<\/p>\n
Want to experience for yourself the sense of discovery like your traveling forbearers did? You’ve heard the stories before (most likely from that high school science teacher that had a pony tail or from that uncle that shows up for Christmas every three years): The Hippie Trail<\/a> in the ’60’s, Thailand\/Bali in the 70’s — those famed destinations pre-Lonely Planet where the culture was real, the Speedo-wearing vacationer was non-existent, and the experience was authentic. It may be getting even more difficult now with the rise of the internet to keep a destination secret — ahem — but don’t blame the messenger.<\/p>\n Anyways, it’s hard not to think of Sierra Leone and West Africa as one of those secrets. Scared off by a distant war and relatively difficult accessibility (be ready to take a speedboat from your airport), Sierra Leone’s way off the well-beaten-path for most travelers, despite its beautiful — but empty — beaches, Freetown — “one of the prettiest town on the West African coast<\/a>,” and a chance to experience that magical sensation of discovery (and to say you were there in the ’00’s — that’s so awkward to say isn’t it?).<\/p>\n