| Haiti |
| Known for being one of the poorest and least traveled countries in the western world, Haiti is actually one of the most interesting places in the Caribbean. It's one of the few places in the world that I visited and did not see a single other tourist in the entire country. Like most countries in Haiti's situation, few people know anything about it outside of its problems. Created by the French, who brought tens of thousands of slaves from Africa, Haiti was the first country to see a successful slave rebellion. As a result of its independence from France in 1804, Haiti became the world's first black republic and was able to keep most of its traditional African culture and religion, most notably their practice of voodoo and their hybrid language that mixes French with several of their native African languages. |
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| Haiti is a very mountainous country, but the capital Port Au Prince is built on a flat piece of land next to the sea. The city itself has over a million people, with another 1.5 million in the surrounding suburbs. In all times of the day and night you'll find thousands of people walking around the capital. Once during the day, I drove through a side road and passed by literally 20 plus Haitian guys sitting on some stairs by a house. I didn't have any major issues while in Haiti, and they just stared as I passed by. Above is the Presidential Palace in December, the Christmas tree was removed on January 5th. The upper right and left photo were taken from one of the highest points near the capital. The left shows the entire city, the upper right shows the palace again. |
| For those that do a trip to Haiti, one of the best places to start is the National Museum of history in downtown Port Au Prince. The museum is short and to the point but is pretty interesting and the easiest way to catch up on how Haiti was founded. It also has lots of interesting artifacts and information beginning in the times before Europeans arrived to the island. Probably the most interesting artifact at the museum is the anchor from Christopher Columbus's ship the Santa Maria which crashed on the island Christmas of 1492. No photos are allowed once inside the museum; I didn't realize it until after I took the photo on the upper right which is actually a tomb of four Haitian rebel leaders, considered the first national heroes. On the left is a photo of the museum on the outside; take all the pictures you want here. |
| Around the museum area is where you'll find several parks, monuments and statues. The statue on the left depicts an early Haitian slave drinking water. On the right is Jean-Jacques, one of the founding fathers of Haiti who helped lead the rebellion. Jean-Jacques declared himself Emperor of Haiti in 1804 and was Haiti's first official ruler. |
| In a few hundred years the island of Hispaniola has changed drastically. Originally the island was made up of several native tribes seen above. Christopher Columbus first landed here on the Dominican Republic side in October 1492 which led to the French and Spanish colonization of the island. After the revolution, Haiti was created in one half of the island with the DR on the other half. It is difficult for Haitians to travel to the DR, so there is little influence between the two countries. I've been told that a six hour bus ride from Haiti's capital to Dominican's Republic capital is like visiting another continent. On the right is the bicentennial monument, celebrating 200 years of independence. |
| The downtown area of Port Au Prince next to the museum and government buildings are one of the few parts of the capital that are in decent shape, the other parts can be pretty beat up and scary. One neighborhood called Cite Soleil is only a square mile, but had almost 900 murders in 2004! Port Au Prince was one of the most unique cities I've been to, especially at night. It is one of the poorest capitals in the world, I honestly think most parts of Kabul, Afghanistan are in better condition than some of Haiti's neighborhoods. One of my most interesting times of my trip was driving through Port Au Prince at night. Most of the streets had no electricity at all, and there were thousands and thousands of people walking around and crowding the streets. Most shops had candles lit for light, and the rest relied on the light coming from passing cars. It felt like Halloween, I've never see anything like it. Above is a street and a photo of a UN patrol in the capital. |
| Lots of the streets in Port Au Prince are packed with stores and people running errands. Farther away from the city center I came across a street which had a river of trash running down the it. You can see the kid walking barefoot through it which didn't seem to be a big deal here. There are many NGOs working in Haiti to help the civilian population. Below is a picture of an old colonial mansion in Haiti that has be converted to a clinic by a European group, on the lower right is an 'ambulance' I saw driving around Port Au Prince. |
| The best place to stay in Port Au Prince is the neighborhood called Petionville seen above which has a good reputation in the capital. The photos on the right of the buildings higher up on the hill are not the main area in Petionville and would be a short drive away. The downtown area of Petionville is still not completely developed and no one should be fooled to think its immune to violence. My first night here I heard 23 gunshots immediately outside my hotel, it was a combination of pistol and shotgun fire that went on for several hours around midnight. |
