Rainy days in Sierra Leone

It's right in the middle of the rainy season here in Sierra Leone. The rain has chucked it down all day today, as we drove in a 4x4 up the mountains that sit just behind Freetown, the capital of the country. The city lies between almost endless beautiful white sandy beaches that run forward from a dramatic black rock coastline and the exuberantly lush hills filled with bright green leaves and trees and torrents of rainwater flooding down the hills.

The country has been most unexpected. The signs of war, and the teetering infrastructure are apparent. And yet the city still holds its basic grid system, minivan buses still run with regularity and people go about their day to day business.

The most stunning thing has been the scenery - jaw droppingly gorgeous, a paradise on earth, and completely untouched. We drove along small resorts where tourists might come and stay in once luxurious chalets set on white beaches only metres from the clear warm sea.

By contrast, finding anything out about the country - simple things like where to go, what to see, where to eat - is incredibly difficult. Even history and culture are only anecdotal, and shared reluctantly by the locals. The veins of history run deep and rich but despite the easy facade, there is something palpable and untouched that seems to lie beneath the chilled and easy manner of the locals.

I've taken plenty of snaps of this gorgeous and ravaged place, and will post them up as soon as I can. I've satisfied my blog-craving which has been getting progressively worse since I left London on Monday. I'm sure I'll be feeding this addiction again shortly. Watch this space. Signing off from SL.