we took two boats to Bunce Island.
we looked like complete dorks.
just like boats here in the US….no worries right?
HA.
me and shelia and teresa…about to embark on a boat ride like we've never had before.
so much innocence in our faces.
i think these men knew what we were getting into…that's why they were smiling so big.
pam was texting…in a speedboat…on the atlantic ocean.
love it.
i was starting to feel sick.
i had taken dramamene…but there is not enough in the world to prepare for this boat.
he was at top speed and every wave sent us out of our seat.
we were sure one of us would just pop out of the boat….i am not kidding.
so i had passed the camera to pam because i couldn't hold it up to take pictures.
and then a huge wave came.
it was like slow motion for the three of us in the back…
we watched a wave of water come up over the boat and go just between the canopy covering us and window in front of the driver.
SOAKING THE BACK ROW.
from head to toe.
with our mouths open screaming.
i may or may not have been shouting a swear word at this moment.
thankfully pam had the camera.
there was nothing dry on me.
my purse was soaked…my money…passport…all my clothes…my shoes and socks.
and pam was laughing so hard.
it was funny….looking back…not then.
the driver said "oh…sorry."
but he was pretty dry so i wasn't really feeling his apology.
then my dramamene kicked in…
i laid my head back on the seat and gave into the bumps, the sound of the motor and i actually slept.
(either that or i was near death from carbonmonoxcide fumes from the motor.)
some of the pictures pam got during my sleep:
then we arrived at Bunce Island.
one of the boats left to get the tour guide on a different island.
he arrived in a canoe with two boys. 
he spoke krio and cami translated.
Bunce Island was where slaves were brought to be sold.
it was a terrible place.
you can read about it here…or here
….and watch a video if you'd like.
i am now embarrassed about my whining about the speedboat.
africans were kidnapped and brought here and kept for days without food…forced to exercise in the heat
carrying heavy things to prove their strength…and killed if they could not.
they were kept underground.
then they were sold and never returned to their families or home.
we stood in the place where the boats would come in filled with men and women to be sold.
or killed.
or die.
it was so wrong.
can you believe that things like this took place? and are still taking place in different forms today?!
our world just doesn't make sense.
i thought this photo was beautiful.
i didn't take it.
it's from an iPhone i believe.
being the germ-o-phobe americans that we were….one of the ladies passed around face wipes.
our guide had never seen one.
he loved it.
his helper wanted nothing to do with it.
and then we returned in the speed boats.
oh my.
at least we weren't scooping out water in buckets.
i told jody "i am not mad about the boat…i just learned that it is something i never want to do again"
the last time i went on a roller coaster i said "never again"
the last time i went skiing i said "never again"
and now i know….speedboat on the ocean…never again.
🙂
unless i have to.
Tia Oshields - It seems like you girls enjoyed the day with those gentlemen. Careful while texting on a boat, it can be dangerous. You never know when the boat will go fast, turn or stop abruptly so it’s best to pay attention and keep a firm grip on the handles.
Beka - That’s so funny about the cleaning wipes. The guide and his helper’s different reactions. 🙂
Made me smile:)
buy sildenafil citrate - I love the boats that you feel totally free in the ocean and move like you’re a bird but at sea. Traveling on a boat makes me find myself and concentrate on what I really want. This helps me to put my devise ongoing and in order. The ocean is part of me, of all beings on the planet.
adrienne - humbling meg. such a beautiful experience for you to share. our Father is at work in so many different ways. i love the photo of the storms above the island in your most recent post and also the boat (canoe?) filled with the locals… beautiful images.
Brenna Walters - Wow. Amazing.
I am just finishing up a book about this very thing! Bunce Island plays a major part. It’s a great book called Somebody knows my name. I thought of Aminata (character from the book) as I was looking at the pictures of the island.
Thanks for sharing.
merlin - http://myblogintheheartofafrica.blogspot.com/
You may be interested in this gals blog, she is an author and just wrote “Blood Ransom” about today’s slave trade in Africa.
Courtney Walsh - cannot believe this kind of thing went on. why are people so cruel to each other? I don’t understand. Reminds me of seeing photos of the concentration camps from WW2. ugh. What an amazing journey this all was!!
kelly@the blue muse - these posts take me through the whole gamut of emotions…you show us a smile in the face of sadness and everything in between. the photos of your tour guide are stunning, your boat ride hilarious, and then such sobering images of Bunce Island. you are so good at showing us humanity, in all its aspects.
Kellie Dugan - Megan, What an expierence! I have loved every one of your post of Africa. You can tell the gentleness of the people. This is something no one can ever take from you. It makes you thankful for each and every day. Thankful for the smallest of things. We take so much for granted? Thank you for the reminder. Can’t wait to hear more.
p.s. I was scrolling down very slowly as I was reading the wave on the boat part and almost woke everyone up. Your face says it all! HALARIOUS!
melissa mae - i was thinking last night, for a species that prides itself so much on being so evolved, you’d think we would know how to treat each other better, right? Oh well, there is a lot of good and love in this world as well.
i wrote a post about you and your adventure along with a link back. hope that’s okay.
