I haven’t been to any other country but England and Canada. I know I should get out more and I sometimes envy those who travel to "far and exotic places" for life experiences. But I don’t think I’d want flying domestically in Somalia to be one of them. It sounds like a horrible experience – even if you live to tell about it.

Taking a domestic flight in Somalia is an experience that can best be described as travelling to the brink of death and coming back. The airplanes on the domestic routes are commonly called express flying coffins and those who survive a flight on them are fittingly referred to as coffin dodgers.

People say prayers reserved for the dead as they take off. It’s crowded – no seats for some and if you have to get up, you’ll lose it. The seats, for that matter, don’t stay upright. There is no baggage storage. And no AC. The pilots enter through the emergency exits. Oh… and black smoke pours out of the engines. And let’s not forget that planes have been targeted by terrorists.

Perhaps the black smoke and no AC isn’t the norm but it sure sounds like a regular thing. And yet, people think this is better than driving given the poor safety conditions of their roads.

via Boing Boing