There are 15,000 UN troops here in Liberia. Representing over 40 countries. Apparently it is the UN's largest (or most expensive?) deployment ever.
Last night Julie and I went to a house warming party hosted by a Felipino UNMIL (UN Military) woman. We met lots of members of the Felipino contingent (they told us there are over 200 of them, each individual only for 4 to 8 months). We also met the Nigerian Commandor. A super nice lot. You can imagine the house: a dozen white UN Toyota Landcruisers parked out front... and Julie's car. We sang karaoke with the Felipino and had Felipino food. It was great.
Before the dinner Julie and I were sitting at the beach (again, the parking lot of the place looked like a white SUV convention -- I cannot get over how many there are!), drinking Club Beer (brewed in Monrovia!). We went swimming in the warm waters of the Atlantic and tanned; it really felt like we were on vacation.
I am in a hurry to get back to Bamako because my Guinea visa expires on the 6th of May and I need to be at work on Monday. All weekend I was trying to get different people's recommendations for leaving this country and weighing different options ("how's the road?" "Is the border open?" "What are the bush-taxis like?" "How often to they run?" "Are there a lot of check-points?"...).
It is a little complicated. I can either go north across Liberia and straight into Southern Guinea by bush taxi (cross the border at Ganta). And from there to Bamako (still 900 km). Or back across the border to Sierra Leone, and from Freetown on to Conakry and onto Bamako by bush taxi... Each route has pros and cons. The interior of Liberia and southern Guinea would be great to see. The "Guinean forests" (of Liberia, Guinea and Ivory Coast) host 50% of all mammal species in Africa. However, I know the other route already (and could, if I had left Sunday, gotten a ride with a GTZ vehicle from Freetown to Conakry on Tuesday)...
Either way, a long way overland. So I am risking running late and trying my shot at getting onto the wednesday morning World Food Program flight to Conakry via Freetown (it is free!). It took me all day to get authorization from UNDP - Liberia to be on the flight (get UNDP - Mali to confirm that I work for them), but I need to check tomorrow afternoon if I made it (priority being given to those that are going on official business). If I didn't I will choose the route across Liberia and into Southern Guinea....
Last night Julie and I went to a house warming party hosted by a Felipino UNMIL (UN Military) woman. We met lots of members of the Felipino contingent (they told us there are over 200 of them, each individual only for 4 to 8 months). We also met the Nigerian Commandor. A super nice lot. You can imagine the house: a dozen white UN Toyota Landcruisers parked out front... and Julie's car. We sang karaoke with the Felipino and had Felipino food. It was great.
Before the dinner Julie and I were sitting at the beach (again, the parking lot of the place looked like a white SUV convention -- I cannot get over how many there are!), drinking Club Beer (brewed in Monrovia!). We went swimming in the warm waters of the Atlantic and tanned; it really felt like we were on vacation.
I am in a hurry to get back to Bamako because my Guinea visa expires on the 6th of May and I need to be at work on Monday. All weekend I was trying to get different people's recommendations for leaving this country and weighing different options ("how's the road?" "Is the border open?" "What are the bush-taxis like?" "How often to they run?" "Are there a lot of check-points?"...).
It is a little complicated. I can either go north across Liberia and straight into Southern Guinea by bush taxi (cross the border at Ganta). And from there to Bamako (still 900 km). Or back across the border to Sierra Leone, and from Freetown on to Conakry and onto Bamako by bush taxi... Each route has pros and cons. The interior of Liberia and southern Guinea would be great to see. The "Guinean forests" (of Liberia, Guinea and Ivory Coast) host 50% of all mammal species in Africa. However, I know the other route already (and could, if I had left Sunday, gotten a ride with a GTZ vehicle from Freetown to Conakry on Tuesday)...
Either way, a long way overland. So I am risking running late and trying my shot at getting onto the wednesday morning World Food Program flight to Conakry via Freetown (it is free!). It took me all day to get authorization from UNDP - Liberia to be on the flight (get UNDP - Mali to confirm that I work for them), but I need to check tomorrow afternoon if I made it (priority being given to those that are going on official business). If I didn't I will choose the route across Liberia and into Southern Guinea....
posted by Dom at
5:09 PM
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