We started the ten hour drive to the Kono district at 9:30 AM. We took a new route that we heard had paved roads through Makeni. This was mostly true and we only came across two check stop and a few road blocks. Our driver did a great job navigating. The countryside is beautiful with lush greenery and rolling hills. The sun is coming out and the dirt looks reddish in color.
It took us two hours to get to Makeni where we made a pit stop. The folks are friendly and we were bombarded with people selling their goods. Makeni is where the paved roads end and the dirt roads, filled with pot holes, begin. Thankfully it is not raining.
About 5 hours into our trip we got out to stretch our legs. During this pit stop, a van packed with people pulls up to say hi to us. It turns out that one of the passengers is a student nurse that Phebian knows from the hospital. She is a good hearted woman who desires to work with us when she is done. It was so cool meeting in the middle of jungle. Our journey continues and it's back onto the dirt roads we go. It had rained last night and I've never seen puddles this big. Our truck did awesome! We were joking that we could film a Toyota commercial here and all the proceeds could go for our project! It started raining after we crossed over into the Kono district and we only had to deal with it for half hour. We saw a handful of cars and trucks tipped over or stuck in the mud. Thankfully, we didn't get stuck and we made it to Unce Ben's in only 7 hours. I believe this is record time for any trip!
Uncle Ben's is a nice bed and breakfast. We got settled in, sorted meds and talked about tomorrow's plans. We are going to a new village but the name escapes me. They approached Phebian about working with her (us). It's an hour and a half south of Koidu. We look forward to building relationships there. The team is in good spirits and really enjoying the time. It's good to be here. Keep us in your prayers.
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| Our team with the JR sign! |
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| Bumpy roads of Sierra Leone |
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