17166: Labrom: re 17148 Linda, visit to Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: jacqui Labrom <voyageslumiere@haitelonline.com>

Well I'm glad to see that you didn't use 'THAT PHRASE' !

Speaking as a tour organizer living and working in Haiti I do not agree with
the statement that 'Haiti is in no condition to welcome tourists'.  First of
all Haiti does receive tourists and the Haitians love receiving them.  They
are thrilled to have them and seem to realise better than the Govt. that
tourism is good for the whole country. People are always saying that Haiti
does not have the infrastructure to receive tourists. Well OK we who live
here don't always have electricity, you're right there Linda, BUT the top
and medium level hotels all have generators to back up the city electricity.
We don't have running water or water pumped in by CAMEP every day, BUT the
hotels all have water, even if its backed up by buying tankers of water. We
don't have the best Telephone system BUT the hotels all have telephones and
most of them now have Internet.  The Roads are bad, BUT we are a third world
country, so you can't expect to get all modern paved highways.  HOWEVER the
worst thing in my view for the tourists is the Rubbish on the street - that
is something that MUST be changed.

And let me say Linda the Tourists I receive love Haiti and always want to be
kept in touch with what's happening, and NONE of them have ever felt unsafe!

As for ridng in a Tap Tap being unsafe, no worse than any other poor
country, and in fact the people are very sweet when they see 'Blancs' in
their Tap Tap and try and practise their English. Of course the Elite and
Middle class wouldn't be caught dead driving in a Tap Tap.  I have decided
that Haitians think worse of their country than the foreigners do, and most
of my Haitian friends agree with that.

'No safe areas'  - give me a break. I am a single woman and I drive around
all over the place day and nite by myself. I do not choose to drive in
certain areas, and will never drive or even go to Cité Soleil unless I was
accompanied by people from there. I will never ever take tourists there
either.

Richard Morse is a member of the Tiresias Sam family - President Tiresias
Sam built the 'Oloffson' for one of his family members, in fact he built 3
Gingerbread houses at the time. On my understanding the Oloffson is still in
the Sam family and Richard is the Manager. Speak up Richard and set us
straight !!

JBA translated the Bible into Creole?!!! - well others have answered this.
Aristide's election was not a disputed election.

As for the 30% income taxes - I wish they paid even a third of it.  Someone
said to me here, Oh everyone has 2 sets of books, one for the Tax people and
the real one for themselves. I said yes we have that too in England and we
call it criminal.
It's a vicious circle - because they won't pay their taxes because 'they see
no resulting benefits', but people must pay their taxes. Most of the Elite
and middle class business people have studied or lived or worked abroad and
knows that a country runs on its taxes. It cannot function otherwise.

Well Linda you asked for it!!

Jacqui Labrom

VOYAGES LUMIERE

email: voyageslumiere@haitelonline.com

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