Building Futures in Ganta: A Journey Beyond Monrovia

November 26th – Finally Time to Move On

Good day. November 26th. Finally time to move on.

Meeting Sai Buor Brewer and CLT International

The day before, I met another person named Sai Buor Brewer, who is a librarian and also an American who lived in Michigan for a very long time. About ten years ago, he decided he needed to do more for the people of Liberia. With the help of a church or churches, he founded CLT International.

The result of that effort was the building of a college in Ganta, Liberia.

Heading Toward Ganta

Ganta is about a three to four hour drive from Monrovia. As we talked more, it led to plans for me to stop by his next project: a high school being built in Cantu. We tried to coordinate being there at the same time, but that part didn’t quite work out.

Still, that was my first intention and my main goal. I got on my way, dealing with the usual busy areas where traffic moves very slowly and where you occasionally end up inhaling diesel fumes.

On the Road Through Liberia

This is not a place for the faint of heart when it comes to air quality. I try not to breathe too deeply when that happens, but it does happen fairly often.

Overall, it was an enjoyable ride. The road was really good all the way to Ganta, with just a few sections that needed improvement. It makes such a difference when the road is in decent shape.

Police Stops and Border Formalities

Generally, police stops are friendly, often just a welcome, and require very little time or paperwork. There’s minimal need to show a passport or carnet.

Then there are the “one-liner” stops, usually before getting close to the border. There’s a big book where your passport information is written down in one or two lines. That seems to happen everywhere.

Finding the High School

When I arrived near Cantu, I asked a motorbike rider to help me find the high school. He escorted me there, which saved a lot of time.

The school was very impressive, with room on the same grounds to eventually build an elementary school as well. The place was happening, even though the person I was supposed to meet wasn’t there.

Touring the School Grounds

I was shown around, took a few pictures, met the librarian, and met Jonathan, the economics professor. He was the main person who showed me around and filled me in on many details.

They even keep pigs on the grounds in an inner barn. There were orange trees that aren’t bearing fruit yet, a sports field, and plenty of open space. It was a really neat place.

Well done, Mr. Brewer. I’m sure we’ll see each other again another time.

Unexpected Travelers on the Road

Before I even arrived there, at one of those one-liner police stops, two guys showed up who were clearly not from Liberia. One was really big, and the other just a bit less so. Their names were Seth and Ollie.

Seth and Ollie were driving a three-wheeled vehicle. I’m not sure of the brand, but I had read about them a few weeks earlier, and there they were. We met, chatted, and even took a picture together at the gas station.

An Invitation Declined

They invited me to go camping with them at a waterfall, but it was about 20 kilometers off my route, and I had committed to being at the school. So that didn’t work out this time.

Maybe another time. It’s impressive that their three-wheeler, which isn’t very high off the ground, is capable of making it through places like Guinea. That’s quite a feat.

Ending the Day at the Border

It was still an amazing day. I made it to another Ala Lagoon Hotel, owned by the same person as the one in Monrovia. He built this hotel in the border town before leaving Liberia.

He’s been traveling back and forth to Abidjan, so it makes sense he needed a place to stay. There’s nothing else like it around.

A Quiet Place Near the Forest

The hotel isn’t officially open yet. It has 16 rooms, a conference space, and views over the forest, banana trees, palm trees, and more. It’s a neat little town to have a place like that.