The last 2 days I have been doing some sight seeing with Fanfan. On Saturday we went to downtown Port au Prince. Downtown was very busy there were people everywhere selling all sorts of stuff. We went to see the Palace which is collapsed now, it was huge and the destruction that the earthquake caused is incredible. Most of downtown is destroyed so all the markets were on the street or the side of the street. I looked around trying to find a Haiti soccer jersey but apparently they don't exist right now. Then we went for lunch, We sat down at the restaurant which was basically a little shack that was part of someones house and got some rice and beans. Everyone that saw me there laughed because there was a blan in the restaurant. It was fun and we took some pictures and left. Then we went to see the cathedral which as you may have guessed is also collapsed we had to walk all around to find a spot as it was mostly fenced off. After that we went to find Fanfan a foam pad to sleep on he is sleeping in his tent on concrete right now. We found one and did some bargaining for it then headed home.
The next day we left at 6am and headed to Jacmel. Jacmel is a really old city that is an art hub in Haiti. The carnival happens in this city and there is a big voodoo influence. We got on the bus(Fanfan, Charnel and I) and headed up through the mountains on a tiny winding road. About halfway there we were stopped by a mudslide. This happens a lot in Haiti as all of the farmers on the mountains cut down the trees for fuel and then there is nothing holding the soil in place so when it rains hard like it did last night it all slides down onto the road. We waited there about 45 mins for the UN to come and clean up the road and then the bus continued on. When we got there we got a motorcycle taxi and headed to the city. We got there and didn't really know what to do Fanfan had never been their either so we walked around taking in the view (the city is on the coast) and then looked for some food. Then we did some shopping, I bought some art and a mask to add to my collection, buying stuff here involves a lot of bargaining the guy I bought the art from asked me what I wanted to pay and I told him and he said okay! That one was easy! After that we got another moto taxi and headed to the beach. We got there and no one had bathing suits, so I went for a swim in my shorts I wore all day and Fanfan waited around with Charnel. The water was so warm so I went in for a bit and then came out to dry. We took another moto taxi back to the bus stop and almost crashed! Se turned a corner and another motorcycle was turning on the wrong side of the road it was close, they yelled at each other and we carried on. The bus ride back was faster we were in a school us this time and whipped through the mountains going around 55mph the whole time! It was a little scary! Turning corners the driver just lays on the horn and hopes no one is coming! We got back and I helped Fanfan's friend make a facebook account.
It was a fun two days. The destruction from the earthquake here is crazy. Jacmel was 3 hours away from Port au Prince and everything was cracked or collapsed, the widespread damage caused by a few minutes is incredible, people are scared to go in concrete buildings now as there are still some aftershocks. It was my last day with Fanfan today so I said goodbye and told him he better come to the airport when I leave!
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