[London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom]

We're taxiing on the runway now, and I thought that I'd give an update on the last 14 hours or so. The flight from Freetown was delayed (and entrance to the airplane itself was also delayed) because none of the electronic security scanners were being used. Instead, all bags were searched manually, and some were asked - neither Brad nor myself, thankfully - for an off-the-books $40 "service charge". Consequently, the line took a few hours to get through in the stuffy heat, but due to the flight and boarding delay, Brad and I had time to get a more proper dinner (which was actually quite reasonably priced): a delicious and satisfying Shrimp Lungi with rice and soda.
The meal on the plane was delicious as well, although I barely woke up in time. I slept pretty much the entire duration of the 5-6 hour flight to London.

Our time in Heathrow was cut short, so we were unable to locate a fast-food place at which to have breakfast. Oh well. In seven hours life-time / two-hours artificial time, I will be in Chicago!

At the airport, I've been able to gain more information (via television) regarding a few developments about which I heard a little while in Sierra Leone with very limited Internet access. A massive earthquake hit Haiti, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands, the homelessness of millions, and the destruction of a capital and government. I cannot begin to imagine the horror that has transpired there (and will continue to occur). Brad has a number of connections to the country (including some friends who visited Haiti a few weeks ago), and he seems especially troubled by the disaster. I hope to learn more once back on US soil. On the bright side of things, if the international community and Haitian government / people respond properly (and it appears at least that the US has responded strongly and swiftly), this disaster (though extremely tragic), may provide the opportunity to rebuild Port-au-Prince (and the other impacted areas of Haiti) better than it has ever been, with improved transportation, communication, sanitation, and water infrastructure.

Yesterday, on the way to Lungi, we stopped in Port Loko to meet with the District Minister of Agriculture. Initially, only Dr. Bart, Abi, Craig, and Craig's guide Samuel were going to attend. Since I'm somewhat of a government junkie, I asked to attend and promised to remain quite. Silence was difficult - though achieved - when the Minister spoke of a problem with disseminating information to rural farmers. I had (what I thought to be) a good idea, but waited to mention it to the group afterward. During the meeting, Brad and Kelly went to the nearby market for snacks while the driver watched our things.

All told, the bumpy, bumpy ride on the "highway" from Port Loko to Lungi took a few hours. Luckily for us, the cramped vehicle had a few cassette tapes, including Bob Marley's "Legend" and a few Sierra Leone originals to ease our passing.