The first ecotour of Lafiteau

Yesterday my host Rhoda arranged for us to teach ecology and birds to a women’s program she worked with when she worked at Samaritan’s Purse, with the idea that maybe some would want to start an ecotour business.  The program is held in Lafiteau in a church overlooking a bay, across the water you can see Port au Prince.  We started with asking what birds the women like.  They listed the birds that they like to eat!  Chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, even wosiyol – mockingbirds.  We discussed that birds eat fruit and spread seeds and pollinate flowers.  Then I told them how some foreigners like to travel and see birds, and asked how can we help them see the birds.  Their suggestions were to cage the birds, or get kids to catch them.  So we talked about ecotourism and the bird guide I trained in the central plateau.

That afternoon we took the 5 most interested women on a teaching ecotour along the bay.  Our lessons were how to hold and focus the binoculars, how to quickly find objects near and far (practicing on objects in the water), how to care for the binoculars, and what parts on the bird to quickly look at for identification (beaks and legs).  The path down to the water led through a village perched along the hill, the women enjoyed showing us everything, the dogs, guinea fowl, even the country people (moun peyi, not sure if they were being sarcastic or funny).  After a night at Sam’s Purse, the next morning we met them at 7am for a real tour when the birds were more active along the mangroves.  Here are pictures from the excursion.  The boats belong to fishermen who fish at night and live on the boats.  The big white building is a flour mill.  The house is someone’s beach house.

The church in Lafiteau

Mangroves, with Port au Prince across the bay.

Ecology class

 

The flour mill and boats along the shore.

Someone's beach house

The tour guides

Kids with mangroves in the background.

Christian Veterinary Mission

Here are some pictures from my first day at Christian Veterinary Mission in Croix des Bouquets Haiti (if they upload before dinner is ready).  I’m staying with my agricultural conference coordinator friend Rhoda who lives there.  There is a vet clinic staffed by Haitian vets, plus rooms for visiting vets and the Humane Society.  I have my own bathroom!  And there’s internet!  Tomorrow we head to Lafiteau to talk to a Samaritan’s Purse women's group about birding and ecotourism.  And I met my friend Dezo's 2 sisters and passed along a gift from her to them.

Pwotege zwazo Ayiti yo buttons!

For my upcoming trip to Haiti I made save the birds buttons. Buttons for kids, buttons for adults. And I discovered that most images on Wikipedia are public domain, so it was easy to go the birds of Haiti list and click on a bird and viola – get an image of it. And there’s lots of free clip art on-line. The Graphics Fairy has lots of nice images that I used to make pretty buttons to give to women, including these birds with a nest. And Vintage Moth had this wood duck.

The buttons say “Pwotege zwazo Ayiti yo, Pa detwi nich yo!” (or detri nich yo). Protect Haiti’s birds, don’t destroy their nests. The kids like to crush bird nests, so my goal is to teach them why birds are important and save birds in the process.

I made the below templates in power point for 2.25 inch buttons. Email me and I’ll send it to you. Also, the cost of these buttons adds up, so if you'd like to make a donation for supplies let me know. Or perhaps I can rent my button maker to you. This is its website.

More Haitian art and jewelry

Ironically, even though I donated ALL of my unpainted, stippled METAL artwork to a fundraiser at my church, and she did not know that, my friend Colleen sent me a Haitian metal bird for my birthday! It's from the Kado gift shop that sells Haitian art on line. And they even threw in a pair of earrings!

Photos are from the Kado website.

Haitian art in Kansas

I recently discovered a gift shop here in Lawrence Kansas that sells Haitian art, and even has a Creole name: Kretyen (it’s next to Pisano’s on 25^th St.). They sell fair trade art, bags, coffee, chocolate, etc. from various countries. The Haitian art is mainly the metal work made out of steel drums. Click for a cool video about how it’s made. And here are some pictures of the metal work I’ve bought in Haiti.

