Bristol - London Heathrow

During our visit to Haiti for the carnival in February this year, we were fascinated by our guide Serge's tales of the Haiti's official religion of Vodou in general and the the Day of the Day celebrations in particular. So much so, in fact, that we decided to make a return visit to Haiti for this particular fiesta, which is held on 1st and 2nd November every year.

Fast forward to the 4th of October, when the powerful, long-lived and deadly category 5 hurricane Matthew hit the south west of Haiti, killing some estimated 1,600 people, injuring hundreds more, leaving close to 200,000 people homeless, and causing $2.25 billion damage to an already impoverished country.

We felt terribly torn at this stage – should we still go? Is our hotel still standing? Are the areas we are visiting badly affected? We spent a lot of time talking it over with Jackie (our contact in Haiti), as we were concerned if it was ethical, practical or desirable for us to still visit so soon after the hurricane.

Jackie assured us that life in Port au Prince and the surrounding areas are still very much 'business as usual' and that we would be welcomed with open arms by the people – they need the tourist dollar more than ever now.

The parts of Haiti we are visiting were largely undamaged by the hurricane, and most things are still running as normal. It was felt that we could do more good by coming, as we will be bringing money to the country in the form of hotel bookings, transport, entrance fees, and guiding, which in turn will help with continued employment. On top of that will be any shopping we do (including food and drink), and tips that we distribute while we are there.

What I did feel would be totally unethical, however, was to arrive empty-handed, so we packed everything that the two of us need into one piece of luggage and launched an appeal to my friends on Facebook for any clothing that we could fit in the spare bag.

To say I was overwhelmed with donations is an understatement, and from the small initial proposal it snowballed into a huge project! Bags of clothes, shoes, toiletries, pharmaceuticals and other useful items arrived in masses; and a number of my friends who were too far away to physically give me stuff to take, donated via PayPal or bank transfer.

We bought a couple of extra cases from a charity store, filled them with donated clothes and other items and set off on the first leg of our journey: to Heathrow to stay overnight at an airport hotel.

Hilton Heathrow Terminal 5

After checking in, we pop down to the bar for a drink.

Mr Todiwala's Kitchen

With traditional British fare or an Indian restaurant on offer, there is no choice for me, and we settle in to order what turns out to be some of the best Indian food we have had outside India.

Mini poppadoms and chutneys - my favourite is the date and tamarind chutney.

Vindhalo de Carne de Porco - a traditional Indian pork vindaloo is not the mind-blowingly hot dish served in curry houses in the UK, but rather a slightly sweet curry soured by vinegar.

Beef Tikka Laal Aur Kaala Mirich Masala - cubes of fillet steak with a coating of chillies, black pepper, mustard, ginger and garam masala. Described as "HOT and not to be taken lightly".

Desserts - rosewater and pistachio kulfi (Indian ice cream)

A great start for the first leg of the journey, although I have a very disturbed night after the spicy food and three pints of cider.