is just getting to know a different kind of people, meeting new cultures, and sceneries that tickle my imagination beyond any boundaries.

Stretching my views over the horizon, meeting something different, unexpected, also unpleasant, sometimes, but all for the sake of the inner growth.

As a writer, I use my journeys as a way to get new inspirations, to find new ideas about the characters I will talk about. It can be the prince of the Maasai, or the little girl who stole my heart in Sierra Leone, or the taxi driver who spoke an amazing English in a place where you would never expect anyone to speak it.

I find my mind, getting lost in the admiration of nature, and perhaps even by describing in this blog my adventures I find a source of inspiration. Moreover, I find this a great way to improve my way of expressing what’s inside my heart. I really wish I were able to show you with my words the amazing world inside my soul, but to this only you, my dear reader can give an answer.

To the next time! Stay tuned and have a lovely day!

THE MAN WHO FLEW AWAY

A SHORT STORY - BY P. J. MANN

Once upon a time, there was a man; he was a very tiny one.

He had tiny feet, tiny legs, tiny hands, and tiny head. Indeed, he was small; he was so small that sometimes he was sure nobody could see him.

However, he had two big things: his heart and his imagination.
He could spend hours looking at the sky, dreaming of an imaginary world where other people could see him, and care about each other.
He had so many feelings and so much love to give, but there was nobody who was interested in that.
“Maybe it is because I am so small that nobody can even see me,” he thought, sighing.
He also tried to attract the attention of the people, by talking to them, but he was living in a big city, and his tiny voice was difficult to hear through the noise of the traffic, music and other people's talking.

Many times, he felt sad and lonely; other times, looking at the sky, he felt reassured that nothing was lost.

He loved looking at birds and dreamed of being like them. In the sky, there were big birds and small birds, but regardless their size, it seemed to him as none of them was ignored.
Looking at people and comparing them to birds, he could see how people were busy in their tight daily routine. They didn’t have time to do anything else, they couldn't enjoy themselves or care about other people around them.

It was a warm summer day, and he just got out of his tiny office. He felt tired from the long day he had at work, and without even thinking about it, he started to walk wherever his feet had brought him.

He had no idea how much he walked, but as he looked around, he realised he was in the woods. He wondered how did he reach that place, and where he was, hoping not to be lost.
He looked behind, and could not recognise the path from where he came from. Nevertheless, he didn’t feel lost at all. Instead, it was as he found himself.

He felt finally at home and walked towards a field he could spot through the bushes. In the middle of the field, there was an old oak.

He smiled and walked towards it, admiring the majestic crown gently whispering with the breeze. He had never seen a tree that big, and despite his small size, he didn’t feel uncomfortable in its presence.
He remained for a while to look at the sky through the leaves and listened to its voice, so gentle and soothing. He closed his eyes and suddenly it was like he could hear someone calling him. He opened his eyes, surprised to hear his name being called, but there was nobody around; he shook his head, “I must have imagined it,” he thought.

The voice continued to call him until he realised that it was the wind, which was whispering his name. Filled with excitement, he climbed the tree and sat on one of his branches, listening to the wind singing a lullaby just for him.
For the first time in his life, he didn't feel alone anymore; finally, someone could see him and talked to him.
-So, I am not invisible!- He thought surprised.
He rested his back and his head against the trunk of the old oak, and he could swear he could feel it breathe. He could feel the life flowing through it, and time by time, he was sure he could hear his heart.
Never, like at that moment, he felt so completely happy and at home. He looked at the sky and saw the birds he always admired; they were so close now. It was like he could fly with them.
Their chant sounded like an invitation, a call to go with them. “How can I reach you?” he asked.
It was then when he realised that all he needed to do, was joining them. Therefore, he spread his wings, jumped and flew away with them.

The wandering writer - Rwanda and DRC- part 1

Trust me; there is nothing more addictive than Africa.

It is in the red soil, in the warmth of the people and their simple life, which is far more true than the one western people live.

It is in the vast forests and the white sands.

It is in the harsh deserts and volcanic areas.

