bong mines

Ryan and I spent four nights in Bong Mines with our friends Wilson and his brother Alex. Bong mines used to be one of the main iron ore mining areas in Liberia until the war hit. The fighting within the town was heavy, and the rebels ended up burning all of the mining areas, leaving a community and a large part of the national economy literally in ruins.

The trip was awesome, totally cool hanging out with Wilson and Alex's family and getting out of Monrovia for a bit, but also completely unwordable seeing destruction like this on such a major scale.

you know you're in Liberia when.....

....Jordanian peacekeepers use your yard to pose for camera phone photos with automatic rifles and dark sunglasses.

yusss