seeing as i already had a family-wide pre-birthday-birthday-party before my haiti departure (thanks again, mom!), the only thing left to do was invite a few friends and waste away beachside.
we did what had to be done.
labadee. on the nicest portion of the beach. besides, of course, the gigantic compound owned by Royal Caribbean for the last several decades.
one of their megalithic ships was docked that day and tourists were spilling over and flooding into their private resort compound - think zipline, inflatable glaciers, and a roller coaster. yep. roller coaster. such stark disparity.
jean claude, miguel, and stephen crab stalking
allow me to introduce you to Norm's Place. we heard about the legend that is Norm and his wife and their mysterious hideaway in Labadee. as legend holds, Norm sailed to Haiti about 30 years ago, fell in love with the place, and never left. he then set about restoring some old French colonial ruins that were housing those manning a nearby fort. he uncovered an old indigo vat and restored a huge colonial lime kiln on the property. angelique, his lovely wife, showed us every inch of the place.
sadly, norm died after 12 years fighting cancer only 7 months ago. what a magical legacy he left. among others, i'm sure.
the entrance. only accessible by tap tap boat.
cannonballs. the season's chicest garden accessory.
you probably wouldn't believe it, but 24's not feeling so bad. thanks norm, angelique, stephen, and friends and family both near and far. here's to hoping i get to drag you to Norm's Place some day and/or stumble upon more semi-secret mythic hideaways about this time next year.
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