Hiking in Haiti

I know what you're thinking. This post is supposed to be about hiking, why am I staring at the coastline? Well, for starters, I'm not a very experienced hiker, and this was my first trip to Haiti. I was blown away firstly by this view. The ocean was the bluest blue I'd ever seen and the serenity could not be put into words. As for the greenery? Despite very little rainfall this season, the trees were so lush, they calmed me. Anyway, moving on..

I've heard of the hiking trails from fellow bloggers, and decided to go based on instinct in order to find the hiking path I've been hearing about. After arriving on the island, a few locals guided me to the path that leads from Seguin to Port-au-Prince. If you haven't been before, so you know, the pathway is a rubbled road with many dips and ridges, which makes it a bit of a challenge if your balance isn't in check. Many locals use this trail however, balancing baskets filled with produce on their heads as this is the primary path for accessing their capital. I'm not sure how they managed to keep balanced, carrying those heavy vessels atop their heads, I know I certainly struggled, even with my simple rucksack.

After a few minutes of hiking however, I quickly realized that I was not dressed appropriately. At this time of year, the weather tends to get a bit chilly, and light fleece is recommended as a bare requirement. I'm not sure why I chose denim shorts and a tee.... perhaps fashion over practicality ruled me that morning. Either way, I found myself cold, and tired very quickly into the hike and trudged through the rest unwillingly. I didn't. even. take. my. camera. out.

Tell me about it right? I wish I snapped photos of the gorgeous mountains. I wish too that I could somehow get you to breathe deeeeeeply enough to inhale the clean air with wisps of evergreen and salt water... It was replenishing and renewing. You'll just have to trust me on that one, but on my next visit I promise I'll capture it. On the hike back, I did manage to capture our friend Sully's boat, as he was the one coming to get us so that we could continue back to the west of the country. If you squint really, hard, maybe you'll see him.

Here's the literal only shot my buddies managed to get, as I was just about ready to give up. Note the cute bungalow at the back! I was too tired to go in, but it certainly had a Caribbean charm with that sunshine yellow, complimented only my the beautiful sunshine that warmed us up on the way back.

After about 7 hours of hiking, all the adrenaline that comes with adventuring... I also decided to engage in one of my all time favourite travel hobbies...They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll just let the next one explain what I did for the rest of that afternoon... all in all, I totally recommend it. More on this later...

Until the next adventure,

Aimee.