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| During the rainy season, Freetown is about as lush as it gets. |
The arrival in Sierra Leone is, like the country itself, at once overwhelming and underwhelming. From the climate-controlled calm of the plane, the airport one steps into is a sweltering, cacophonous free-for-all of customs officials, security personnel, baggage handlers, and other airport staff (many of them self-appointed). As for the hundreds of others milling around and contributing to the bedlam, their purpose isn’t clear. Overall, while the melee leaves many travelers flustered within a few moments of arrival, my first glimpse of Sierra Leone also came with another sinking feeling: This is it?
Lungi International, Sierra Leone’s only airport, is conveniently located on the other side of a wide bay (in fact the world’s third largest natural harbor) from the capital of Freetown. To reach Freetown by land, the trip is a jarring, painful ride over some of the world’s worst roadways, in the
