Hotel Oloffson

I finally got around to watching the  No Reservations episode in which Anthony Bourdain travels to Port au Prince.  While it is a shame that he did not visit Haiti’s secondary cities or countryside, he and his team were able to capture some of the beauty, the tragedy, and the potential of Haiti.  He comes away understanding Haitians are trying their best to get their lives, communities, and country back on track.  You can catch the entire episode (in three parts) on Youtube.

“Are you a Missionary?  What is Your Religion?”  Two common enough questions when Haitians are getting to know foreigners.  Haiti is a religious country and even the smallest villages have multiple churches if not a library or a clinic.  While every imaginable denomination has a presence in Haiti, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Vodoun form an uneasy trinity.   Haitian Vodoun is a vibrant, fascinating religion.  One need not be a Vodouisant to experience it, appreciate it, and learn from it.