Haiti

My children and I volunteered for 6 years in the northern part of the Dominican Republic. And while we had crossed the border and traveled into Haiti, we wanted to see more of the country. In 2014, we flew into Port Au Prince and then traveled overland from there to Monte Cristi in the Dominican Republic.

Port Au Prince is an exciting place to travel – alive with commerce! It seems that everyone there is an entrepreneur selling goods and services on the city’s bustling streets.

Yes, the country is one of the poorest in the region and world, however pigeon holing this country into that narrative is doing it a disservice. Sure, it’s poor but it has heart.

This is a country of artists and ingenuity … check out this cool bus. These are all over the city. I’m telling you … this country is a photographer’s paradise!

We rode horses in northern Haiti, to the top of the Citadelle, the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere. When Haiti was seeking its independence in the 1800s, it was designed to withstand an attack from France.

Cameroon

With a pygmy tribe in Cameroon Cameroon has the largest frog species in the world! Jim's Perspectives: Wow. A photographer's paradise. One could spend weeks here traveling through the remote villages of Cameroon and leave with a treasure trove of digital gold....

Burkina Faso

Country Information: The capital of Burkina Faso is Ouagadougou. About 18 million people live here and the official language is French. Burkina Faso is religiously diverse and exercises freedom of religion; that being said, Islam is the most popular religion followed...

Ivory Coast

Where the country gets its name ... from the white sand coast Country Information: The Côte d'Ivoire, or the Ivory Coast. About 27 million people live here and the capital is Yamoussoukro. The Côte d'Ivoire is a religiously secular country, with roughly equal split...