24341: Binard: Haitian Travel Essay (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Marc Binard <islandoc2001@yahoo.com>

I wrote the following essay in response to several
queries from listers who wanted information on Haitian
travel and in response to an editor from a travel
magazine who wants to travel to Haiti.

I travel to haiti both as a medical volunteer and as a
tourist. It seems that Haiti gets 100% negative press
and never do we hear about the positive attributes of
this country.

I dont mean to minimize the problems facing Haiti and
its residents but I think perhaps its time to bring
out the positive side of Haiti. On every trip I take
to Haiti, I bring along a newcomer for their first
look at Haiti. So far, everyone has come back with the
same impression " what an incredible place, what
incredible people."

Sorry for the length of the essay. Should any listers
which to use or submit this essay to other
publications , please free to but kindly let me know
in advance.

Marc Binard

           A HAITIAN VACATION ??!!


Haiti. The name immediately conjures up images of a
dark , dangerous and hostile place. As a frequent
visitor to Haiti ,I am pleased to report that those
images and preconceptions are largely false and
inaccurate.

As I sat  last week in the Restaurant Souvenance in
Petionville  enjoying an incredible Coquile St Jaques
accompanied by a fine bottle of French Sancerre , I
recall being asked by a well meaning friend when he
learned of my planned trip to Haiti

“ You’re going to Haiti ? Do they have food?  Will you
bring along something to eat?”

Do they have food?  Certainment Monsieur!  The French
left a legacy of fine quisine. High in the mountains
overlooking Port Au Prince , the restaurants of
Petionville match any of the worlds best in everything
but price. My meal at La Souvenace  easily surpassed
my meal the night before in South Beach..  Imagine my
delight when I discovered that the  tab was one half
what I paid in Miami. Small local restaurants are also
in abundance where one can enjoy Creole favorites such
as tassot , a Haitian version of jerked beef and goat
for a few dollars. Wash down your meal with a
Prestige, the award winning Haitian beer.  Born in
Belgium, I am a severe beer snob but I would rate this
lager with my native land’s best.  French experience
producing cognac is reflected in the fine Haitian
Barbancourt Rum.  Made from pure sugar cane juice and
aged in oak barrels, this rum is the favorite of many
connoisseurs including reportedly, Jimmy Buffet.
Curiously ,in a recent article in a Miami fine dining
magazine comparing the world’s best rums, it wasn’t
even mentioned.


Once a tourist mecca in the 1950s and briefly again in
the 1970’s , Haiti is generally shunned by most
Caribbean travelers. Many guide books don’t even
acknowledge that the country exists. Many glowing
pages will be written about the Dominican Republic but
no mention is made of  its western neighbor on the
island of Hispaniola.  Some cruise ship passengers
visit Haiti and never realize they have been there.
Spotting someone wearing  a “ Labadee Beach”  T Shirt
here in the Bahamas, I asked how they enjoyed Haiti.

“ Haiti !?  Never been there “ he replied.

A common misconception.  Cruise lines bring passengers
to Labadee beach several times a week.  The superb
beach is on a fenced small peninsula on Haiti’s north
shore.  Many visitors remember Labadie as their
favorite spot but are unaware that they were actually
in Haiti. Passengers are told they are visiting “
Treasure Island “.  As a resident of the out islands
of the Bahamas, I am a difficult person to impress
when it comes to beaches .  The beaches of northern
Haiti  rival any I have visited in the Bahamas or
elsewhere in the Caribbean.  Water clarity is the same
gin clear as I have come to expect in the Bahamas.
The interplay of the rugged mountains with the palm
fringed shore is equal to the best Jamaica and St
Lucia have to offer.   A small cove lies 10 minutes
and a fifty cent boat ride away from Labadie ..Here, a
 fresh water mountain stream gently flows onto the
sea.  The cool, blue hued fresh water makes a 2 foot
deep reverse thermo cline lying over the seawater.
When you get out of the water, you are given an
automatic fresh water rinse.  Sitting on the beach
eating a freshly caught ,beach grilled lobster
drizzled with fresh lime juice, I realize that its
name “Paradise Beach” is not an exaggerated claim.
Yes, Haiti has its share of well publicized  problems.
 Political instability has plagued Haiti through most
of its existence as the  first black republic in the
new world. Last year’s 200 year anniversary of Haitian
independence culminated in the departure of  Haitian
President Jean Bertrand Aristide. Presently an
appointed caretaker government is in place while
largely Brazilian UN troops work to maintain security
and assist with infrastructure. Though the UN peace
keepers are visible, at no time do you feel like you
are in a military zone.