GorgeousGlam - The picture of all the people lined up on that long boat is amazing! xoxo
http://www.gorgeousglam.blogspot.com
Diana - a sad, sad time in history… but even more sad that our current world has not learned anything from those horrific past happenings.
amazing and wonderful photos… from the boat ride and the history tour.
i have never been on a boat… i have always said i will never get on a boat… this clinches it. besides, i can’t swim.
♥
kbonikowsky - I don’t want your pictures to end!!
Ann at the Handley Bungalow - Wow Meg – my kids and I have really enjoyed hearing about your amazing trip! What an adventure and a learning experience. We are learning through you. Much of the world lives like what you have seen. So different than what we experience in the States; it is difficult to explain how poor they are until you see it with your own eyes. I think you are amazing to have volunteered to go and experience life there and be willing to help them! You are an adventurer! Sincerely, Ann
Chantal - Hi Megan,
I love your pictures from Africa, and your very funny stories. I recommend you read The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. It is the story of a slave (fiction, but based on historic facts) who is captured in Sierra Leone and leaves for America from Bunce Island. At one point in the story, she returns to Sierra Leone to Freetown. I love how your pictures have given me another perspective on this story. After your trip to this intriguing country, I believe you would enjoy the book. It has received much critical acclaim here in Canada.
I look forward to reading the rest of your stories.
purejoy - i feel like i went with you on that boat. i have been to china three times and have experienced crazy travel like that and you do laugh hysterically because it sort of masks the abject terror.
i’m sure what you saw was very sobering. your guide looks like morgan freeman. what an amazing trip. i know you are forever changed, and i hope you are reaclimating to life back in america. not an easy thing to do after all you’ve experienced and seen.
Staci - Oh man you are soooo brace! I could.not.have.done.it….I don’t think anyway 🙂 I am terrified of what is in the water….I’ve seen Jaws WAAAAY too many times 😉 That man is beautiful 🙂
Mindy Harris - your guide looks like morgan freeman. thank you for sharing some history with us…i feel so ignorant sometimes.
Messy@Bungalow'56 - I have to find the name of a book for you. It is fiction based on a true story about a slave’s life. A good portion of the story is about the African slaves being caught on their own soil. It was very good. On a side note, I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your comment today over on Clover Lane. I too suffer from motion sickness. I felt for you.
Dana
shayla - that is hilarious about the boat ive so dealt with almost falling out of a speed boat and getting SOAKED as well!!!
that is TERRIBLE about the slave trade spot…its worse that it was their own people that started it…I cant imagine what it would be like for the rich people in America to start selling off the poor people…that is just awful!!! 🙁
Anne - thanks for sharing all of this. we do live in a strange and wrong world…it’s hard to look at those pictures and imagine all of the people who suffered/died. It is even harder to realize that slavery is still going on RIGHT NOW…with the sex-slave trade…during our sermon a few weeks ago, the speaker said that there are more than 3 million (think I am remembering that right) women/children enslaved…..which is way more than when african slavery was going on. I pray that it too will be ended soon..and that everyone will open their eyes to what is going on around the world with this. thanks again for all of your experiences
Sally Mangham - I think I am the 3rd person to comment on the boat with all the locals in it…WOW! And to know that you were standing where history took place…it’s very emotional. Again, thanks for sharing!
merlin - Oh, I do hope you can tell us about the boat with the “million” people on it….good grief, where are they going? Why so many on one boat? Do they pay to travel like that? Is it luxury? I ask sincerely, the standard is so different, for all I know, maybe just getting on a crowded boat is a status symbol over there.
And the slave part, yes, how? but worse, why still today?
Sharla - I love that picture with all of the people on the long boat.
H-Mama @ Family Team - Simply Amazing.
donna - wow. i love all your pics and your stories from your trip. that is truly a part of life that i wish that i could experience. you are brave and your heart is overflowing with kindness and goodness!
amy d - you have really captured some humbling moments with your camera…glad your trip went well and you made it back safe.
🙂
Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - First of all that speedboat ride would have done me in too. Can’t believe you actually fell asleep. Thank heavens for Dramamine.
I got chills reading about that island and the slaves. How horrifying! To actually see the place in person and for you to share it here was very eye opening. It makes it so much more real. I can’t even begin to fathom such things. I often think about God and how he can stand the sin in the world.
julia - I love the shot with all of the people in one boat…I’m not a big boat fan either…went on one with a 3 month old strapped to me. all I could think of was that I was sure God didn’t plan on me dying that day.
Oh, the b&w picture is amazing. He looks like a nice person.
Molly Pearce - I love the picture of your tour guide, it is beautiful! Your pictures speak a 1000 words! Very moving!
~Molly P
candace - I’m at school on lunch and I am doing all I can to keep from crying. I haven’t posted at all on your Sierra Leonne posts because they…well, they have just reminded me SO much of my trip to Ghana and I just want to soak in all of what you are sharing. It is just too much today. We went to El Mina slave castle in Cape Cost, Ghana. It truly is an amazing experience! Thank you for sharing and being honest about the speed boat thing. Yikes!