November 19 — Monrovia, Liberia
Good day. November 19th. I made it a point to check out the Diana Hotel, which seemed perfect given my plan to get an Ivory Coast visa and continue on my way.
Detour to the Embassy
On the way to the embassy, I had to go around a fallen tree that someone was in the process of removing. It was an easy one-block detour. Once I arrived, they checked all my paperwork — the application, my reasons for going to Ivory Coast, and of course the required passport photo.
Then came the important question: when would the visa be ready? The answer was three to five days. That was not what I had counted on. I had expected to walk away with the visa the very same day. So yes, a bit of a disappointment. She did say that maybe it could be ready later today or tomorrow morning. Time will tell. Out here, you just have to go with the flow.
Sorting Out Money
Next, it was time to take care of money. Wise.com continues to be a very helpful way to keep money accessible from almost anywhere. I finally got that sorted, though it required navigating big, heavy, crowded market streets — lots of stop and go.
Hotels and Memories
Along the way I noticed a hotel called the Triss Estates. “Triss” reminds me of the troops in Suriname, where I served, so that was a fun little reference to stumble upon.
Later, I found a new place just by checking the map: Laguna a la Laguna Hotel. It could be worse — it has a swimming pool and seems well run. That’s where I’ll stay tonight, hopefully just for one night. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Dinner at Linda’s House
Oh — and there was dinner at Linda’s house. She served an African dish they called a soup, though to me it wasn’t a soup at all. It was a bowl full of different kinds of meat mixed with a green vegetable, supposedly a type of potato green, served with rice. There was hardly any liquid in it.
I’ve noticed a pattern in many African dishes: generally rice with some mixture of vegetables and meat. It all depends on what people have available.
Wrapping Up
Thank you so much for being along. See you tomorrow.
