An ode to SUNDAY beach day
One of the under appreciated gems of Liberia are it's beaches. I still remember my 1st time on one. The city of Monrovia is on the peninsula of Cape Mesurado which makes it a beach town reminiscent of the Jersey shore or even parts of Miami if it was cultivated for that purpose. Everytime I'm on the beach in Central Monrovia I dream of a series of high rise apartment buildings along the beach not unlike San Juan, Puerto Rico's tourist strip. Monrovia doesn't have that vacation town vibe though and with little attention dedicated to capitalizing on it’s tourism potential, it's definitely evolved into a more commercial & residential city. Tubman Blvd., the city’s main thoroughfare perpetually buzzing with traffic and the associated noise and pollution typical of a type of business district. Some of it’s most densely packed quarters are beachfront zinc settlements like the one in Congo Town l first explored 4 years ago. I trudged towards the beach that day in embarrassingly heavy rain boots because I had been attuned to the tales of Liberian beaches that had become public restrooms in the absence of proper infrastructure especially throughout & following 15 years of war.
Now, a more experienced Liberian beach goer, heading to the beach early on a Sunday morning or afternoon is my absolute favorite thing to do (in flip flops of course). Only about 30 minutes drive (or less on a good day) in the outer Monrovia suburb of Paynesville, exists a plethora of clean beaches cultivated for leisure and entertainment. If you're looking for a more intimate, relaxing, and less crowded experience (Sunday sometimes feel like National Beach Day & everyone is at 2 popular destinations) you can drive a little further into Marshall. Drive further out into the Western county of Cape Mount and you're blessed with even more untouched pristine beach in the idyllic beach town of Robertsport. Rivercess County in the Southeast boasts of Cestos Beach equally as breathtaking & Buchanan, a port city offers even more. Then there's Harper which I've only seen in pictures and aerial video teasers in the eastern county of Maryland. I'm convinced now that access to these beaches and generally being near the water is good for my soul and a huge part of how I've reached homeostasis in my adult life.
Super grateful for my 4th dry season full of beach Sundays even despite the tell take y signs of global warming and early rains this year. My career has delayed Beach Days a bit this year as well, but I officially started about a month ago (end of January) & I'm praying we have about a whole month left to go (April/May usually ushers in the rain). Don't worry, I still find a way to steal a good beach day in early rainy season also. If I'm lucky, there are about 10 or so excellent Sunday Beach Days to come this year before it gets torrential.
Below are just a few moments captured during Sunday Beach Day in the last 4 years. I've done everything from yoga to hiking to reading and even dabbled at traditional dance on the beach. Any day is a good day for the beach but Sundays in Liberia are particularly meant for it.
It's been a while, I know. Apparently my Jesus Year was meant for more living in the moment and less writing & reflection. 2020 seems promising. Stay tuned for Year 2 & Year 3 In Review posts as well as SouLiberty Defined: The Series.
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Love, Peace & SouLiberty
