To There And Back Or Not
Eli 24.8 went to Cameroon for two weeks to see his best friend.
This made me nervous, because some quick research indicated that Cameroon was one of the less safe African countries to visit. Significantly less safe, according to some data sources.
The two weeks went well enough (although we haven't talked in-depth about the trip yet), but when it came time to leave on Saturday, he didn't.
People were waiting for their flight on Saturday and it was announced that the flight was cancelled. No reason given. Their passports weren't stamped upon exiting the airport and boarding a bus to a local hotel, so technically, they were now in the country illegally.
You do not want to be in Cameroon illegally, according to Eli. The police are problematic.
The airport kept his bags as well (his bag plus one he was bring back for his friend). So he's in Cameroon illegally (technically), with no money (he spent it before going to the airport, because he was leaving), and none of his stuff. He was trapped in the hotel.
Worse, even though they had scheduled a flight for the passengers on Sunday, he said if he didn't get out on Sunday it might take up to a week. Traveling from Africa is often erratic under the best of circumstances, and jet fuel shortages (thanks, idiotic war) will always hit Africa worse than anywhere else.
The new academic term starts today, and he's teaching a class. Not teaching for the first week would be a disaster.
I almost never see him nervous, but he definitely was when we talked on the phone on Saturday. It was the perfect storm to turn into something very bad.
Fortunately, though, it didn't. The bus came on schedule Sunday morning, the flight left on time, and he said when the wheels went up he felt a huge sense of relief. He was unexpectedly in Istanbul overnight because of the flight changes, so he actually broke down and spent money on the airport hotel (which was terrific) instead of being bussed two hours to the hotel provided by the airline.
He landed in London a few hours ago and should be back home now. It's entirely possible he did an Indiana Jones and went straight to his class because he's teaching this term.
"I may have had enough of traveling in Africa for a while," he said, and I believe him.
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