Haiti, sometimes you shine up real nice.

We lucked out and were able to spend last weekend in a pine forest about a three-hour drive from Port-au-Prince.

It was magical - a green and misty wonderland where we were able to wander the woods for hours, soaking up the beauty of it all:


We waded in streams, collecting watercress and wild mint...


We stayed in an enchanting little cabin, one of about 20 scattered throughout the woods:

Bryan spent time lounging around with Ben and his still-busted knee:

- except when they tried to get the perfect hammock shot. I do believe this is the one photo the dignified Mr. Depp couldn't take himself:

And Kurt even showed us where to find wild strawberries and raspberries!


Rave reviews. I can't believe we didn't discover this place until our last weekend in Haiti.

Never say no to a change of scenery.

Bryan and I took advantage of an unexpectedly free weekend to visit the southwest part of Haiti. It's like a whole different country down there! Paved roads...trees...the ocean...

We stayed with a friend in a nearby town on Friday night before heading to a small guesthouse on the coast:
Good: mosquito-free "camping" indoors.
Bad: not having any photos of our hosts to show you. (Not taking photos of people we like? That's how we roll.)

We drank it all in:
Good: cooling off in the gentle waves.
Bad: brushing my foot against a sea urchin and getting a splinter that ended up staying in my toe for a week. Ouch.

Good: sitting in the shade feet from the water's edge.
Bad: well, there's not much bad about that, is there?

Good: staying at the beach until dusk.
Bad: dusk comes before 7pm in these parts this time of year.

I need more weekends like this one. Total spirit-lifter.

The great outdoors

Matt, Esther, and their daughter Gabriela (MCCers formerly working in our positions) are visiting this week, and introduced us to an amazing hike up through a river.

Gorgeous, no?

Hiking to a school in Wopisa this week, Friztner, Esther, and I discovered a pretty waterfall along the trail. This is one of the few places I've ever seen people actually drinking water from the wild.

Esther's pants are well-camouflaged, but you can see her forging ahead. Yep, that's the actual trail.

One of the unsung wonders of Haiti, a mapou tree.

What's not to love here?