I hope all is well with you and yours.
Last month there was an unfortunate incident at one of Sierra Leone's growing tourist spots - the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary which sadly cost one life. Initial reports spoke of carnage and the camp being totally destroyed but as far as I have been made to understand this is not correct and business continues as normal. Most of the chimpanzees have also returned to camp but Bruno, Phillip and a small number of the animals are still on the run. This is the first such incident since the camp was set up in 1995 when I spoke to Bala (The Project Director) he agreed lessons would have to be learnt. For more on Tacugama and the incident:
http://forum.visitsierraleone.org/forum_posts.asp?TID=1274
http://www.tacugama.com
Site News
We have started running Google ads on some of our pages as a means of generating revenue for the site and keep the newsletter going. The way it works is VSL gets a tiny sum when those ads are clicked. From time to time we will also preview Sierra Leone related books from Amazon.com in the newsletter, again VSL will get a tiny (and I mean tiny) percentage for items purchased via one of our links. See our books page for an example:
http://www.visitsierraleone.org/books.asp
Also let me know what you think of the new newsletter layout, this is an attempt to make it even easier for you to read. As always please email feedback to:
newsletter@visitsierraleone.org
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Guest Article
 I've just arrived back from spending two memorable weeks in Freetown and thanks to VSL I had all the help I needed in organising my trip (sorting out accommodation, pick up and advice). Their rep met me at the airport and was able to get me on the first helicopter out of Lungi airport (which is important or you'll be waiting ages). Anyway, after spending two weeks for the first time in Sierra Leone, I think VSL is exactly what the country needs to encourage tourism to a country which needs all the help it can get. I was a nervous and scared first time traveller to Sierra Leone and did not quite know what to expect, where to stay or how I'm going to get around, then I found the site reassuring. I had an amazing time, went out every night travelled to every part of Freetown, I hired a 4x4 with a driver everyday so made getting around to see Iye's family a lot easier, most days we came back with a live chicken in the jeep as it seems to be traditional her family give you a life chicken to eat. So I ate chicken and cassava leaf most days, washed down with a few beers and barbecued goat meat at Paddys till the early hours then go on to Old Skool or Langundas. We went out to No2 River and Lakka beach (i think that's what it was called) at the weekends. Sierra Leone is an amazing country, I've never been to West Africa before and just didn't know what to expect. I had the typical misconception of the place being really dangerous with everyone carrying machetes and not being able to venture outside of the hotel. Well for those who have never been to Freetown I felt more in danger in London and Manchester walking around yes there was a terrible war in Sierra Leone and awful atrocities committed but that was a war, life now is peaceful but still a struggle for most Sierra Leoneans- but they are such nice friendly people who welcome you to their country with open friendly arms. Yes the poverty is very upsetting but once you look beyond that you see people surviving in those conditions and it makes you feel proud of them and makes you want to do all you can to help. Keep the good work up guys and I'll be in contact soon as I want to go back ASAP. 
Damian Fairbrother
Guest Letter
Thanks to everyone who usually replies to the newsletter with kind words of support. It really means a lot and is food for the soul. This month, I've decided to highlight one such email..
I just received your April issue of the Sierra Leone News Letter that you produce, through my friend Arnold and found it most interesting especially for those of us in the diaspora. You may recall me contacting you, again at the advice of Arnold, to advertise my lands in S. Leone through your web-page---this I did, found a potential buyer, we are still negotiating !!!
I would appreciate being on your mailing list for futher copies of the news letter and look forward to keeping in touch with home news.
Sincere thanks,
Nuhad Courban Diamantopoulos
Thank you very much for your emails!
Forum topic of the month
Represent your area! We thought it would be great to find what parts of the country forumites hail from and how well travelled we are. find out what forumites like and dislike about their "areas". We ended up taking a trip down memory lane...
http://forum.visitsierraleone.org/forum_posts.asp?TID=1292
That's all for now folks! Thanks for the support and see you next month!
Bimbola
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