Wednesday, 23 June

I finally got my internet connection established so I have been able to post some updates - as well as listen live to TSF and Nostalgie radio from Paris. Beni is suprisingly advanced - internet connection, mobile phone coverage, satellite TV (to watch England play in Portugal) as well as a plentiful supply of items that we take for granted in Western Europe. Beni is a coffee producing region, although it is better known as a gold town. Gold is the main reason why people are fighting to gain control of this region - as well as various ethnic conflicts. However, at the moment the town seems peaceful. It is the surrounding region where the problems are. The government have sent 9000 troops to defend the area and the UN have made a request for international support for the provision of more peace-keeping troops. At least if trouble comes this way I am not too far from the Ugandan border...

Tuesday, 22 June

For now I am staying in a hotel close to the UN compound where I am working. The place is suprisingly nice, except for the lack of running water. Showers come in the form of a bucket of water. On Saturday I will move to a house with a UN colleague. The necessary preparations are quite interesting - barbed wire, security guard, house-keeper etc. Beni is a lot cheaper than Kinshasa and everything is available here - mostly smuggled in from the Middle East by one of the many Russian pilots who stay at the hotel!

Monday, 21 June

I spent most of the day travelling from Kinshasa to Beni - via Kisingani, Entebbe (Uganda) and Bunia - 4 flights and 3 changes later I finally arrived! The highlight of the trip was a visit to the duty free shop at Entebbe Airport - a (brief) return to the real world:

Entebbe Originally uploaded by jweatherlake.

During the trip I managed to get some photos of the countryside - no police around to stop me taking pictures:

Village seen from a plane Originally uploaded by jweatherlake.

Lake Victoria Originally uploaded by jweatherlake.

Flight, Entebbe-Bunia Originally uploaded by jweatherlake.

The town of Beni reminds me of a place in a Western - one long (dusty) street with single storey shops and bars lining the road. Most people here travel on motor bikes - the horse of the 20th Century... With a little imagination this is the Wild West!

Sunday, 20 June

This morning I went to the Greek Orthodox Church here in Kinshasa - again I saw many familiar faces from work. There is quite a big Greek community here - and as a consequence lots of Greek restaurants. It all seems very surreal to find this in Congo!

Greek Church Originally uploaded by jweatherlake.

Saturday, 19 June

I went to a friends house today - it was the first time that I have visited a private house here in Kinshasa. It was nice to be out ofthe usual hotel environment again and to eat some home made food. I also went swimming in the pool - even though it is winter here it is still 29°C!

Friday, 18 June

This evening I went out with some colleagues to the weekly barbecue at the British Embassy - It was really good, with food and drink 'à volonté'. It was a welcome change to the hotel restaurant. One of the problems with living near the equator is that the evenings get dark early, which means that going out in the evenings, especially after work is not very easy. Kinshasa is supposed to be quite dangerous after dark.
I am busy enjoying the good things that Kinshasa has to offer before I go to my very remote posting on Monday...

MONUC HQ Originally uploaded by jweatherlake.

Here is a picture of where I work - the MONUC (Mission des Nations Unies au Congo) Headquarters. As you can see it is reasonably modern (by local standards) with good views of the city from the top floors - it is one of the tallest buildings in Kinshasa.

City view Originally uploaded by jweatherlake.

This is a view from the top of my hotel looking in the direction of the railway station and Congo river.