Haiti

My Haiti travel summary:

Visited: February 2016

Duration of visit: 7 days

Capital city: Port-au-Prince

Population: 10.8 million (2016)

Haiti travel blog reading time: 10 minutes

• Celebrating the Carnival in Port-au-Prince and papier-mâché carnival masks of Jacmel.
• Witnessing the deep poverty in Port-au-Prince, which is still suffering from the effects of the 2011 earthquake.
• Trying to understand why Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.
• Climbing the largest fortress in the Americas – Citadelle Laferrière.

Haiti is probably one of the most unique countries in the Western Hemisphere. Besides being the poorest country in the Americas, Haiti faces chaos, insecurity, and a long recovery from the 2010 earthquake. Traveling around the country is a real challenge.

Each year, nearly a million tourists visit Haiti by cruise ship and stay at Labadee, a private resort on the northern coast of Haiti. However, during my Haiti travel adventure in February 2016, I did not see a single tourist or backpacker. I couldn’t notice any benefits from tourism for local people.

Why is Haiti the poorest country outside of Africa? It shouldn’t have been like this.

Christopher Columbus was the first European to explore Haiti in 1492.

The country was the biggest producer of sugar and cotton in 18^th century. It became the richest French colon, providing France 20% of its revenue. Workers cut the best wood and shipped it to France, where they turned it into furniture.

Black slaves of Haiti upraised against Napoleon army and proclaimed the first Black-led former-slave nation in the world in 1804. Haiti became the world’s first black-led republic after it threw off French colonial control and slavery in the early 19^th century and the second independent country in America, after the USA. Later, Haiti supported Simon Bolivar in liberation of Spanish colonies in South America.

Since then, almost everything has gone wrong. The United States didn’t recognize Haiti for 50 years and occupied it in the early 20^th century. France army came back and asked Haiti for compensation in order to not attack them. Haiti was paying France compensation for almost 100 years, which would total 22 billion US$ in today’s money (2016).

Haiti was under the US embargo most of the time and cut off from the International World, especially because of the American and France interests.

Since most of the trees were cut, half of the territory is converted to useless land – almost desert. Zero money has been invested in education and infrastructure. More than 50% of population cannot read (2016).

The US has influenced local politics, imposed harmful economic changes, forced an open-market system, and supported corrupt local leaders.

After a major hurricane, an even worse disaster hit in January 2010: a powerful earthquake. It had only 7.0M magnitude, but due to the poor infrastructure and diseases, more than 250,000 people died. When a similar earthquake had happened in San Francisco less than 100 people died!!!

Are there any coincidences or Haiti was just punished for being so successful at the beginning of its development?

I settled down in a Tropical Bed & Breakfast Guesthouse in Port-au-Prince. Nothing fancy, but the price was still a high 43.00US$ per night. There is currently no budget scene for backpackers in Port-au-Prince, nor in other areas around the country. The owner was nice. I met some voluntaries, who invited me to a great BBQ party at night.

Port-au-Prince is not a typical capital where I could visit attractions, markets, museums, parks or other landmarks. The best approach is to just wander around the city with open eyes, being it on a public transport, walking or in a taxi.

Public transport is confusing, but I still managed to find a ride to the Iron Market area.

Historical buildings and nearby streets were heavily damaged in the 2010 earthquake and further harmed by fires that occur every few years.

The whole neighborhood looks like a war zone. Many buildings remain destroyed, and I found garbage covering almost every corner.

Several informal street vendors sell stuff that would be pretty much thrown away in any other country. Museums, government buildings, and churches were completely destroyed or are still only partly rebuilt – or not rebuilt at all. People here still repair, fix, or reuse old electrical appliances, clothes, and kitchen utensils dumped from other countries.

Haiti is very poor.

I had visited almost every other country in the region, but Haiti matches the poorest areas of West Africa. Haiti is the poorest country in the western world, when measured by GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP).

I could feel the poverty everywhere, mixed with the effects of natural disasters and a lack of meaningful international aid. It is obvious that the government doesn’t perform efficiently, nor honestly, but that’s not an exception from others in Latin America.

I never felt truly safe in Port-au-Prince, and I had trouble understanding the locals because they speak Creole and French. Haiti and Canada are the only countries in the Americas with French as an official language. Strong and dark-skinned Haitians can be quite rude sometimes. It is an understandable consequence of the harsh life that has been a result of disasters every now and then.

Even though I usually don’t need perfect hygiene when traveling, I couldn’t just stop at a food stall for a snack or lunch. Finding decent food or a restaurant in Port-au-Prince was not easy during my trip.

The Carnival is the most important event in Haiti. Port-au-Prince is the center of the celebration, which lasts over several weeks each year. After devastating earthquake, the budget dedicated for this event has been reduced, so the glamour is not at the same level as years ago. Smaller celebrations take part simultaneously also on other locations, especially in Jacmel, which is renown as the City of Light.

I comfortably traveled three hours of to reach the first city in the Caribbean to have electricity back in 1925.

In Jacmel, the quality of the power supply was probably better almost a hundred years ago. Today, power outages are common, unpredictable, and part of everyday life.

Jacmel was heavily damaged by the 2010 earthquake, and the consequences were still visible during my travel.

