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robin Taylor commented about Bienvenue Port au Prince Haiti, On Monday November 23rd, 2009 06:40:29 PM
He did take you to a 500 gourd Hotel ,it went up to 600 so the owner could give him his finders fee . He made 200 out of the deal , Bet you ! Robin
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Robin Taylor commented about Bienvenue Port au Prince Haiti, On Monday November 23rd, 2009 06:24:38 PM
Delighted that you at long last reached your starting point .Sorry you seem anxious to quit so quickly .
There is nothing wrong with School buses , they seem to find their way all over the third world usually covered in brightly painted designs . In Guatamalla they sit 3 on a seat designed for 2 tiny children . This was the only time I ever got my pocket picked by a large lady who 'fell' into my lap .fortunately she only got the faux one I always carry filled with usless cards and a "Good Luck " greeting. Any pick pockets in Hailti ? You are generally safe in India as no one will touch the unclean side of your pants . It took years for me to catch onto the fact that no trousers I had made in India had a left hand pocket .Looking fwd to your visit to the Cap , Best wishes Robin
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Robin Taylor commented about Fill the Bucket Travel Tip, On Wednesday November 18th, 2009 06:45:09 PM
Count your blessings ! In Peru , where I was hospitalized with altitude sickness , the shower was connected by very loose wiring to a wall water heater . Consiquently one got a shock when ever you touched the taps .I was never brave enough to experiment with standing on the metal drain at the same time . Incidentaly , why are the buckets red all over the world ?
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Robin Taylor commented about Miragoane Haiti, On Tuesday November 17th, 2009 06:38:43 PM
Congratulations ! At last you are seeing a little of that lovely Island . The prices seem steep . I wonder how often that Hotel gets a tourist ? What did you do to entertain all those little girls ? Learn a few hand tricks and you will be rewarded with a lot of smiles . I once became so popular on a bus ride to Chi Chi Castinango that I finished up with a baby on my lap ! Trust the people , they are the best if they have not been corrupted by the U.N. A few trinkets don't hurt either , a string of Mardi Gras beads got my daughter a ride to Timbucktu !
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robin Taylor commented about When were the Glory Days of Haiti Ayiti, On Saturday November 14th, 2009 05:54:47 PM
Dear Andy ,It was certainly glorious in the 50s and 60s in the days bedore Papa Doc . It seems you have failed to find any of the uninhibited joy that I experienced on that magic island 50 years ago , consiquentlly resorting to a blog of ations like the other day..
At aged 15 I read ...." Home keeping youths have ever homely wits,
I rather would entreat thy company to see the wonders of the world abroad
Than, living slugardized at home , wear out thy youth in shapless idleness'
Then I discovered Richard Halliburton and took the Bards advice.
Unfortunately it now seems I must follow your advice and forget about a return Trip .
How long are you planning to stay ? Maybe there is hope on the horizon. try Jacmel or the Cap .
Best wishes , Robin
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Robin Taylor commented about Haiti Airport Orphanage Transportation, On Friday November 6th, 2009 06:52:19 PM
You make it quite obvious that one" can't go home again' It is far removed from Capote's "House Of Flowers"
In my time I met an old lady in the market who would slice one wooden matchstick into quarters and sell them in small bundles .Being a smoker ,back then , I used to patronize her and always held out a palm full of small coins for her to chose .Even after I learnt the currency she never took more than her asking price for her matches
"Hotel Mon Reve" in Port au Prince ,run by an American and his Swedish wife ,had their lobby furnished with paintings one could take and try out in your room before buying . The maids would bring breakfast bearing fruit etc on their heads out to the garden of the Hotel. The staff were all trained with the intention of getting the guests to give them employment in the States .
I lived in Jacmel 'the village of the poets'for almost a year until I ran out of the money I had earned working as a waiter for two months one winter in Miami. One could rent a convict for $2.00 a day , usualy somebody who had pinched a chicken ,or kissed another man's wife .This was basically rescue money as once in jail they were not even fed .
If you carry onto Cuba I am afraid it will not be the same as in the pre Castro days when I went there
As the song says "I'm glad I'm not young anymore Regrets , Robin
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Robin Taylor commented about 2009 November 4 Leave USA Enter Haiti, On Wednesday November 4th, 2009 07:11:55 PM
I envy you going to my favourite spot in the world . I knew it well in the fifties when I stayed at Hotel Mon Reve in Port au Prince ( Probably no longer there ) Hotel Olaffson , where Liz Taylor shot a movie , is probably still a tourist trap . In my time the Haitians were the friendliest people and honest beyond belief considering their poverty . In Jacmel , where there was a beautiful unspoiled beach , the locals would laugh at me and tell me I would get my swim suit wet ! Their French is pre- the US invasion in the 20's , consiquently a touch flowery.
Try taking the local bus up to Cap Hatian , you may have to push it if it gets stuck in a stream , but you will also get to bathe with the local fellow travelers . At the Cap you will get a donkey to climb to the Fort on the top , My guide was a ten year old and I slept alone ther that night trying to conjour the sprit of it builder.Talking of spirits , Barbarancourt is the best Rum in the world ! take a factory tour .
Obviously my time there was before Papa Doc and it was completely safe . The Voodoo drums would sound all over the Island but everybody was in church the next morning ! Back then I even took my new wife to see the worship of the Hougon and witness the sacrificial frenzied dance .
My last visit to Haiti things were trying to get more touristy , I believe the dancer Kathrine Dunham started an enterprise . You might invest in a few local Paintings , they were charging a fortune for them in Puerto Rico last year !
Being now in my eighties it is the one place in the world I am anxious to revisit , and if you make it ,I Will !!
Bon Chance , Robin
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