Missionary Barb taught an art class in which I taught about birds in 2009. I met the young man Wilnot who made these paintings. The one on the left is early Wilnot, the one on right is a later piece by him. Barb had to leave Haiti, I don’t know if anyone took over the art class. It was a great way to teach the parts of the birds and for the students (adults and kids) to become really familiar with the different birds.

The University of Kansas Spencer Museum of Art recently acquired Haitian art. I don’t know when it will be exhibited but click here for the 2007 Haitian art exhibit.

Navigating the airports - Part III - the Snack Bars upstairs

This is the final post about the airport in Port-au-Prince. Here's what you’ll find in the American Airlines waiting area at the airport (after the final security screen). You can grab a seat and wait, but you should really go upstairs to check out the snack bars. I’ve only eaten at the Rebo one and it’s very good. Mocha for $2.50, and other hot and cold coffee drinks. I get the three-cheese sandwich for $2.50. Order, pay, sit down at a table, and they’ll bring it to you. They grill the sandwiches on a little electric grill. They sell Rebo products – coffee, peanut butter, vanilla, and sell CDs too, including folk songs and more traditional music you can’t find in the gift shops. I suspect the Rebo products are cheaper than in the shops. The Bon Voyage place has French fries, hamburgers, and hotdogs. Another place makes smoothies ($8 I think). And there’s a bar. All sell cold drinks. It’s never been very crowded, and the people are mainly foreigners, so you can sit and try to figure out where everyone is from and what they’re doing in Haiti. From the tables you can see the waiting area below and the sign announcing the flight time, so sit back and relax! Bathrooms are at the back of the main waiting area and are very clean!

Navigating the airports - Part II - departure

This continues the previous post of how to navigate the airport coming into the country.

Now that you've enjoyed Haiti you'll have a greater appreciation of the landscape as you fly the domestic plane back to the capitol, and of the workers helping you at the airports. After MAF or whatever domestic airline you're on lands in P-au-P, the personnel will put all your stuff on a cart on the tarmac and you follow it or walk ahead and pick it up at the back entrance to the domestic airport. Inside, wait for your ride near the building exit by the MAF window (in photo). Don’t go outside! It will be hot in the sun and people will keep asking you if you need a ride. And you can’t get back in through that door, you'd have to go through the main security entrance. **Make sure you have the phone number for your ride in case he isn't there (or your host forgot to call him!).** Lots of people have cell phones and you can ask someone to call.

You'll meet your ride who will drive you the few blocks to the international airport and drop you off directly near the door of your airline (see photo). Be prepared! Tip your driver now before the confusion, and have a bunch of one dollar bills (American) easily accessible. A bunch of guys In matching shirts will be waiting to help you with your bags. I tried to refuse and a Haitian chastised me and said let them, it’s their job. So one wheeled my bag to the front door – I gave him $1 (it is nice when someone else lugs your bags around). At the front door is a security point – put your bags on the conveyor belt and show your passport. Another guy in a red shirt will thrust a tote bin at you to put your small items in and he will set it on the conveyor belt (even though you could have easily done this yourself). He'll ask for $5 or $10 but I give $1 and then wish I had given the bag lugger more. You don’t have to take shoes off or anything out of your bags here. This is the last place people help you for money.

This is the American Airlines terminal: Next you stand in line in the roped off area to get your tickets at the counter (difficult to tell where the opening is to the line). You’ll get all your tickets and drop off your checked luggage. Then go to the customs booth back where those ropes start. Give them that green card you saved from entry. Then you go through security again – this time like in the US – shoes off, computer out, liquids out. (Though I have forgotten to take out liquids and no one said anything). Then you are in the area with little gift shops. Very expensive compared to the gift shops in guests houses and elsewhere - $40 for a small painting! You can buy these for less than $20 elsewhere, probably less than $10 on the street. You can buy CDs and books though, coffee, rum, vanilla, etc. Then you go up the elevator and through yet another security check point just like the previous (and again they didn’t say anything about the liquids in my bag).

You are now in the waiting area. More in the next post...

Below - pictures of the drive between airports and why you need to be driven!

(And if you need to leave via the north port Cap Haitien - here's my story)