I spotted some well-preserved French colonial architecture from the early 19^th century, but couldn’t find any worthwhile places to visit or attraction. I travelled to Jacmel mostly because many old colonial homes are now artisan shops. These shops sell vibrant handicrafts, especially papier-mâché masks and carved wooden animal figures. Observing the creation and restauration of these masks, was the highlight.

I stopped by at Charlotte’s art studio by coincidence. She was decorating one of her creations with colorful design in front of her house, which also serves as a workshop and art gallery at the same time. Her work starts a whole year before the Carnival, designing masks for display on stands or for dancers to wear in the parade.

The paper-mâché technique is very old, originating from Asia. Improved technique combined with the carnival tradition, inherited from Europeans, reflects a real Haitian culture, rich in colors. Masks can be any size and show the wilder parts of Haiti, with lush forests and jungles. They also depict indigenous animals and species that have never been seen on the island.

Many designs reflect Haiti’s deeply unique religion – Haitian Vodou. During the Carnival papier-mâché masks comes alive, as the city’s residents and fantastic costumes occupy the streets.

One of the best things to do in Jacmel was watching the carnival parade. Adults and kids danced, played music, and displayed colorful papier-mâché masks.

The Carnival celebration in Port-au-Prince is similar to other carnivals in the Caribbean. It is celebrated with music, bands, parades, dance and party. I was scared to attend the main parade and celebration alone because of safety warnings. I spoke to the hotel owner to get some advice.

She offered her son James to accompany me, show me around, and especially take care of me. Since there are few foreigners, I would stand out immediately without his guidance. A fellow Korean volunteer Cho joined us in this unique Haiti travelling experience.

We left all our valuables in the guesthouse and approached the main avenue in downtown by car. The central stage was on Rue de Republique, nearby Bicentennial Monument, which survived the earthquake almost undamaged.

I heard musicians performing zouk and kreyòl rap from far away. Carnival festivities contains rum-fueled parties, imaginative costumes and high-energy dance music. The beat of traditional “ra-ra” bands and rollicking carnival songs, known as meringues were pulsing through the downtown.

The Carnival in Haiti has always offered release, with participants mingling across class lines and acts alluding to political issues of the time.

The route was filled with trucks blaring kompa music and people of all ages were dancing alongside them. Street vendors hawked rum, party masks and barbequed food.

Costumed dancers marched down the city’s main avenue. Drummers oiled and dusted with charcoal, dancing girls in bright matching outfits, and shirtless men with painted faces joined the parade.

The scene sometimes looked scary, and the atmosphere occasionally became tense. I was happy to be accompanied by a strong man, who was proud to show his muscles to avoid being harassed. It was quite chaotic, but I enjoyed the show from a safe distance. Participating in the Haitian Carnival was a must-do experience.

I continued my Haiti travel adventure by flying from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien in the north. This allowed me to see the countryside from the air and avoid a long overland journey.

From the airplane, I immediately saw how Haiti has suffered from mass deforestation over the centuries. The country was once covered in verdant forests but land clearance for colonial plantations was followed by tree felling for charcoal. This has made Haiti dangerously exposed to other environmental threats, such as floods and mudslides. Today, Haiti has no natural resources of significant value.

Arriving to the northern capital of tourism, as many times Cap is referred to, took me by surprise. The city looked like it had been hit by a recent hurricane, and the rainy weather made conditions even worse.

It was raining for most of the time during my stay, the streets were a mess of mud, streams and garbage that ended mostly in river Mapoe and consequently in the sea.

Since there aren’t many things to do or notable places to visit in Cap, I decided to book a room at a resort. I chose the upscale Cormier Plage Resort, located on a beautiful sandy beach 10 kilometers from the city.

Two days of constant rain kept me from doing much. I could only take short swims or walk on the beach during brief breaks between downpours. The weather was so shitty, it was really a waste of money for a luxury hotel. I was the only guests, but I couldn’t really enjoy the facilities properly.

Citadelle Laferrière, a 19^th century fortress, is located an hour’s drive south of Cap-Haitien on top of a hill. From this vantage point, defenders planned strategies against potential French incursions in northern Haiti.

Over 20,000 ex-slaves built the fortress 900 meters above the valley. It gave Haitian forces a strategic advantage to control the vast area all the way to the sea.

A local guy offered me to show around the secret rooms, canyons and cannonballs that were ready for the attack that never came. The fortress was finally abandoned, but it is still a national symbol, featured on bank notes, stamps, and tourist ministry posters. It is the number one tourist attraction of the country, beside private beach in Labadee.

Haiti is the country that changed the history of the American continent. Later, it paid an extremely high price for its early development, becoming only the second independent country on the continent.

Constant exploitation, threats and abuse, together with natural disasters and diseases, brought the country to the brink of collapse, into political chaos and an unwanted tourist destination.

How ironic, Haiti shares an island with the Dominican Republic, the most visited destination in the Caribbean.

What a contrast!

The controversial status of Haiti will probably continue. It seems that a status quo is suitable for all parties involved, while Haitians will fight for survival on a daily basis. Tourists and backpackers will continue to prefer the Eastern part of Hispaniola Island – Dominican Republic.

Nevertheless, I was happy with my Haiti travel experience, which allowed me to better understand this unique culture on the American continent.