As I have mentioned previously, Haiti has alot of bad press that it really doesn’t deserve. I think one of the best ways to share the reality of traveling to this amazing country is through photos, so I wanted to try my hand at a photo essay covering my journey to and from the Land of Many Mountains.
This is me when I first got to Haiti. The bus ride was so stressful, but the hotel in Port-au-Prince was a little paradise, and I couldn’t believe that I was actually there, in the country I had read about for so long.
My first dinner in Haiti. This fish was unbelievable; and the plantains were the best I have ever had.
The tiny plane that we took to Cap-Haitien. I love tiny planes.
My first introduction to Cap-Haitien, and the realization that Haiti has so much to offer, if only the government services and infrastructure were improved for the locals.
Once known as the Venice of the Caribbean, Cap-Haitien has lost some of its flare, but there was still something elegant and beautiful about the way it stretched over the hills.
There was intricate art everywhere in Cap-Haitien (and all around Haiti).
You rarely see pictures of Haiti’s beaches, but they are just as much “paradise” as anywhere else in the Caribbean.
Of course, there were reality checks while we were there. Unfortunately, Haiti’s government wasn’t taking care of the trash in Cap-Haitien. The Haitian people deserve better, and so does their lovely country.
I had dreamed about seeing Le Citadelle ever since I read about it, and there it was, standing watch over the coast from out of the mist.
Few people ever mention that Haiti is home to come of the most spectacular historic structures in the region. Here is San Souci Palace; its beauty once rivaled Versailles. Personally, I think it maintains its mystique and charm.
Some of the best rum in the world comes from Haiti, and much of it in small places similar to this.
This beautiful mosaic was made by the local kids!
A post office in Jacmel!
Bassin Bleu! One of the top attractions in the Land of Many Mountains. It did get busy here, so I had to snap this picture from around the corner before people jumped in.
Heading out from Bassin Bleu, we had to drive through the river, following the precise directions of our guide. Unfortunately, Creole and Spanish are similar in that their terms for “right” and “straight” sound alike.
The gate protecting the Grotto of Marie-Jeanne.
Climbing down into the cavern. Alot of caves on Hispanola have openings like this one.
The menu at a Haitian fast food restaurant in Port-au-Prince, complete with an add for the national beer, Prestige.
I captured this beautiful scene in Port-au-Prince from inside a gallery that we visited on our last day.
The beautiful Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince. Supposedly, this is called gingerbread architecture- I’ll buy it.
The city from the observatoire in Port-au-Prince.
Driving back over the border into the Dominican Republic; these pictures stress me out because I hated the border so much.