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.

Solomon Islands

Country Information:  The tropical Solomon Islands temperatures are wet and warm year-round. The name comes from King Solomon de Mendana, the nephew of a former Peruvian governor. About 700,000 people live here. The islands gained independence in 1978 from Britain and...

Austria

Country Information: The  Republic of Austria, founded in 1804! The capital is Vienna. About 8.5 million people live here and the primary languages are German, Slovenian, Hungarian, and Austrian German. In Austria there is religious freedom, but many Austrians are...

Hospitality Coin #15 – Owadan Tourism, Turkmenistan

Jabbar Ustad lives in Ashgabat with his wife and two sons and is working as a tour guide for Owadan Tourism in Turkmenistan.He was born in a refugee family in Shibirghan, Afghanistan in 1959.His family was a victim of Stalin's Collectivisation Program of the Soviet...