“Welcome back”, Mr Kondeh, the customs officer says with a bright smile while gesturing me to enter his office.
He stamped me in upon arrival in Sierra Leone at the Kambia crossing and clearly recognizes me. He is eager to hear about our trip through his beloved country. I happily share about our experiences, while he flips through the pages of my passport.
“What happened?”, he asks, spotting a few more stamps than he expected. He immediately grabs the phone to call the subordinate, who put them.
“I trust he treated you well”, he says to me.
As he is already talking with the man, I am spared the answer.
Crossing the land border from Guinea to Sierra Leone wasn’t as complicated as we had anticipated. Of course there were a couple of steps to complete, especially with regard to our Malian-registered vehicle, and we had to wait a bit for all the procedures to be completed.
The officer stamping me into the country, upon showing him the visa documents, was kind and helpful, showering me with tips. My Malian team members, who didn’t need a visa, had in the meantime completed their formalities at another desk.