Juba-lant arrival

Juba has not had a good press in recent years, and especially in recent months. However we have a programme here which I may increasingly be involved in the management of, so it's important to learn about the work and meet staff and government partners.

I've never flown into a capital that can well be described as a collection of tin shacks and a UN mission. I was jolted from sleep as we descended, could see nothing but scrubland from the plane windows and honestly thought we were crash landing in the middle of nowhere.

My colleague Adrian's knowledge of South Sudan and calm approach meant the day has been smooth, even when the car battery failed and we had to push it up the road. I had fun being introduced to the staff in the compound where we have a house. Sebit thinks I am 25 and similar to Wayne Rooney, which gave me a mixed reaction, although when I regaled him about serving pies and Bovril at Old Trafford when I was a masters student, it was a good bonding moment.

As incongruous as it is to be staying somewhere with such a lovely looking pool in the capital of a country in conflict, a) the work we do here is important and much appreciated by the Wildlife Service, b) it's either stay somewhere like this or risk being robbed in the night and c) it feels nice to be sitting in the tropical warm air of an evening.