Julian's Humble Hubris

See the above region on Google Maps After our landfall and initial exploration of the western tip of Haiti in  part 3 , it's time to cross the southern part of  Hispaniola , the second largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba; on the west side of the island, where we landed, is the country of  Haiti , while the eastern side is occupied by the Dominican Republic . Hispaniola was the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, founded by Columbus on his voyages in 1492 and 1493. Large Caribbean islands provide a fantastic mix of tall mountains and a lot of coastline: excellent flight-simulator locations, as far as I'm concerned!  Hispaniola also offers large, gorgeous lakes! Topographic maps of Haiti :   map 1      map 2 Crossing Over to the South Coast For starters, I re-cross the western tip of Haiti, this time south-bound.  An excuse to re-visit the very scenic "Pic Macaya" National Park that I first visited in  part 3 . About

Split-Image Dream We all know it's never straightforward to describe artwork in prose!  An interview format can help get depth without getting lost in a long artist's statement.  So, I'll be answering a few questions... If you wish, you can first take a peek at my portfolio . Q: In a nutshell, what is it about your photographic artwork that you try to capture? A: I use the human figure to evoke moods, suggest stories and explore personas, so as to create timeless, magical worlds that convey a sense of indomitable vitality. Q: What settings do you use, and why? A: Many of my photos explore a person's intimate bond with their environment, especially Nature - a spiritual source of energy that gets absorbed and re-radiated by those who inhabit it, explore it or dance in it. Sometimes, the interaction involves other elements, often surreal - including unusual structures, fire or moonlight.  I'm also fascinated by the extraordinary fluidity and mys

See the above region on Google Maps At the end of  part 2  of our round-the-world tour , we had just landed on a tiny airstrip upon making a first landfall at the western tip of Jamaica, arriving there from Cuba by way of the Cayman Islands. If landing the larger 6-seater airplane, the Beechcraft Baron 58 , on that tiny airstrip wasn't a workout enough for my still-limited landing skills, later landing on an aircraft carrier , while in transit to Haiti, certainly stretched my abilities!  Fortunately, I had fortified myself with a training video on handling sideslips , i.e. fine alignment with the landing strip.  That has been my Achilles' heel so far: ending up a little diagonal and/or offset, just as I'm about to touch down...  Getting better, though :) North-West of Jamaica : Montego Bay In Jamaica, I've been fascinated by two gorgeous bays: the first one is Montego Bay, close to my original landfall on the island. Here are two views of Montego Ba