View from the Palm Hotel & Bamboo Bar

The Palm Hotel is situated on the corner of the most important intersection in the city, (and the perhaps country): Randall and Broad Streets, the center of the original Monrovia. The rooftop has a fine bar and Chinese Restaurant, the Bamboo Bar, with a superb view over the bustling scene, including the Old Executive Grounds (see the Architecture Tour).

By the way, I don't think the place is run by the Chinese. I am pretty sure that the owner is Lebanese. However, the Chinese food is pretty good, but I also like the Garden Restaurant in Congo Town.

Friends House for Dinner

My friend and his brother had me over to his house in Gaye Town for a meal today with his parents. It was nice to hang out with a family, kids, etc. We are rice and soup, of course, with a potato green sauce.

Its the rainy season here (although it hasn't rained very much at all) and my friend's house is really in the swamp, so sometimes there is flooding, and sometimes crabs come up through the floor.

Palm Butter in Fiamah

I was invited by my friend's girlfriend to her house for palm butter. I can't even microwave at home, so I am not the one to recount how you make palm butter, although more than a few of my Liberian friends have tried to explain how you take Palm Nuts, crush them, boil them, and then some other steps, until you have this nice, creamy, nutty sauce.

To be completely honest, Liberian cuisine has taken some getting used to, due to the selection of meat in the dishes. I like the variety, in a way-- some fish, some chicken, some shrimp, etc. But no matter what, I can't get used to the bones, or the skin, or beaks, or scales, or tails, or jaw bones, etc.

At home, I have my cook prepare the meals with only the chicken breast and other white meat, or filet the fish. Other than that, I love the sauces, especially kidney beans, okra, and cabbage. Palm Butter is virtually the national dish of Liberia, and I prefer it over potato greens or goat soup.

No Free Sitting!

This notice is stenciled on the wall of one of my favorite local joints on 3rd Street, Sinkor, where I go on Fridays sometimes. The Club Beer is cold, and the music is loud. There is even wait service at the tables. But they do have this policy. It isn't the only example around town, a lot of local bars and restaurants have signs like this, but I like the phrasing of this one. In fact, I love this sign so much that I had a copy made.

Clouds over Sinkor

While out and about today on Tubman Boulevard, I had to grab some shots through the windscreen of these totally excellent, mile-high storm clouds on the horizon above Sinkor. Only in Africa!