Sierra Leone P3

After spending a large portion of the day driving east, I finally found myself in Kono, Sierra Leone’s main mining region. This is the very place that only 3 months ago a 153 carat diamond was found!

Eager to find a diamond of my own I hired a group of young men to act as 'guides' for the duration of my stay. 

We headed off with our equipment in the early afternoon, and spent hours digging up the earth before sieving and checking the remains for any diamonds. Unsuccessful on the first day, I decided to forgo the next day of mining and relax in Kono. You would think that with the multitude of international mining companies setting up in the area would provide infrastructural growth in the area, but Kono's character and culture remains untouched. Walking down the main street I stopped by many shanty shops selling diamonds for incredible discounts before heading back to Freetown where from I would fly home.

 My visit to Sierra Leone had reached its end, and I was overwhelmed at how such a mineral rich nation, with it's tropical beaches, jungles, diverse wildlife and kind people could remain, from the eyes of the outside world as a red flag when it comes to tourism. Sierra Leone truly is one of the worlds best kept secrets!

References:
http://awoko.org/2014/02/22/sierra-leone-news-us6-2million-153-carat-diamond-found/
http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/fellowsblog/2013/05/02/the-curse-of-diamond-mining-in-sierra-leone
http://www.irinnews.org/report/83507/sierra-leone-diamond-miners-choose-cassava-over-carats