On Sunday I made it outside of Monrovia to an island on which a bunch of pre-war lab chimpanzees were kept. The scenic fishing village and cute kids were pleasant unexpected extras.
We started the day by stopping at a surreal luxury resort in Liberia, Kendeja,
which just opened last year. The poolside buffet was plentiful and delicious, and I got to have an appropriate brunch drink, Amaretto and orange juice. In line with many other restaurants and grocery stores in town, however, the price was exorbitant ($25 USD, plus $10 for a shot of amaretto!), keeping in mind that a driver who works 6 days a week earns about $130 a month. Well，still a better value than a $5.50 can of Campbell soup, I guess.Our 11-member gang then drove for an hour on a dirt road, at the end of which was a village serene and beautiful, but also a stark contrast to the 5-star luxury from which we departed. Kids in tattered clothes rushed out of the closely-built, small, squalid huts to greet us, each demanding to have a photo taken. Once the pics have been taken, they'd rush over and fight over themselves to see their own pictures on the tiny camera screens. While most of the group partied on with these adorable kids, one of us negotiated with the locals to arrange a boat ride.
We sat on one of the two largest boats and headed off. A smooth, relaxing, 20-min boat ride later, we were there. From the distance, we saw a large, black chimp sitting there at the edge of the island as if he was keeping watch. He rocked back and forth for a few seconds upon seeing us--I was told that's a sign of anxiety, and then walked towards the port where boats anchor.
The chimp island is a legacy of the pre-war Liberia Institute of Biomedical Research, a once-world-renowned lab where the vaccine for hepatitis B was developed. When chimp research was discontinued, the chimps were taken to three small islands, where they have lived till this day.
We threw some bananas at the chimps, and they ate them. They shared them. They asked for more of them. It was the first time I had seen chimps outside a zoo setting, where I could see them directly interacting with people. I was impressed.
When I got back to the fishing village, however, I got a good talking-to by a fisherman who was mending a net: "Why don't you people ever come to see us? Aren't we interesting? Why don't you come talk to us, and give us some money? Don't you know that we have nothing?"
