Port au Prince Safe and Sound

I'm not sure if age is the determining factor or just too many miles on planes over those same accumulated years, but I am at the point where "red-eye" flights are no longer part of my life. For this reason - and limited flight schedules, it takes two days for me to reach Port-au-Prince from Los Angeles and it will be another be another full day before I arrive in Cap Haitian.

The trip to Miami was relatively uneventful this time out. After our "emergency medical landing" in Dallas on my last Miami flight - an unfortunate consequence of a well known rocker taking too many pills and washing them down with alcohol. "Uneventful" was more than welcome. Fall is in the air though, there was definitely more turbulence as the cold pockets are developing across the country.

Now after a two hour flight to PAP this morning I am happily enjoying a sandwich by the pool at the Hotel Montana - one of Haiti's jewels. The Montana reminds me PAP and Haiti were once the playground for elite - from Europe's royal families to Rock and Roll superstars like Mick and Bianca Jagger. Haiti was THE place to be seen, and The Montana was one of a handful of hotels which catered to them in the 60's and 70's and is the only one which is still in relatively good condition.

The lobbies and public spaces are filled with beautiful French art deco furniture. The walls and rooms are adorned with local art - from traditional Haitian paintings - depicting the African wildlife left behind on the Middle Passage - to the hammered oil drum sculptures which have become emblematic of Haiti's creativity of design and resourcefulness of material.

On the approach to the airport, you can still see the magical blue waters and endless remote beaches found throughout the Caribbean. The mainland though is a patchwork of squatter settlements and cane fields and has been ravaged by deforestation and the ensuing erosion. The ride from the airport takes more time than it should as the city's infrastructure is all but non-existent. While I enjoy PAP for it's vibrant people and it's persistence, it will be nice to be out in the field for most of this trip.