NYC Downtown

From a very grey and barren High Line Park.

 

Penn Station.

St. Patrick’s Day on 5th Ave.

Eataly.

Carnegie Hall.

NYC Uptown and beyond

Strange (and strangely intriguing) Emurrica.

Grand Central Station on my way to Harlem.

Harlem.

And a sign in creole!

Brooklyn.

Williamsburg Bridge & Williamsburg.

Jewish schoolbus.

Coney Island, one week before opening.

Port Salut & Jacmel

We managed to convince Despagne to go to the tranquil town of Port Salut in SW Haiti because the white people needed some sun, sea and palms for a couple of days…

and a luxury hotel

with a fantastic, soothing view

and homemade cocktails with Haitian rum.

During  the week without the other volunteers in Port-au-Prince, I went on a trip to a public folkloric beach with Despagne and the family just outside Jacmel.

A bit messy, but with no less Haitian charm.

Despagne knows people everywhere and had somebody cook us this gorgeous, genuine dish.

… wrote the kids…:

The family left, and I checked in to this lovely little place in central Jacmel.

The quiet, colourful street of Hotel Florita. I met the American slightly raving mad, alcoholic owner and a Canadian guy in a very strong 30 years old crisis “searching for himself”… But the praised Haitian beer Prestige didn’t disappoint.

What remained of the carnival one month earlier and yesterday’s market.

The town is very proud of its art traditions. And the phone company Digicel owns the street signs.

Earthquake reminder with sea view.

(Jørgen Leth lived down there somewhere)

Mwen ale. Bye bye, Jacmel; orevwa, Ayiti.

Next stop: New York.

En route, Haiti

The view from Despagne’s pick up truck.

Driving through Les Cayes – in Haiti known as Aux Cayes.

Port-au-Prince / Potopwens

At Despagne’s house.

Pierrevy is roasting and grinding his homegrown coffee for me in the old fashioned way.

The hair fascination can work both ways.

Views from my balcony.

A kitchen in another part of town.

If the condition of this building corresponds to the state of electricity in the country…

The unfinished Aristide building.

Concert? President? Potato – potahto.

My new favourite pictograph.

Pa pise la. Meri PV = Creole no-bullshit language for: Pas pisser là. Mairie Pétionville (Don’t pee here).

Marché de fer – rebuilt easily after the earthquake because of the iron construction.

Lovely gingerbread architecture.

Hotel Oloffson.

Geometric southern cooking.

Fimen lokal – fumer local. Très local.