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| photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved |
This was the highlight of my 2 year photo project in the Grand Anse initiated by Francois Chavenet. Dame-Marie is about a 2 hour trip from Jeremie. The road is unpaved, very bumpy ride- you need a four wheel drive for this journey- It's one of the most forested area in the Country. With roughly 4% of forestation left in Haiti, the Grand Anse should be protected at all cost- in any case, tall trees line up the road on both sides until you get there. I couldn't help to wonder what this place must have been like going back in the 50's. I was told by elderly residents that at one time, you needed a machete to chop through dense forest depending on where in the countryside you were going.
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| photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved |
On arrival in Dame-Marie, my host insisted that I go to Layé, and I definitely agree after visiting, that it is one of the most beautiful, pristine beach in the Country. White sand, crystal clear turquoise water, and deserted. I sat on the beach for a good while, one of those rare moments on assignment when you actually forget about the assignment. In the distance I saw a handful of children playing on the sand, as I gotten closer I noticed they were playing in fresh water flowing into the ocean from a nearby spring. Some were fetching water, young girls washing their clothes, and this little boy came along with a horse - I obviously didn't leave without making a picture.
