This morning Nicole and Sophie took Leanna, Alexis, and I up to CODEP's demonstration forest in the mountains for the first time. Although I had been here for 6 weeks I still had not made it to this "highly acclaimed" place. Clement and Mimi drove us up the mountain roughly a half hour. We turned left off the road to Jacmel onto a small side road whose purpose I was debating. There were a few little street vendors forming a mini-market where one could buy some fresh fruits, oil, pasta, and soap from what I saw. Clement parked the truck at the entrance to a dirt road, and we all exited the vehicle.
Mimi stayed with the truck, while Clement led us on our hike. We were stopped some along the way by people wanting to chat ...some small talk, others with purpose (such as expressing the desire to become part of CODEP). We paced ourselves so that we could enjoy the view and fully appreciate the overall experience.
The first picture was the view to our right (a relatively eastern look based on the sun) between two palm trees as we left the small market behind and after we passed by a tent camp. The picture on the right was a view to our left a short distance beyond that which shows the work the people of CODEP have been so diligently completing. The far left mountains in the picture show a 10 year old forest we visited. To the right, center of the photo, you may be able to identify the 2 year old forest as well.
The above left photo shows a man tending a horse. There aren't many options in this area, and he appeared to be using one of the few available trees for a little relief from the sun. As you can see, it is a little light on the top and doesn't offer much shade. We walked for about an hour before we came to the tree on the right side above. This tree is a great illustration of the amount of erosion which occurs regularly without the presence of many trees and their root systems to provide support to the soil. The 10 year old demonstration forest can be seen in the background of this picture.
Once we stepped into the forest, the difference was amazing. Honestly the forest was so similar to those in the states that I could almost forget I was still in Haiti. The smells of the soil and earth were different ...more musty and less arid. The sounds of birds chirping stood out while we were still a half mile away. I had Leanna take a picture of me inside the forest while we stopped to enjoy the cooler temperatures and lack of beating sun. On our way back to the truck, the mountain views were different due to the sun shifting positions in the sky. I felt you may appreciate the beauty as much as I do.
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