Rogers' Haiti Adventure 2013/2014: Our tour of PAP and Petionville on Saturday March 30 2013

Our trip around PAP and the surrounding area was one of the few times I have been driven around PAP (and, no, I don't include the shuttling between airports) except this time we had a driver familiar with the area and fluent in the language. I felt relaxed and really enjoyed seeing the sights.

Charcoal

Everyone's favorite bus...

Coca cola (Ben & Heidi's favorite)

Flip flops for sale

Stores everywhere..

Haitian Cola advertized on the truck (Simon's favorite)

PAP Cemetery (such sadness...)

Store (I am sure the word "Games" caught Ben's attention for this one!)

Produce for sale

Backpacks for sale (and a bonus shot of a motorcycle)

I always amazes me how the carry so much on their heads!!!

In the foreground of this photo you see a cart made to be pulled by a man
(I can't even imagine pulling one of these loaded down on flat ground let alone up some of these streets with an incline)

A monument celebrating 100 years of freedom from slavery (under President Aristide)

Where the Palace stood before the earthquake (and the ruin lie until recently)

Haitian Flag

Downtown PAP

Where the Haitian Army used to be housed

More of the downtown park

Medical clinic

Haitian goods for sale along the street

Ben was impressed by this license plate so, of course, he took a picture!

Sideways street lights

Remaining ruins after the earthquake

Digicel building

An optical clinic

One of the largest supermarkets I have seen in PAP
(and the sign is in English!)

Homes on a hill as we near the edge of PAP

Heading south out of PAP towards Petionville

Then we entered Petionville. It was NOT what I expected. It was a nice city with a park in the center and houses painted colorfully along the side of the mountain. It had a 5 star hotel, a Best Western, and two large supermarkets. It is amazing how it went from a "nothing-town" before the earthquake to what it is today. It rose above the hardship and bettered itself. It was quite a nice little place....

Brightly colored buildings

They are still in the process of paining these houses on the hillside - won't it be beautiful when they are finished?!

Big hotel

To all my EMS friends...!

Walls and walls of beautiful, Haitian paintings for sale line the street

Apparently a 5 star hotel in Petionville

Just outside of the Best Western

Armed guard...

St Peters Church (the front and the back)

A "Giant" supermarket (plus a broken down car)

Fresh poultry

And another market (both in one town!!!!)

You can see the mountains to the south of the city

As we headed out of Petionville, I tried again to get pictures of the ocean and the port in PAP but the foliage was too thick in the foreground to catch anything beyond it. It was beautiful to see, however!

Since we had a photo of the Digicel building, we had to get one of Natcom too... (seeing how my phone is a Natcom phone!)

Eveline took us by what is left of the PAP library from the earthquake...

And the Cathedral

Other buildings in downtown PAP

Trying to get a glimpse of the port - not very successful - but I did get a photo of the roller skater holding onto the back of tap tap. He will soon need one of those ambulances....!