Robertsport

Desperate to get outside of Monrovia and see more of what we're told is Liberia's green countryside, a carload of us took a two-hour drive to Robertsport, the capital city of Cape Mount County. Monrovia is in Montserrado County, and Cape Mount is essentially the next county over. We've been talking about Robertsport for weeks now, although we didn't really have an itinerary until a couple days ago when I started asking our Liberian colleagues what we could do in Robertsport. Many said, "Uh, I'm not sure I could tell you," and I also got a couple "Nothing"s. Turns out the main attraction in Robertsport is the beach, which wasn't a bad thing at all.

The first half of the drive out was on paved road, but the second half was a dirt road, which was a bit bumpy but not unbearable. On the way home the terrain seemed rougher, although it obviously couldn't have been. Maybe our time in the sun and our general fatigue made it seem that way : )

Once we arrived, we did a quick driving tour of the town. The hospital in Robertsport sits atop a big hill (don't ask me how someone in urgent need of care could quickly hike up the dirt path), and when we drove up we were treated to a gorgeous view of the ocean below. As we drove back down we passed homes bordering on estates that must have been vacation getaways 30 years ago. You could easily envision people breakfasting outside, children playing in yards, adults relaxing in hammocks. Today, however, the properties are rundown, without doors and windows, and completely empty inside.

There were probably just 15 other people on the beach, so we had our choice of sand. Immediately upon our arrival about 10 kids ages 6-12 came over to check us out. We asked one of them to help us with something, and when he did, our friend Amanda made the whole crew peanut butter sandwiches. It was hard to lose our new friends after that, but we quickly realized they were interested in the plastic water bottles we had with us. They wouldn't leave until we told them they wouldn't get the plastic when we left if they kept it up! (It sounds mean, but we had hours ahead of us, and they had sort of wedged themselves all around our blankets and towels.) It worked though; they scooted off and came back only when it was clear we were leaving.

Many of us had spent yesterday afternoon focusing on work we had taken home, so today brought welcome R&R. The beach was very nice, and the surrounding scenery was richer than anything I've seen in Monrovia.

The challenging part about today was being able to envision how lovely Robertsport must have been in the recent past, a beach town for locals and visitors alike. Monrovia is equally (perhaps more so) run down, with most buildings in disrepair and makeshift homes sprouting everywhere, but you generally expect to find some degree of chaos, dirt, and dinginess in a major city. On our way out of Robertsport, we noticed a building with a majestic quality that neglect and abandonment couldn't completely eliminate. As we got closer, we saw faded letters above the once-ornate entrance: Tubman Center for African History & Culture.