We explored the island of St. Maarten / St. Martin as part of the #ChoiceCaribbean campaign. … [Read more...]
Haiti Trekking: A Beginner’s Guide
The sounds of konpa, Haiti’s version of merengue meets jazz, floated from the kitchen to our spot on the front porch. We sat around a large wooden dining table, fleece jackets zipped up, our hands cupped around mugs of Haitian hot chocolate flavored with star anise, cinnamon, and Haitian bergamot lime rind. It was impossible not to be caught up in the unexpected … [Read more...]
Haitian Food: From Pwason to Pikliz
Before recently traveling to Haiti, I had little concept of Haitian food. Sure, I had a sense of what it could be: island-informed, African-influenced, of Caribbean character, maybe even a hint of French. As with the country's language, Haitian food has a sense of the Crèole, that is a blend of influences. Mixed roots and spices, basic yet zippy, simple and … [Read more...]
Bassin-Bleu Waterfall — Jacmel, Haiti
Life is a continual exercise in expectation management. Witness our journey to the Bassin-Bleu waterfall outside of Jacmel in southern Haiti. Haiti, it turns out, possesses quite a many blue pools, all quite aptly if not unimaginatively named Bassin-Bleu or “blue pool.” The most famous of these, pictured below, is outside the town of Jacmel. If all the photos of … [Read more...]
Travel to Haiti: First Impressions
Haiti. It’s a country that most people today still associate with earthquakes, coups, and unrest – a sort of irretrievable chaos. Before traveling to Haiti, we knew very little about the country. Even after performing our own research -- let’s face it, there’s little information on Haiti beyond the headline news – we weren’t quite certain what we would find, … [Read more...]
Next Up: Exploring Haiti
Why we’re going to Haiti later this week. A view to a different side of the country, including its re-emergence -- and we hope, a path to sustainable tourism development. It’s also about our pursuit of Haitian culture, landscape and cuisine – and the unknown. … [Read more...]