Taino Beach

Today we had no school for a Haitian holiday.  So, I was able to spend the day with some friends.  They teach at Union School and have access to vehicles.  So, we loaded up in a van and headed south in search of Taino beach.

Two hours later (after getting directions from several different locals and driving down narrow dirt roads) we arrived at Taino beach.  Unlike other beaches I have seen to the north, this is a public beach and we did not have to pay anything to use it!  When I heard that it was a public beach, I thought that maybe it would not be very nice and there might be lots of trash.  That was definitely NOT the case.  It was like arriving in paradise!

There were enough trees along the coast that we set up camp in the shade.  The water was crystal clear blue and as warm as bath water.  We could even see tropical fish swimming under us.  The tide is very calm so we were able to relax, swim, and float around all day long.

Because it was not a resort, we were the only foreigners there.  There were very few people on the beach with us.  It was great!

Shortly after arriving, the Haitian men and women making food on the beach asked us what we would like them to make us for lunch.  Since I don't like seafood, I enjoyed some fresh mandarins. But everyone else was in heaven eating freshly caught lobster, fish, and lambi with Creole sauce.

My friend, David, eating the largest lobster I've ever seen

It was the first time I've ever seen a cow on the beach!

I am so thankful and blessed to have had the opportunity to enjoy God's tropical paradise today.  It was a wonderful reminder of just how beautiful this country really is.  Living in Port-au-Prince (a smoggy, dusty, trash filled city) makes it easy to forget that I am on a gorgeous tropical island in the Caribbean.  It is still hard to believe that just a short two hour drive from my house is a tropical paradise!  Thank you, God, for your beautiful creation.