smile

I am most rubbish at blogging these days and have come to the opinion I should stop or make a more concerted effort... so I will try and do the later. In the mean time I am off to Sierra Leone on a work mini break.

The FCO travel advise provided much amusement... mostly because amusement is really the only response one can have to the trauma that getting to SL may be for someone like me who has a large and possibly irrational fear of flying... a fear that doesn't really go very well with my job... anyway below are some highlights from the British Government's travel advise to SL:

Lungi airport is situated on the far side of a wide estuary from Freetown. There are currently five travel options from Lungi airport: road, helicopter, ferry, hovercraft and private boat service. None is without risk.

• The Foreign and Commonwealth Office permits its own staff to travel between Lungi and Freetown only by road by day and at moderate speeds using competent, well-rested drivers driving in convoys of at least two vehicles suitable for travel on badly-rutted unmade roads. (all very nice for FCO types I am sure).
• Sea-going vessels in Sierra Leone are not required to meet the maintenance standards or pass the safety checks that would be required in the UK. The risks associated with sea travel are therefore greater than they would be on a similar vessel in British waters. There is no scheduled service with full maintenance records available for public inspection. There will be no public emergency service response to any problems at sea. (that makes things clear then.)
• The ferry was warned by the Port Authorities in January 2007 about overloading, and has been known to operate in poor visibility without lights. There is a lack of basic safety equipment on board, including navigational aids, lifeboats and accessible life jackets. Emergency procedures are unclear.
• The commercial hovercraft service between Freetown and Mahera Beach relaunched on 7 May 2008. On 2 July the hovercraft lost power and failed to fully get up the beach at Aberdeen. On 23 May the hovercraft crashed into the terminal at Mahera Beach damaging the wall of the building (!!!!). None of the passengers waiting in the terminal was hurt. In November 2007 it experienced mechanical problems while crossing the lagoon. There was no organised emergency response and the passengers were rescued by small craft. The hovercraft was subsequently towed back to Freetown.

As a result I will be riding the helichopper which takes less than 10 min and tends to crash about once a year (usually with many fatalities)... so the odds aren't too bad...