Beautiful Haiti

I think one of my favorite things about our recent trip to Haiti (yes, I know I said I wasn't going to blog about work...) was finding the unexpected - everywhere. This was my first trip there and my mind was full of images of disaster, rubble, poverty... and mangos. I'd heard from friends who were involved in the post-earthquake disaster relief that it was very hot and they had to bathe in DEET because of all the mosquitos.

So it was mind-blowing, after flying into Port-au-Prince (where it was indeed very hot, and the airport reminded me of the airport in Barbados) to drive up the mountain into a cloud forest where for the next five days we were COLD.

Ivy, pine trees, lichens, and mist.

The food was amazing. And spicy!

This mosaic was on the side of a school we visited. Gabriel looked at it and said "Mom, that says Sas!" So, he is beginning to read!

We spent one day at this gorgeous beach, then went to Desarmes (Dezarm) to see an agroforestry project. Another amazing place was this gorge - cool and, well, gorgeous, though sadly littered with trash. It went on and on, curving through the rocks.

You hear so much about deforestation in Haiti. And yes, there are barren hillsides everywhere. But there are also lots of trees.

Beautiful.