Pestel, Haiti

Pestel, Haiti Waypoint 18º 32’.581 N 073º 47’.455 W

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do then by the ones you did. So throw off our dock lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover” a quote from Mark Twain.

Only now do we realize what we do on a daily bases, to be Living a True Adventure!!. From pulling into places you have never been before, and having your breath taken away by the beauty!! To being the only one you know that has ever been there!! To seeing, through our eyes, what we have seen over the past years!!

On Sunday morning, after a restful night anchored in Grande Cayemite, we lifted anchor to visit Pestel. This village called Pestel, is tucked in hill side, just off the Baie des Cayemites. The anchorage was quite breath taking as we set the hook and dropped the skiff to explore this nearby village. The first thing that differs from the other villages we have visited, is the ground is red!! Everything is stained red, from the earth. A soil that is rich in iron,we believe, has everything covered in it’s glow.

The city lines the water front for about 500 meters, where the port of entry offers a cement dockside and 300+ degrees protection, since it is surrounded by islands. It’s really tucked in there and, if it were not for a local guide from Grande Cayemite, I’m not sure we would have seen it at all.

We tied the skiff and began our trek trough this town. Pestel is like none else we have seen. Not only because of the color of the soil, but the street are also very clean and there are actually well designed building and roads. It is set between the valleys of 2 or 3 mountains and the vegetation is so lush there, you can practically feel the trees growing.

Houses were well kept, clean of debris and manicured with decorative plants. This was the prettiest town we have seen so far. Appreciative of their surroundings and educated in the way they maintain it. We were also very pleased to find a representative office of the SEMANAH (port authority) here. We have began discussion and will come back with information on the formalities of clearing customs here, as opposed to clearing in Port au Prince, which we have recommended against in prior blog entries. This would be a fantastic thing if we can confirm that both customs and immigration can be done through this hidden treasure of a town. Stay tuned for future updates (which we will also forward to www.noonsite.com)

We found Pestel to be a gemstone and is, so far, one of the prettiest places we have visited, but our adventure is still young…..

Annie & Eric
In Haiti
Please keep posting your positive comments, they are so encouraging.
www.WeBeSailing.com

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