It is in the wildlife and the still surviving biodiversity that reminds us we are part of it and should never try to divide from nature.

It is in the violent thunderstorms, and the pitch black nights when the clouds cover the moon.

It is also in those starry skies that people living in the cities have never seen, and probably never will if not from the TV.

All those things and much more make Africa great; of that greatness that is far from technology. It is far more advanced as people have a better understanding of nature and use resources without abusing them.

However, it is still a land cursed by civil wars and exploitation, which goes easily unseen by the rest of the world.

Africa, the beautiful, is also the bad consciousness of a world who believes not seeing is equal to not existing.

Once again, we decided to go, and the next targets were Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The choice was not easy, and the organisation of the journey was more complicated than we thought. Reaching Rwanda would have been quite easy, as the conflict that plagued the country was far and gone, there weren't any safety issues involved. Another question was reaching DRC.

The threat posed by the rebel groups to the general population, tourists or foreigners, in particular, was not to be underestimated. For this reason, we took our time to assess the risk, and work out a safer travel plan.

I had to admit that the reason why I wanted to visit the country was to be able to see the mountain gorillas in their habitat. There are left quite a few individuals, and they all risk the extinction. Much probably in the near future, the only ones we will be able to see will be the ones kept in captivity.

We were lucky to have a few contacts within the UN missions which helped us and offered us a backup.

 

Rwanda, as we experienced in Sierra Leone was on the road to reconstruction, and the future looked bright. Streets were well kept, and life was once again flourishing.

 

 

 

It was, of course, a must to visit the genocide museum and all the main landmarks. However, differently than the people in Sierra Leone, they weren't eager to talk about the past; they just wanted to forget.

Organising the transportation to the border of the DRC, was perhaps the easiest thing, and we decided to go with a local bus.
The journey wasn't supposed to be very long (at least not even closely comparable with the trip between Arusha and Mombasa see the post finding an inspiration). However, the bus was not in its best shape, and it was supposed to be quite crowded, with more travellers than its capacity. We were not truly happy about it, mainly because our luggage didn't look to be safely arranged on the roof.
We spotted a taxi at the gas station, and without even consulting each other, we went there and asked the price to reach the border. Obviously, it was more expensive than going with the bus, but we could have stopped whenever we wanted to take pictures or for our physiological needs, which not necessarily would have taken into account by the bus driver (I still remembered the previous experience).
We took our luggage and started our journey with the taxi. It was a wise choice, and we had an easy trip. We safely reached the border, and we arrived in Goma.

 

 

The first thing that we could notice as soon as we crossed the border was the difference between the two neighbouring countries. The roads were mostly unpaved, and the ones who were once paved were quite in bad shape.

Buildings were more to be considered ruins or shacks. Nevertheless, people were going on with their lives and once again, they looked happier than we do.
We reached our hotel effortlessly; for security reasons, it had to be a four-star hotel. After a long shower and a change of clothes, we were ready to relax and wait to meet our first contact from the UN mission.
She explained us the actual situation and how to reach the offices of the Virunga National Park, to arrange a visit to the gorillas.
The following day, we had a walk around to explore a bit the town, and have an idea about the place we were. There was a big old, and semi-destroyed Christian church. According to the information we got from the people passing by, the church was built a long time ago and went destroyed many times by the eruption of the volcano, likewise the rest of the city. Nevertheless, disregarding the threat posed by the volcano, people remained there, and preferred to rebuild their homes than move away from the place they called "home."

 

 

We went to the offices of the Virunga Park, and we set a visit after a couple of days. I was excited.
We left early in the morning before the sunrise; the volcano was already awake, and it was glowing in the darkness. However, besides that slight activity, there weren't any warnings about a potential eruption.
We reached the offices of the park rangers where we would have joined the guides and a group of six fully armed guards.
"This is not for the gorillas," the ranger explained us, "this is to have a sort of backup in case of an attack by the rebel group."
For some reasons, I wasn't feeling reassured, but at that point, I wasn't intentioned to come back, so we acknowledge the risks of that trip, and we left.

