Carnaval des fleurs took place the last weekend in July, and being such a huge fan of course Christian and I were there. I just couldn't wait to see him experience carnaval in Haiti for the first time. Everything went well as far as we were concerned. I was impressed with the organization of the event. The side streets leading to Champ de Mars were closed to vehicles, pedestrian access only. Parking was available in the near vicinity, the stands were very colorful, and at 4:55pm the siren sounded to announce the beginning of the parade which was scheduled to start at 5pm. I was really pleased to see so many squads of public safety and security teams patrolling the streets, there were policemen on bicycles and roller blades, first response red cross teams, boy/girl scouts troops, security teams from city hall, and posted in strategic places were trucks of specialized police. We hung out on the "Flesh Kann" stand (a brand of sugar). It was located right across from Sakapfet, Bongu, and TNH stands.
In other news, I was recommended a barber shop for Christian who needed a haircut badly. The place is called Milano Hair Styling and located on the fourth floor of complexe Belvedere. When we got there I was shocked to see that this is not your average barbershop, this was more like a ritzy salon in L.A.! First of all it was a full service hair salon decorated all in white with bright orange accents and uniformed workers. One side of the wall was lined with tables and women having their mani/pedis, half of them with drop down hair dryers drying their hair. The barber was tucked in his corner and the waiting room had swinky white leather sofas. The clientele was a mix of locals and expats, white, yellow, brown you name it. The haircut cost $US15, a wash and set is $US 15, a relaxer is $US 70 and I think the mani/pedi is around $US20.
Restaurants - So we sampled more food from various restaurants. The taboule from Fior di Latte was ridiculously good, pizza from Muncheez was awesome, and their chicken wings were finger licking good. They have various flavors and it's worth the cost if you're in the mood for good chicken wings. I also lunched at Chicken Fiesta that sells chicken wings and chinese food. Their full menu is on facebook and they deliver. At Mr. Grill I tried their "gesiers grilles" appetizer and Christian loved it. (I don't translate everything!). We also discovered Belfwi, a new frozen yogurt/sweet crepes/fresco/smoothies place. They have fancy fresco with fruit in it. And one of my favorite places so far is Rebo Espresso, Haiti's answer to Starbucks. Besides all the yummy coffee confections including an alcoholic coffee on the menu, they offer amazing sandwiches and paninis, pastries, and items "du terroir", packages of assorted tablettes, cassave and mamba, papita veritab, and more. One word of caution...do look at your bill closely. In addition to the 10% TCA (tax), most places charge a service fee between 10-15%. wouldn't want anyone to double tip!
Random remarks - A day at the pool of Hotel Montana is still a nice activity. In addition to the wonderful view and the great pool, you can also partake of the breakfast or dinner buffet for $US 18, or you can opt to just buy something and hangout pool side for free, if not just spring for the $US 4 to use the pool. I think Karibe hotel and a few more around town offer similar deals. There is a new road going from Petion-ville to route Freres near the Police academy, at the beginning of Tabarre. It's a great time saver because you skip the traffic on Rte de freres, however it is tight in some spots with ravines on the side of the road and no guard rails. Think of the road to Jacmel, if you can manage that you'll have no problems. There is a great Roots program this weekend Ram/Boukman Eksperyans at Karibe, although I'd love to go the $US40 price tag is just a tad unreasonable. When people complain about "la vi che" they are not lying. Things are not cheap in Haiti and depending on your lifestyle it gets more and more expensive. I remember the days when a brand new 500 gourdes bill would buy you so much. Today, it's barely enough for dinner for two at a modest restaurant. I had a handful of the 5 gourdes coin "adoken" and was told that I should use it for a tap tap or at a gas station because people no longer want to accept them. Ala koze! On a positive note, the container with my car and personal effects arrived on monday. Now I just have to see how long it will take to actually get it cleared and delivered. I'll keep you posted.
Christian's corner
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| The wedding cake from Marie Beliard (it was not served!) |
Hi again and welcome back to Christian's corner! Today I'm going to talk about Carnaval and much more. At Carnaval there was singing in the rain, dancing in the rain, and my favorite part was the whip crackers. They were so cool and amazing :o .! My mom bought me two lolly pops, bags of popcorn, and one pack of gum.(oh yeah, Alex if you're reading this, at Carnaval I was with your dad.) ;) So my mom and I went to this frozen yogurt place and they had delicious frozen yogurt, snow-cones, and ices. They were so good. I went to this new barber and every single boy that is reading this should go there because the man that's doing it makes it feel like a cloud and they wash your hair too! That day my mom and I went to a wedding and at the wedding my mom and her friend reunited while I had to reunite with her daughter Adrianna. On Sunday I went to the pool with Adrianna at some fancy hotel. Well that's it from Christian's corner
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