Tag Archives: discovering africa

Travel diaries -Discovering Africa – Sierra Leone finally thoughts …

Like all holidays I wish my time at SL would not come to an end. I feel there is still so much to see and do.

I had so many first experiences on this trip and at times I was totally out of my comfort zone. Firstly … I like to plan holidays to perfection. This trip was not planned and I had no idea what I was going to face. My host wouldn’t even tell me what the light situation was like 😒. However, all this has helped in making this a memorable holiday. 

I really loved/ love how warm and embracing the people of Sierra Leone were towards me. As this is the first African country I have been to outside of my home ( Nigeria), SL and its people will always have a special place in my heart.*sob sob*

I can’t wait to see what the rest of Africa has to offer.  It’s going to be a long road and it may take yearssss but am motivated to continue discovering Africa.

This is my last look from Sierra Leone. Hope you have enjoyed this series of travel diaries as much as I have enjoyed writing it.  Feel free to ask me any questions regarding my travels.  

This is why I love layering… I transformed a basic shorts and cami look to a very trendy evening wear by layering a tulle dress over it .

Cami- Primark

Demin Shorts – Dorothy Perkins 

Tulle dress – Asos 

Shoes – Steve Madden

Be sure to follow me on Instagram for regular updates @ijayheavens. I post there regularly. 

See you soon. 

X❤

 

Travel diaries -Discovering Africa – Sierra Leone lookbook -Radisson Blu

I might have lost count of the days as life has been happening day and night. It’s becoming difficult to account for each day as it occurs. Anyway… I had the opportunity to go to the Radisson Blu Hotel. This is supposed to be one of the ‘best’ hotels in Freetown. . 

I had heard lots about the Radisson Blu Hotel,especially from the locals so I couldn’t wait to check it out.

This was first location where our car had been properly checked by security. I have felt reasonably safe in SL through out my stay but I felt extra safe with this added security check. 

 I learnt that this hotel was previously called Mammy Yoko but it was damaged /destroyed in the war .

I really liked it here.  Aside for the great ambiance as you enter the hotel,  there is a wonderful sea breeze coming from all over. It really just envelopes you. This is one of the many things I love about Sierra Leone. Despite the HOT temperature’s, there is always a lovely cool breeze.

These tall trees provide shade from the sun and beyond the tennis court is the beach.  You literally can access Lumely Beach from the hotel. 
We sat by the pool side and had some lunch.  I have to say I was not totally impressed with the service provided. The waiter took so long I thought I was going to pass out. 

The choice of what to have was easy.  I think I have had fish everyday since I arrived in Sierra Leone. This is partly because my mother warned me not to eat any meat following the Ebola crisis. But more so because I wanted to make up for all the fish I don’t eat in London. With the sea so close … there’s always a good section of fresh fish available. Today I  opted for the Snapper. 

This came with 2 sides . Strangly the sauce for the fish was cheeky regarded as a side 😒😒.   For the price I felt a little cheated. Although the food was tasty and well cooked; however, it was nothing to write home about.  We were definitely paying for the location rather than the food. 

In all honestly, the location was pretty amazing. I could see a Tennis court, a Golf course and lots of grounds around the hotel. This hotel is by far the best I have seen in Freetown and am so glad I got to experience it.
For this outing I wore a floral dress.  You cant go wrong with florals on holiday.  However if I am ever unsure I opt for large floral prints in the day and smaller prints for the evenings.

This dress from Marks and Spencer has a very simple cut but the print speaks volumes.

I teamed it with my blue mules an a small blue purse for the kill. Am finding that these mules go with pretty much everythings.  They are perfect for holidays when you don’t want to carry so many things.  

Floral print dress – Marks and Spencers 

Cross over mules – Dorothy Perkins

Handbag – DKNY

Thanks for reading to the end. Be sure to follow me on Instagram for regular updates @ijayheavens I post there regularly. 

See you soon. 

X❤

Travel diaries -Discovering Africa Sierra Leone lookbook -Day 6

I am worried that I will return from this holiday and need another holiday to recover from the holiday. 

It’s been non stop with activities morning and night.  I spent some time by the beach and spotted a Gelato joint called Gigibonita with free WIFI.  My plan was to spend the afternoon there.  Catch up on emails, connect with my friends and family, browse a little; just the usual online stuff. I am strangely missing ‘me time’ and this would have been just that. This plan went right out the window when I met a tall, dark and handsome man. 

Tall guys certainly have an ora about them, especially when they are nicely built. He joined me at my table and we spent a few minutes explaining pleasantries. 

I learnt that Deen  (a pseudonym) used to live in London and relocated to Freetown some years back .  We continued our conversation over lunch at Roys Restaurant.  Slightly taken about by his boldness my only consolation was that he knew my host. Freetown fairly small and everybody knows everybody.  

I did my usual wedding ring finger check. There was no ring…. no ring tan line either. Hummm….. warraheck, so are you married, I asked? 

I appreciated Deen’s honestly- 

Got 3 kids 😒

Separated 😕

Still stays in the same home as your ex each time you are in the UK 😩.

Am done. I had retracted so fast that I was down the other side of the road. He was all the things I didn’t want for myself. This fleeting romance ended at lunch. 

This gorgeous frilled hem dress is from Zara. 

White mules – Primark 

Handbag – Zara
Thanks for reading to the end. Be sure to follow me on Instagram for regular updates @ijayheavens I post there regularly. 

See you soon. 

X❤

Travel diaries -Discovering Africa Sierra Leone – Independence day weekend (lantern Parade)

Am thrilled to be celebrating independence day with my Sierra Leonean friends.  It’s a long weekend and celebrations start with watching the Lanterns at the city centre.

I was not sure what to expect but my host made  a fuss about not taking our phones or valuable’s with us. This made me wonder about the safety. 

I was advised to wear covered shoes to avoid having my toe’s stepped on and to dress down and blend in. No problem! Am 6ft tall and blending is what I do. Lol. 

I kept my dressing simple and put on minimal makeup.

The lantwen show was supposed to start at the Cutting Tree. I am told that this used to be the location of the slave trade. Slaves were taken from Sierra Leone to Banana Island.

The streets were hiving with people. Its like the whole of Freetown was gathered on the street. I would liken this to Nottinghill Carnival except it was in the middle of the night(11pm), there was mess music and more people milling around being very loud. 

I felt very unsettled and just couldn’t get into the grove of things.  I saw lots of kids and was so concerned about there safety. 

After much waiting around we saw 2 poorly constructed floats pass by. ….😩😕😯.

I couldn’t decide if I was more disappointed or confused. At this point I was ready to go.   I was told that through the night various other lanterns/floats would pass and there would be a price for the best float. 

We headed home at approximately 1.30am. The worse part of the night is that I couldn’t take any pictures while out and we came home to NO light !😭😭😭😭

This is a very tired and reluctant Ijay. Nonetheless, I can say I experienced watching the lantern on SL independance day. 

My outfit is pretty basic 

Basic Tee – Primark 

Black high waisted jeans – Dorothy Perkins 

Trainers- Nike 

Kimono -Zara
Thanks for reading to the end. Be sure to follow me on Instagram for regular updates @ijayheavens I post there regularly. 

See you soon. 

X❤