 

I have no idea about how dense a forest can be until I could enter the core of the Virunga National Park. Sure there was a terrain, but we could not even touch the ground with our feet, so thick was the coverage of the roots of the trees and bushes.

It was also quite slippery, and after the first time that I fell on my butt, I started to realise the best way to walk in that intricate net of roots.
We walked quite silently, looking around and listening to the sounds of the many creatures living in that great environment. Time by time, our guide, produced some guttural sounds, which were supposed to be interpreted by the gorilla as a friendly call, something like "we come in peace."
He might have known the spot where the gorilla used to be, because quite soon, we could spot the first one.
That was one of the most intense moments of my entire life.
They saw us and didn't pay attention to our presence until a massive silverback (the older male of the group) appeared just behind me.
We all turned our gazes, being very careful of not making any eye contact, which can be interpreted as a challenge to his authority.
We were in his territory, and the last thing we wanted was to be disrespectful.
He sat down, looked at us and with a grunt let us be.

  

  

 

 

Our journey ended in the late evening, but I assure you, there is nothing that can compare the feeling of being in front of these amazing apes. Once again it reminded me how close we are to them; the only difference is our endless greed and willingness to destroy everything to satisfy it.

...to be continued

 

 

The Wandering Writer

Once again I come to tell a bit about my travel experiences and the inspirations to them connected. Previously I told about my first travelling experience, in Kenya and Tanzania. When I returned home, I couldn’t stop thinking about those places as they were so far from my everyday experience and from what I saw on the TV.
The feelings of “homesickness” felt so unbearable, that we needed to have another holiday there, exploring more of that fantastic continent. However, being always interested in the political aspect, we decided to explore more “sensitive” countries, for this reason, we decided to visit Sierra Leone.
It was in 2008 when we decided to go, the civil war ended already, but the UN mission was still operational, mostly for the reconstruction of their democracy. There weren’t any flights from Finland to Freetown, but we decided to fly to Banjul (Gambia) so to have also the chance to visit that country.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have any chance to visit Gambia, as we could not either leave the hotel’s premises. The only time we tried to reach the beach, we were literally surrounded by local merchants wanting to sell us something, visit their shop or visit their restaurant. Therefore already from the third day, we arranged our move to Freetown.

It was quite exciting to arrive in Sierra Leone; and we were eager to discover the history, the places and particularly the people. Reaching the hotel was not the easiest of the tasks because the airport is situated on the northern coast of the estuary, and to reach the city we had to take the boat. Of course, the waiting time was longer than you could expect in any western countries, but one has to recall that each country has its own way to work. It took several hours, but finally, we made it and even if tired, we felt satisfied.

The morning after started with a round of the surroundings by foot, and we felt extremely pleased to be able to walk around being greeted by the locals without any harassment from merchants.

We walked…

And walked…

 

And made more walk; something I could never get enough is the red, rich colour of the soil in Africa. We loved to walk around and have small chats with local people; particularly those at the small shops along the road.

We had long chats about everything, but particularly about what they could share of the period of the civil war. It was so close, yet people were determined to find a new normality in peace and leave at their shoulders a very painful and frightening past. They willingly told us about their experiences and finally I realised that the reality told by the media was just a minimal part of the reality, and generally, is flawed with personal opinions. Another sad reality was that outside Africa, nobody cares about what happen there, and that was what saddened me the most. Such a great country so much ignored taken aside the documentaries about wildlife.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with wanting to share their natural environment, which is something that enchanted and amused me since the beginning:      

Last but not least, the symbol of Sierra Leone, a real landmark: the cotton tree.

This giant and old tree, which is about 500 years old is very important to the population, and on its surroundings, it was built the heart of Freetown; the Supreme Court, the National Museum and the music club building.
 

And besides being very dear to the population, it hosts a large group of fruit bats. As for me, I am used to seeing bats, flying at night, but I have never seen that big amount in the same place.

Once again leaving Africa was difficult, and  as the plane left the ground, I started to think about the next time I would have visited Africa again, thinking about the next country to be discovered.