November 18 — Monrovia, Liberia
Good day. I’m in Monrovia, Liberia today — mostly because of visa issues.
Embassy Runs: Ghana
You need to get visas in the big towns where the embassies are, and it is not always straightforward. My first stop was the Ghanaian embassy. They make a lot of noise about having to sign up online first and that it takes a long time. There’s also been recent change: Ghana has eased visa requirements for many African countries.
At the Ghana embassy I was told by the first person inside that in my situation I would either do a visa on arrival (normally only available at airports) — which made me question her — or I could try for a visa in Abidjan in Ivory Coast, because in Liberia this office only services people from Ghana who live here. So that option didn’t apply to me. It was an okay answer, all things considered.
Embassy Visit: Ivory Coast
I left for the Ivory Coast embassy and there I finally got an application and a full list of requirements. One of the requirements was a hotel reservation in Abidjan. I figured it would take about four or five days to get to Abidjan if I keep moving, so I made that reservation.
Exploring Old Monrovia
Since I wasn’t going back the same day, I decided to walk around town and get a feel for the older parts of Monrovia. I ended up at a spot called “The Family Porch” — a place where people gather for food and drinks. Lots of rooftops, lots of people, and lots to see. I enjoyed walking around and taking it all in.
Street Food Finds
On the way I grabbed some food. You find surprising things when you wander — I really like fried bananas and little snacks like that.
Thanks for Coming Along
So thank you for being along with me today. Hopefully I’ll have more to share tomorrow.
