Saturday, August 1, 2009

The Hike to LaVisite


The girls - Diane, Gwen, me and Susan - along with our friend and interpreter Walnes - set out from Wings of Hope, just up the mountains outside of Port-au-Prince, early Monday morning, June 8th. Our driver drove us up to Furcy to meet our guide. Don't bother with comments like we 'girls' are approaching senior status - we felt like girls off on our first big adventure! And thanks, Renee, Director at Wings of Hope, for capturing our excitement!

We begin ...




Our driver managed to drive us far into Furcy - as you can tell, the road was pretty treacherous. Our guide had not yet arrived so we waited. The trail looked simple enough and it is the only route up into the mountains; however we needed the mule we had requested for our extra bag. After about 30 minutes we began to divide the contents of the extra bag between our packs - and then we spied our guide, Cujosephen, headed our way! We quickly reshuffled our belongings and got started!

The scenery




The views are absolutely stunning. Haiti is a country of contrasts. With four million people living in relatively small Port-au-Prince, it feels like a sea of humanity, colored by gritty and almost overwhelming poverty, with marginal social systems in deplorable shades of gray. Yet just outside the city, the summer color is emerald green - and almost every foot of the mountain terraced to grow a table crop. Of course that is part of the problem - the land rarely rests, the soil with no anchor of tree roots to protect it from the rain washing it down the mountain. Nonetheless it holds great beauty.

Our guide


We had a phenomenal guide, Cujosephen; sent to us by Winnie Attie, our host at the Auberge LaVisite, and Jacqui LaBrom, our friend and true conceirge for all things "Haiti." Cujosephen spoke only Creole - yet his eyes spoke volumes. He looked to be about 10 years old; actually he is 15. And he brought a mule with him, Praise God! His mule and I bonded but that's another post. Some guides try to hurry you up the mountain, leaving you if you can't keep up. Cujosephen was wonderful - he steadily led us up and often waited if he was more than a hundred feet ahead. I pray for him and his family often.

The Women Going to Market


Volumes could be written about the People of Haiti - but in this blog I plan to share a few of the photos of people we encountered on our hike. These are people with little money, yet they manage to provide for their families and are very hospitable. Notice that the two women going to market include a young girl with chickens in her basket. The trail is steep and bright red clay, with rubble appearing every foot or two. The women walk this well-traversed lifeline to the larger markets in Kenscoff and Port-au-Prince daily - often in flip-flops and worn sandals.

Mountaintop Weaving


As our steep trek continued, Gwen caught a glimpse of this couple set-up on the edge of a mountain, weaving and selling baskets. We ventured closer and Walnes inquired if we could take a photo. Their answer was a head shake - "no." However when we offered a Ritter chocolate bar, the answer became "yes." The baskets were very strong and yet very lightweight. We wished we could have returned home with one of these sturdy "made in Haiti" originals.

Community Market


We came upon market after market, almost every time the road widened. The smells of roasting food was incredible and there were all sorts of herbs and vegetables. Often there would be 3 or 4 women sitting on a mat, supervising the commerce of their particular commodity. Although I noticed some suspicion as they looked at we "blancs," there was a quiet dignity and perservance in their demeanor.