| One of my favorite things about Petionville was all the art work they have for sale. Sometimes entire walls along the street are covered with dozens of paintings that add a lot of color to area. These are also found in Port Au Prince but not in the same volume as I saw in Petionville. |
| There aren't many places left in Haiti where you can find large supplies of trees for building homes so most are made out of concrete or stones. The photo on the left shows a mountain side that was carved out to make bricks for small houses. The castle on the right is actually a rum distillery. From my understanding it is no longer functioning or will at least be temporally closed down for some time. |
| Surrounding are some photos of everyday life in Port Au Prince. Above are jeans being sold on the street and barrels of fruit being sold on the right. Below is a picture of a busy market where people try to sell as much as possible. The lower right photo is the most convenient way to travel around the city. The buses and trucks are known as tap-taps and are a very cheap method to get around. Tap-taps are everywhere and usually overcrowded, so they are probably best left to Haitians unless you speak the language and know where you're going. |
| When it's time to leave Port Au Prince to travel elsewhere in Haiti you have two options. The best and cheapest is to take a domestic flight to anther city. Haiti is smaller than the US state of Maryland, but there are several airports around the country and each of them are about 30 minutes flying time from the capital. This is a really good option considering it can take several days of driving from one city to another because of the terrain. Above is a picture of the domestic airport and its entire fleet of less than a dozen aircraft on the upper right. This airport wasn't very organized and while I was waiting inside there was some Haitian guy trying to force a door open from outside the airport and security was screaming at him to leave. I think the guy went out an exit door and couldn't get back in unless he went through security and was throwing a fit. I also saw another guy in the airport raise his hand as if he was going to back slap someone who was trying to check in bags. On the right is the small plane I took to another city called Cap Haitian in the north. |
| Your second option of domestic travel is of course to drive. I supposed you could have a third option and sail to other places in Haiti but since I didn't have a boat I was left to finding a driver. The two photos above where taken on my domestic flight and show the mountainous views of Haiti, and notice there are very few trees. When I did do a road trip we had to drive through some very windy roads, and passed by the flipped truck on the left. None of it really surprised me since most drivers were pretty aggressive. My driver seemed to be both a global warming activist and a defensive driver educated by national geographic. He complained about how all the trees had been cut down by the population and that it was one of the reasons why the hurricane was so devestating. |
| My road trip from Port Au Prince took me to the town of Jacmel which is only a few hours south of the capital. When we were almost to Jacmel we passed this beautiful hotel that was being built. Unfortunately I didn't get a good photo of the entire building but I did get the snapshot of this private balcony on the left with it's view to the right. The owner was there and was more than happy to give us a tour of the place and offered me half price if I ever return. He was an extremely nice guy and I think his hotel will be one of the nicest in the country and hope he does well. |
| Jacmel is a nice place to visit for it's beaches and for its carnivals in February. Many NGOs and people who work in Haiti go to Jacmel from Port Au Prince for a weekend getaway. The town itself is attractive and nicely decorated such as the blue church on the upper left. To the right is a photo of a nice restaurant built along the beach, I wonder if it was just rebuilt after the past 3 hurricanes Haiti went through in 07. |
| The surrounding areas just outside of Jacmel are poor and not much better off than the rest of the country. On the upper left is the Jacmel river, which people use as a lifeline for cooking and drinking water, and a way to wash not only their clothes but themselves. Throughout Haiti I often saw people bathing in rivers, above I took some photos of a large group doing that in the center of the town Jacmel. On the left you can see some homes that were built along a creek. In the photo to the left, a woman walks through the creek while balancing some things on her head and on the right of her another woman is washing clothes. Something I really regret not seeing in Haiti and any type of voodoo ritual or ceremony. Of course this isn't something you can really just approach someone and ask, but I have heard many interesting stories of voodoo practices in the smaller villages like the one above and would love to experience some first hand. |
| My favorite city in Haiti that I visited was Cap Haitian, located on the northern coast. Cap Haitian is the country's second largest city and one of the most scenic places probably in the entire Caribbean. I did a lot of hiking here in the surrounding mountains and took the two photos above from a good viewpoint. On the left is the downtown area of Cap Haitian, the right are some houses built just outside the city. |
| Like other parts of Haiti, Cap Haitian had some very crowded streets with busy markets and people passing by on tap-taps. One place I thought was interesting is this bike shop on the left. The cathedral on the right is in downtown Cap Haitian and the largest church in the city. |
