The last few days

I haven't written a post for a while because it is a whale of a lot more fun when I can post them.  I will find out in the next few days if it will be at all possible for the rest of the time in Fish Town.  Since the last post we have visited a couple more village clinics and health centers.  The story is the same all over.  Since the NGO Merci left the health care workers have not been paid and they aren't getting their essential drug packets.  There are many other needs as well but we have not yet identified a project that could fly.  It would be nice to do something sustainable but the health care problems here run deep.  Ebola itself may actually make a difference in that infectious disease prevention techniques have made their way down to the smallest villages.  Whether they continue to be used when ebola is over remains to be seen.  

We went to the seaside town of Harper yesterday.  There are some beautiful spot there but as you see in the foreground of the picture they will never be internationally marketable until some garbage disposal and renovation happen.  International money will not put up with the quality here.

George, Uganda, and me on the rocks.

On the way back we had to wait for this van to be yanked ou of the mud hole by a van just like it plus six guys pushing.  They were not happy with us photographing their misfortune.

Thie is the namesake of the county, River Gee.

The drive was close to four hours each way for 110 km.  I spent the entire way back in the bed of the truck.  Probably not the safest but infinitely more comfortable than anywhere else.  It was a brutal drive.  These roads are best handled by motorbikes.  Luckily I have an ace driver.  He gave me a free ride in town today since he's made so much money off me.  That's good business.  I will definitely call him again.

On the way out of town we found a business that agreed to sell us some soft drinks for the trip back.  There was a teenaged girl washing their chairs that normally sit on their patio.  This woman/girl was amazing.  Whoever thinks Michelle Obama has nice arms should come to Liberia.  You would swear the woman were weight lifters.  They do tons of work with their arms and they are not a tiny bit fat.  As a result their arms are buff as heck.  Strong, strong women.  The men are buff too but that seems more obvious.  I have seen about four fat people.  Liberians do everything manually and they walk everywhere.  I pass them when I am walking but they walk all day long so pace themselves in the hot sun.  No need for an Uptown Y here.