haiti!

Yesterday we got home from a very full visit to Haiti.  It started off with adventure - we spent an involuntary night in Miami after American Airlines had a few hiccups with its planes.  By the time we got to Port-au-Prince both Joey and I were spent, but Daddy and Ossilie were at the airport to greet us with smiles, which made the arrival much much more pleasant than the trip.  Ordinarily Daddy and my uncle Michel are the close family members in Haiti, but both Ossilie and Tatie Joujou were visiting at the same time, so we had a nice little party among us all.

The first couple days we saw a bit of the central part of the country.  First, we went from Port-au-Prince over one of the central plateaus to the town of Mirebalais, and then took the road that leads from there to the coast, along the valley of the Artibonite river (map below).  The route covered a range of terrain - the first part arid, the second quite green and agricultural; as well as various kinds of settlement from empty-seeming NGO-planned settlements on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince and vestiges of some of the tent-cities set up after the earthquake, to little farming villages in the valley and old towns built around churches and town squares along the Artibonite.

The following day we went into the mountains beyond Port-au-Prince to the south, near the village of Kenscoff.  Getting out of Port-au-Prince was a feat - it's an incredibly densely settled and surprisingly large city, and the roads are often quite overwhelmed by the traffic and the large number of people making their way on foot.  Once we'd gotten through things were easier (for those of us who weren't driving - the roads through Kenscoff aren't paved), the temperature dropped, and there was a lot to see as we drove by.  The mountains around the village are all cultivated with terraced fields, and have very red soil, which makes for pretty scenery. 

Later in the trip, Daddy took us to the south, where we spent a couple nights at a little hotel on an island off the coast called Île à Vache.  We drove for a few hours to the port town of Les Cayes, then took a boat over to the hotel, which is at Port Morgan.  The island itself feels very much like a pirate hideaway, with no cars or paved roads, and little villages that operate on farming and fishing.  A particular highlight was the ingenuity shown in the boats we saw along the shore, many of which had sails made from various kinds of bags and other materials.

In addition to touring the country a little, we got to meet a number of family friends and relatives, which was wonderful.  We also ate an extraordinary amount of very delicious food.  And happily, the trip back was infinitely smoother than the reverse direction.  We were tired when we got home, but overall, it was a wonderful visit.

And now, some pictures.  Enjoy!