Dec 22, 2018 - Day 7

My final day in Haiti had finally arrived, and I was a little sad I had to leave as I checked out of the hotel I stayed in part of the time. My last was the Parc National La Visite. I travelled the park for a while, enjoying the view of and from the mountains. Unfortunately, I had to leave soon. I drove to the Aéroport International Toussaint Louverture and boarded a plane to head home. I miss Haiti, but who knows? Maybe I'll go there again someday.

Dec 21, 2018 - Day 6

After a thirty or so minute drive, I was at today's destinations, the Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien. I knew next to nothing about Haiti and its history before today, but this museum covered everything for me. Everything from pre-independence Haiti to now was revealed to me by a translator(I can't read creole). I spent the whole day roaming the exhibits and looking at the artifacts. I'm glad that I went today, as I wouldn't have had enough time if I went tomorrow.

Dec 20, 2018 - Day 5

Today I visited Croix-des-Bouquets. I once again watched as people went about their business. Soon though, I had to move on. I had a plan for today. Parc Naturel Quisqueya, which was a beautiful sight. I took a pair of binoculars to birdwatch, and I did see a few birds with them. The park was right next to Lac Azuéi, the largest lake in Haiti. I stopped by the lake for a while, enjoying the water and the air before heading back for the day.

Dec 19, 2018 - Day 4

Today I visited the Global Unity sculpture. It was quite the sight to see, and it was certainly handmade. The three larger than life hands held up a globe which looked like it was copper. The majority of my day today, though, was spent in Pétion-Ville. I wandered the streets, observing the life of the suburb. It was peaceful, being able to just watch as others went about their day. I loved the colors and the view. As the sun started to touch the horizon, I headed back the guest house.

Dec 18, 2018 - Day 3

Today I woke up and immediately headed for Atis Rezistans, an art museum in which there are pieces of art made with both bone and metal. It was really quite the sight, and certainly nothing I'd ever seen in the U.S. Many of the pieces left a sense of curiosity as to what they all meant. I couldn't stay there forever, though. Next I travelled to the bicentennial monument in Port-au-Price; the Cité de l'Exposition. Haiti hosted an international exhibition in 1949 to celebrate its bicentennial. I wonder what the place looked like in 1949....

Dec 17, 2018 - Day 2

Today was the day I went to see the Palais Sans-Soucis. It was still a bit of a ways, as it was 44 minutes away, so I decided to explore Cap Haïtien a bit before I left. I went to see the monument of the Héros de Vertières; a statue representing the uprise and victory of slaves against the French in the Battle of Vertières. After visiting the monument I headed for the Cathedrale Notre Dame du Cap Haitien. Even though I am not religious, it was a beautiful sight and a welcome addition to my trip. Next was the drive to the Palais Sans-Soucis....

Dec 16, 2018 - Day 1

After a seven hour flight this morning I arrived in Haiti at the Cap-Haitïen International Airport at about 1 pm. Unfortunately, this meant I had already lost the first half of my day to flying, so I had to start moving if I wanted to do anything today. My first travel destination, Citadelle Laferrière, was an hour’s drive from where I was, so I decided to check in at the hotel I was staying in for the night before sightseeing today. After stopping by AVIS(to rent a car) and the Villa Prosper Guest House(the hotel I was staying in), it took...

Feb 25, 2018 - Citadelle La Ferriere

Welcome back - The second half of Haiti's World Heritage site is Citadelle la Ferriere - the aptly named Fortress on the Summit. Construction began in 1804 and ended in 1820. It required the labor of 20,000 men and was the garrison for 5,000 troops. Its walls are 4 meters thick and 40 meters high. It is by far the largest fortress in the Caribbean yet never saw its cannons fired in anger. The approach from Milot begins at the Palace. I'm pillioned between the driver and my guide on an off-road motorcycle. The ascent is steep and winding...

Feb 25, 2018 - Milot - Sans Souci Palace

Bonjour - Let's begin with Sans Souci Palace. The Builder - Henri Cristophe - modeled the palace on Frederick II's palace in Potsdam. While the palace was devastated in the 8.1 earthquake of 1842, enough remains to show what a wondrous place it would have been in this remote part of the Caribbean. Or anywhere for that matter. Tapestries and marble were imported from Europe, but the furniture was fashioned by local artisans of island mahogany. Frederick sent a carriage as a gift. Christophe had another built, larger and more ornate as a...

Feb 23, 2018 - Le Cap - Another Pilgrimage

Bonjour - First, a bit of background. After the Spanish had killed off the indigenous Taino, the French took over. French Saint Domingue boomed to where it was the richest colony in the New World, more valuable to the French than the combined American colonies were to the British. And its capital, Le Cap, or Cap Francais was the "Paris of the Antilles', with fine houses and theatres performing the latest plays and operas from the home country. This economy was, of course, built on the labor of slaves. But then comes ... but more about that...

Mar 11, 2017 - Traveling day

March 11th Up around 7:00 and do the last bit of packing to get ready to leave and pack one bag with bags for the next trip. This takes a while so when we go for breakfast there are two pieces of mango and one hard boiled egg… One of the crew hadn’t eaten their second so we had one egg and one piece of mango each. Then we unloaded the school supplies on the kitchen table which gave us a couple extra bags to pack, so back to the room. Already about 90. Lots of running around and confusion then the truck arrived to take the luggage down to...

Mar 10, 2017 - Bwa Bouton

March 10th Up after a reasonable night and to breakfast of oatmeal, mango, and banana – plus orange Tang! Amazing how good such bland stuff can taste so good! Then final packing and ready for the day. We lugged bags up to the truck at the top of the hill and seven of us piled on. I got to stand up in the bed of the truck for the forty minute trip. It was more than a little bumpy and sometime my feet left the bed of the truck. In one muddy spot the truck fishtailed through a wide patch of mud. The scenery was beautiful all the way – and we...