Mercy Memoirs: Bong Mines

Early Saturday a group of over 30 of us headed off for Bong Mines. The owners of the Liberian Railway are friends of one of the crew members here on board. They have been gracious enough to allow us this experience of a lifetime :)

6:30 am: We met in reception and enjoyed some breakfast before heading out. A couple minutes drive brought us to the train station where we loaded and secured the Land Rovers onto the bed of the train.

We strapped everything down and climbed on board. They graciously added a passenger car for us. As if taken out an old western movie, everything about this train had its own character. The rest of us were seated ON TOP of the Land Rovers. No better way to see Africa :)

As with all African outings, there are always memories made, as when the electrical line broke, and they simply lifted it above our heads as we started down the tracks. Hmm.... a safety hazard perhaps??

From there, we were off towards Bong Mines. A beautiful ride of 2.5 hours took us through many small villages- squeals were heard as children would run out to meet the train and wave.

We finally made it to the town of Bong Mines could see that much of this town, that used to operate the power plant for Monrovia and beyond, now sits in ruins.

We unloaded the Land Rovers and set out to the mines. Iron Ore used to be mined in these hills, but since the work has ceased, rain water has filled this area to create a lake. Although clean, the water is filled with minerals and makes it much harder to swim. It was peaceful and quiet as we set out our lunches and prepared to enjoy the afternoon.