travel

/  by Thomas DeVoss

Day 2: Jacmel, Haiti

-View from Hotel Leviya

-My tent and our “convertible”

-A poisonous banana tarantula, hanging dangerously close to the light switch.

-Breakfast: Mango, Banana, Eggs

-Water Purification system at the Orphanage, ceramic with Silver Iodide filter

-Old orphanage interior walls

/  by Thomas DeVoss

Driving through Port-au-Prince and Carrefour:

PaP is almost entirely destroyed.  

Football field-sized areas of burning garbage are next to football field-sized piles of rubble.  

Based on my driving tour 80% of buildings in Port-au-Prince have been completely destroyed.

Another 12-15% stand but are too structurally damaged to go back into.  

The remaining 5-8% still stand and look just fine, obviously made with higher quality construction materials and methods.  Most of the residences on the hills look fine from a distance.

/  by Thomas DeVoss

March 23, 2010

LAX - FLL - PAP 

Descending into Port-au-Prince you fly directly over Cite Soleil, the corrugated shanty town which appears to be one of the only areas still standing after the January 12, 7.0 earthquake.  From the right side of the plane, beyond the corrugated roofs lies a checkerboard of rubble, burning trash piles, tent cities, and flat concrete roofs, most of which (you realize from the ground) have been pancaked. 

/  by Thomas DeVoss

Muang Boran, The Ancient City. Outside of Bangkok, Thailand

Wiki - Muang Boran is an architectural park constructed under the patronage of Lek Viriyaphant and spreading over 200 acres (0.81 km2) in the shape of Thailand. During his research he found most structures being severely damaged over time and decided instead of creating new miniatures to save the original structures when possible or re-creating them full size or scaled down.

Ancient Siam is dubbed as the world’s largest outdoor museum. Situated close to the Crocodile Farm in Samut Prakan province, the 320-hectare city features 116 structures of Thailand’s famous monuments and architectural attractions. The grounds of Ancient Siam correspond roughly to the shape of the Kingdom, with each of the monuments lying at their correct places geographically. Some of the buildings are life-size replicas of existing or former sites, while others are scaled down.

The replicas were constructed with the assistance of experts from the National Museum to ensure historical accuracy. Outstanding works include the former Grand Palace of Ayutthaya (destroyed in the Burmese invasion of 1767), Phimai Sanctuary in Nakhon Ratchasima, and Wat Khao Phra Viharn on the Cambodian border.