Deb in Liberia: Robertsport

For New Year's we took a 3 day vacation in Robertsport. It was a wonderful time in paradise. Robertsport is about a 3 hour drive from Monrovia (towards the Sierra Leone border). It is a quiet little beach town hidden from the bustle of the city. This was my first trip out of town and I loved every minute of it. I quickly ran out of words to describe how beautiful it was.

We headed out around 0600, hoping to arrive in time to spend most of the day on the beach, swimming and surfing. About half way there one of the cars had some technical difficulties and we had to tow it all the way back to town. Several hours and a car change later we were headed out again, finally arriving around 6pm. It had all the possibilities for a disaster, but everyone stayed in good spirits and even though we would have rather been in the water, it was actually a fun day in the car. We can just add it to our Liberian experience. Despite the late arrival we were still able to squeeze in a swim/surf before dark. And it was wonderful!

Most of New Year's Eve day was spent on the beach. We ventured back to the tent to BBQ hamburgers in the afternoon. There was a wedding on the beach that evening that we were all invited to. The happy couple was a South African man and a woman from Norway. They had a simple, intimate, yet elegant set up. Can you really think of anything more romantic than a wedding on the beach at sunset on New Year's Eve? A couple of my friends went to the ceremony, while a few others of us hiked up to the roof of a nearby abandoned hotel and watched from there. It was beautiful!

I have never had a New Year's Eve like I did at Robertsport. Attending the wedding reception of complete strangers, great food, delightful champagne, and dancing! (I don't think I have danced since like 8th grade.) At midnight we celebrated with shouts and sparklers. (We had practiced the words to Auld Lang Syne but forgot to sing it.) Sometime after midnight we decided to go for a swim and found ourselves glowing in the dark. There is a phosphorescence in the water that sparkles every time you move. Everywhere you looked you could see sparks, like a billion tiny fireflies in the water. I really did not know where to look, at the amazing underwater fireworks display or at the millenia of stars shining above. It was God's creation like I had never seen. After swimming we enjoyed a bonfire on the beach followed by more dancing and even a few cartwheels. It was 0500 (midnight on the East Coast) when I finally crawled into bed for a few hours of sleep. New Years Day was much more low key. I napped on the beach under a Lonestar umbrella and took occasional dips in the sea. We really did not want to leave and seriously considered staying another night, but in the end we piled into the cars and headed back to Monrovia both exhausted and rejuvinated.