| Cap Haitian is also a port, so there are many large cargo ships anchored in its harbor. The city has a river that runs through it seen on the upper left, which is lined with houses and small boats. The sailboat on the upper right was taken from the main bay, where dozens of similar boats were out fishing and sailing. I've heard Haitian are pretty skilled at building their own small boats. |
| The photo of the left is of my hotel that I stayed in while in Cap Haitian. The hotel was pretty nice, but like all parts of the country they often experience shortages of supplies. Half of the things I tried to order on the menu weren't available, once in Port Au Prince the hotel restaurant there had only chicken available out of dozens of things on the menu. I also even saw the city when it ran out of gasoline for two days! The building on the right is a theater, it was strange seeing such a nice place in downtown Cap Haitian. The building is gated off and flys a US and Haitian flag so it is clearly foreign owned. When I took the photo some Haitian guys got in my face about it as if I was trying to break in. |
| An hour east of Cap Haitian you will find the most interesting places in the country. Today there is simply a small town here with a large church, but several hundred years ago one of Haiti's leaders Henri Christophe ruled from this area. In 1807 Haiti broke into two separate nations, with Henri Christophe elected as president of the north. On the left is his statue found just outside the church seen above. |
| Henri Christophe built an enormous palace for himself that is located immediately behind the church. It was completed in 1813 but lasted only 30 years until it was destroyed in an earthquake and never rebuilt. On the left is the main palace structure, but there are actually several other buildings in ruins in the immediate area. The right is a large statue that has survived outside for over 150 years. |
| The surrounding photos are from other parts of the palace which is called Sans-Souci and is a world heritage site. I'm not sure what the buildings on the upper left were for, but they weren't part of the main structure so could have been guest houses. I didn't trust the remains of the stairs on the top right so didn't explore the second floor. Below are some walls that are still standing, one being overtaken by vegetation. I can only imagine what this place was once like 150 years ago when it was filled with people and guarded by soldiers . |
| Not far from the palace but up a very steep climb, is the largest fortress in the western hemisphere. Also constructed by Henri Christophe, the fortress is known as Citadelle Laferrière and is another world heritage site. Henri Christophe built the structure because he feared that the French would invade Haiti and attempt to put them back into slavery. Ironically, Henri Christophe forced 20,000 newly freed slaves to work with little pay or for free to construct the citadel. Many died in the process, so Henri Christophe essentially enslaved his own people to build his castle. This fact along with other decisions he made led him to become very unpopular to where he feared a coup would overthrow him. Eventually his fear of being overthrown grew so great that he shot himself with a silver bullet and is buried within the citadel. |
| The castle is located 3,000 feet up in the mountains, or close to 1,000 meters. The only way to reach it is by a long 4x4 drive up a trail followed by a 7km hike or you can rent a donkey if you're feeling tired. I hiked while a dozen villagers followed me trying to sell me items and offer me rides on their donkeys. On the left is the trail that goes up to the citadel, on the right is a guard house close to the castle. |
| The French never did make any attempt to take back Haiti, so the citadel never was used in any war. Above are cannonball stockpiles stored outside, and cannons lined up along the windows of the citadel. |
| You can see at the bottom of the left picture there are some newly installed guard rails. On the castle roof where I was walking there were none, just a sheer wall and a huge drop down, anyone who falls here is a goner. Above is a part of the castle that has been blocked off and unexplored, there is no way to get to it. I wanted to go there but the Haitian guy I was with said the door had been blocked off for decades. I guess you could repel down there or scale the wall ton the side. |
| After the long hike to the citadel, I found a man sleeping outside who had the key to the castle. He asked for a small donation and then opened the door for me. The door that is installed now is a new one, but the original is inside laying on the floor as soon as you go in. Inside the castle it is extremely dark so I had to wait for my eyes to adjust before I could explore a bit. On the right is the back side of the citadel. |
| So, I'll leave my remaining photos to the outdoors and some wildlife I came across. I actually did a lot of hiking here in Haiti, especially in Cap Haitian where I found a small mountain trail near my hotel. The surrounding photos are of some nice scenery and unique plants I saw. The photos below were taken at the top of the mountain I hiked up. |
| And finally some interesting insects I found. On the left was a strange plant that was covered with those stink bugs. I pissed one off and it fired a chemical out the back that I heard burns, fortunately he missed. I tried to do the same to the other bugs to get a photo of it but didn't work. The dung beetles on the right were found on the trail, making balls out of feces from goats and cattle that use the trail. Until I saw these beetles, I thought they lived only in Africa. |
