Monrovia, Liberia Tour w/photos.

So, on the very second day of my time in country in Liberia the Mrs arranges for us to join a 6 hour/all day Orientation Tour.  Despite my general misanthropy and introversion and jet lag, I join in because I am a goodly husband and surely this will score me points for down the road.  With just the ride from the airport plus the tour - Liberia is definitively "developing world" in a way I've never experienced first hand.  They've had the holy hell kicked out of it by nearly 15 years of war.  And it shows.  I'm sure if you compared it to how it was even a few years ago, it's probably vastly improved, and there's all sorts of construction and rebuilding evident, but still...  this is a country clearly working to get back on its feet.


Mamba Point Lighthouse at Cape Mesurado - where expatriate slaves who would go on to found Liberia first came ashore."This cannon is known as the Matilda Newport cannon and is located at Fort Norris on Ducor Hill.   The hill overlooks the city and bay of Monrovia, Cape Montserrado.  During the early days of the settlement that is now Monrovia, Matilda Newport as the story goes,was taking an evening stroll smoking her pipe, when she saw a group of  native Liberians in war paint advancing on the settlement.  She use her pipe to light this loaded cannon that was facing the direction the attackers were coming from... The sound was so loud, it frighten the attackers who had never seen such a discharge of firing power before..." - via The Liberian Connection Photos Kids playing soccer...

The Ducor Hotel.  Once a 5 star resort, looted during the wars, victim of fires, home to refugees and squatters in the years since.  Apparently a Libyan company has signed a lease to renovate it.
And how it used to look back in the day, picture via. Views from the hotel...
Group, officially orientated.Liberia's first President.Pic o' the day.  She'll do whatever's necessary for a photo, she will.The Liberian National Museum.Walking sticks denoting positions of authority.Liberian National Museum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "...approximately 5,000 artefacts were looted during [the Liberian Civil War] ...now less than 100 larger artefacts remain...  During the war, valuable museum items were often sold to fleeing expatriates and the museum itself came under fire during rebel attacks in 2003."Drums.A painting meant to depict the ending of the First Liberian Civil War.The Liberation Monument.Which reminded me of the plebes climbing the Herndon monument at the Naval Academy at the end of 4/C year...  too funny."The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here." And then "...the Americo-Liberian minority worked to dominate the native people, whom they considered savage primitives." Sigh...
The Centennial Pavilion, constructed in 1947, where Liberian Presidents are sworn in.Oldest church in Liberia.Me, not bursting into flames in the oldest church in Liberia.  Clearly, I'm not trying hard enough.Always working.Evelyn's for lunch...Pretty good.  I liked the Palm Butter Rice w/fish dish.  Spicy, reminded me of an Indian or Thai curry.  Melting gold dust to make jewelry.A couple Monrovia shots...