Today we set off to meet mom and dad!!!

I was trying not to get excited cause we had heard a few people say when they came to visit that they were not allowed in to LaBadee. LaBadee is a private island that Royal Carribean owns, and so no one from the mainland is allowed in unless they work on it. We figured for the right price, we could surely smooth talk our way in, in our broken Creole. We set off on motto’s. Even though they are not as safe as a car, we were able to talk the guys down to $15 per motto, to take us there, wait for us, and take us back. It seemed worth the safety risk considering a car was going to cost us $100!! It was a beautiful drive in some of the most lush parts of Haiti we had ever seen, and we passed many picturesque beaches along the way. Having arrived early, we spend most of our time talking with the guards, begging them to let us in. After about 45 minutes of this, we found a supervisor. (Meanwhile I am trying not to cry, as I imagine they would come to gate and we’d have to talk, hug and kiss through the gate.) He humored us and had us write our names on a sheet of paper, along with Brandon’s parent’s names. He said the only thing we could do was mom and dad could come out of Labadee and we could hang out outside the gates.  That seemed like a decent idea, but I quickly forgot that not everyone feels as safe and comfortable in Haiti as we do! I even thought we could just sneak in (once were in we look like everyone else!) or we could just go the beach next door and snorkel our way up to the private beach!!We looked up and there were mom and dad riding in a little cart with the supervisor straight towards us. They flew through the gates and we all embraced excitedly. Oh how wonderful it was to see them!! Our hopeful eyes met the supervisors, but he stuck by his word, we weren’t allowed in. As mom and dad glanced around the area outside of the gates, they said they didn’t think going off the private island was a great idea. I can’t really blame them, cause the whole day before the cruise line told them how dangerous Haiti is, and that if they leave their private island then they would have to take all their luggage with them! I think we finally wore him out, cause he told Brandon and I to go to a small beach down the road, and he would drive mom and dad near there but inside the gates. I could help but chuckle, as we drove all along the huge fences with barbed wire to the gate next to the private beach, that it was that gate that was meant to keep even us outside!! This sweet man had devised a plan: he would get in trouble if we got caught on the island, so he hired a boat to take all of us to our own private island just a few minutes away from Labadee. Genius. So, he let us pass through the private gate and get right into a boat. As we sailed away, mom and I cried with each other, so grateful for the chance to be together!!

We stopped at this amazing beach on the way back to the hotel. We were going to actually stay here since it was closer to Labadee, but it was a bit pricey. Instead, we just laid on their beaches and enjoyed their tasty food.. including fruit sorbet!!

When there is a will, there is a way. We found out Brandon’s parents were coming to LaBadee Haiti via cruise ship, and we knew we had to see them! Even though it’s only 40 miles from Port de Paix, it’s not easy to get there. We decided to pay a little extra for a flight, rather than make the bumpy seven hour drive (only seven hours if the car doesn’t break down, and that rarely doesn’t happen!)

So, we flew in the day before and spent the night. We decided that if we were going to spend the money to go up there, then we really should treat this like a weekend trip-a chance to get away from work, crazy Haiti, and actually take a few days off. We stayed at a really old plantation style hotel in downtown Cap Haitian-complete with old cannon balls lying around, wood furniture, huge shutters, and lush greenery. What a treat!

Some friends told us there were some old forts along the beach, so we set off on foot in search of them. We walked for about 3 hours and came across three ruined forts. The first only had a few cannons remaining. A few Haitians were using these old artifacts to tie up part of their shop!!

That night we went to a restaurant (I know, it’s sad that we so get excited over any restaurant considering we have about 5 in pdp and they all serve almost the same thing). It was overlooking the beach and served tasty food. It was perfect. As we sat there we were watching an amazing lightening storm in the distance. And as we were getting ready to leave, within minutes, the storm was on us!

Wider streets in Port de Paix sounds like a good idea.. on paper perhaps. But what has to be done to make it happen is pretty crazy. They tell the business and houses that stack the busy streets and begin work. They just go from building to building and start to demolish the three to five feet that is closest to the street. But, they don’t bother to block off the street, but rather have to keep things open cause there are streets to really get around. So, as you drive, ride a motto, or walk, cement falls from twenty feet high!! And now you have to maneuver your way around piles of crumbling cement, in addition to all the other obstacles!