| Haiti Travel - For more information on Haiti, visit http://www.willgoto.com/283/1/categories.aspx |
| These next three photos aren't wildlife but I was surprised to find them while hiking. The goats make sense up on a mountain, but I don't see how anyone led a bull up through the thick vegetation and tied him up on the steep terrain. I had never had a close encounter with a bull before, so I wasn't sure if it would try to ram me with its horns. Instead it walked up to me all happy that I had come and seemed glad for some company. The goats below were roaming around the mountain freely but one had a broken leash tied to him so I assume they are domesticated. They didn't seem too scared of me and were off enjoying themselves. Below are to kid goats playing with each other and ramming their heads together. I haven't researched it yet, but to my knowledge there aren't any wild game animals to be found in Haiti. |
| These pictures were taken from different places in Haiti. The two lizards above were both found on trees and were running by. I'm not sure of the species of them, or of the snake to the left. The guy I was with told me the snake is called the horse's snake, and was poisonous. I couldn't find a snake with that name on the internet, but I did read somewhere else that Haiti does not have any poisonous species so I don't know where he got that information from, probably just made it up! There are some national parks in Haiti, one that I really want to visit is in the extreme west of the country on its long peninsula. Next time I go to Haiti I plan to fly to the city Les Cayes and spend most of my time there on the beaches and in the national parks. |
Allen from USA: I am retiring from the U.S. Coast Guard and looking for a boat to live on board. I spent many days
boarding and sinking Haitian boats. I found some very sea worthy and enjoyed watching the larger boats sailing around
the island. It would be a big project, but would be worth the effort to have a sailing boat built in Haiti and sail into US
waters to show off Haitian skills as boat builders. I like to have a sailboat around 50-60 feet.
boarding and sinking Haitian boats. I found some very sea worthy and enjoyed watching the larger boats sailing around
the island. It would be a big project, but would be worth the effort to have a sailing boat built in Haiti and sail into US
waters to show off Haitian skills as boat builders. I like to have a sailboat around 50-60 feet.
Geer from Haiti: I enjoyed reading on you journey to Haiti. I haven't been there in almoist two decades. Thank you.
Vanice from USA: Both my parents were born and raised in Haiti, and all my family but I have been there. I think Haiti
is both beautiful and sad, and the culture and history is absolutely interesting. I love the photos you took, and I plan on
visiting myself someday. The first time I want to go, I want to be sure that my mother or one of my family members is
with me so I wont be so lost :) and I really want to go on a missions trip with my church so I can help out with the
poverty. Thanks for your lovely photos!
is both beautiful and sad, and the culture and history is absolutely interesting. I love the photos you took, and I plan on
visiting myself someday. The first time I want to go, I want to be sure that my mother or one of my family members is
with me so I wont be so lost :) and I really want to go on a missions trip with my church so I can help out with the
poverty. Thanks for your lovely photos!
Junior from Haiti: Tx for visiting and showing Haiti to the world. What makes me sorry is Haiti unfortunately doesn't
prepare herself to be more complimented. I wish you said better things, but I can't blame you because you are sincere
and right. But one thing I want the world to know is Haiti is not insecure. Ther is only a lack or even an absence of
control, but the people are friendy. Haiti is not poor, the thing is those who are supposed to help the people use their
potentials, I mean the government, they are ABSOLUTELY careless. So the real problem of Haiti is a problem of
conscience and care.
prepare herself to be more complimented. I wish you said better things, but I can't blame you because you are sincere
and right. But one thing I want the world to know is Haiti is not insecure. Ther is only a lack or even an absence of
control, but the people are friendy. Haiti is not poor, the thing is those who are supposed to help the people use their
potentials, I mean the government, they are ABSOLUTELY careless. So the real problem of Haiti is a problem of
conscience and care.
Donna from USA: I went to Haiti when I was 3 with my parents who were missionaries in Jacmel. My parents were
there almost 40 years and have left behind a school and a hospital in a neighboring town of Marigot. I myself spent nearly
30 years of my life in and out of there and in the Caribbean. I know the Creole fluently and would love to see it again. I
am glad you have chosen such a beautiful place to explore. The country people are great people and deserve all the
respect possible from visitors. Have a wonderful time and God bless!
there almost 40 years and have left behind a school and a hospital in a neighboring town of Marigot. I myself spent nearly
30 years of my life in and out of there and in the Caribbean. I know the Creole fluently and would love to see it again. I
am glad you have chosen such a beautiful place to explore. The country people are great people and deserve all the
respect possible from visitors. Have a wonderful time and God bless!
Naddty from Haiti: I found your cite through wikepidia in one of the links about haiti.i love your picture about Haiti.