 Pervasive poverty can unsettle the first time
traveler. Sadly, shanty towns and inner city poor
neighborhoods  are amongst the world’s worst. Yes, you
will occasionally be approached by a child asking “
give me one  dollah” but my impression when
interacting with the Haitian poor is not one of a
dejected people. I am instead overwhelmed by their
indomitable human spirit. Their ability to survive
with so little . The eternal hope that things will get
better.  The personal pride that is apparent in the
appearance of the school children emerging in
immaculately pressed uniforms and brightly ribboned
hair from tiny dwellings lacking electricity and
running water.  Walking past the national palace  late
one afternoon we were surprised to see all the traffic
suddenly come to a halt. Drivers exited their vehicles
and joined the pedestrians in facing the palace with
hands clasped over their hearts.  Puzzled, we turned
to face the palace where we saw the Haitian flag
lowering slowly, trumpets sounding a salute.  Intense
national pride. A respectful gesture in spite of  the
palace being occupied by an appointed caretaker
government that some don’t support.

“Glad you made it back!” I often hear on my return
from Haiti. “ Isn’t it dangerous? “ they ask. In 34
years of travel to Haiti, I have never experienced any
crime. I have never felt threatened.  Nothing has ever
been stolen or lost, even out of my suitcases when
they are traveling the country without me on one of
the local airlines.  Making inqueries regarding my
lost baggage ,the airline representative  answered,

 “ Lost monsieur? No, your bags are not lost, I just
don’t know where they are right now but rest assured
they will be here tomorrow.” And indeed , they always
are.

No, I don’t walk the poor neighborhoods of Port Au
Prince at night but I do walk virtually everywhere
else.  I walked the streets of  Cap Haitian , Haiti’s
second city with a population of 600,000 on New Years
Eve at 130 AM with my teenage daughter and
girlfriend..  No problem.  Certainly, there is crime
though often this is political.  Haiti is a country of
approximately 8 million people of which around 2
million live in the capital, Port au Prince.  Use the
same common sense precautions as you would in any
large city. Hotels and some businesses often will have
guards brandishing  automatic weapons , but I have
never seen one used.

 From your arrival at the airport where you are
greeted by a band on the tarmac, followed by girls
handing out free Welcome To  Haiti T shirts,  you will
be treated with respect and appreciation. Arriving in
Cap Haitian  2 years ago, I was chagrined as an
airport official asked the small line at immigration
to step aside so I could pass. “ Mesdames et
Monsieurs, here we have a visiteur” he announced as I
blushed deeply. Haiti has so few visitors that young
children will frequently hail you with a shy smile and
call “ Blanc!!!”  As my  Haitian Bahamian girlfriend
discovered  to her surprise, this non derisive term
identifies not only those of the lighter persuasion
but anyone perceived to be from a foreign land. Many
will ask where you are from and why you are in Haiti.
Responding “ En Vacance” invariably will bring a
response of surprise and delight. Don’t come to Haiti
if you are uncomfortable with being the center of
attention. Here you can never be lonely.


Hotels are often well preserved remnants from Haiti’s
glory days of tourism . A variety of lodgings are
available from Port au Prince’s  historic gingerbread
Hotel Oloffson, to Petionville’s art deco El Rancho
and exquisite Hotel Montana.  Cap Haitian’s hotels
include the wonderful Hotel Mon Joli perched on a hill
overlooking the city and harbour and Hotel Roi
Christophe built in 1724. The  southern coastal town
of Jacmel has several small  good  hotels such as the
Florita .

 Conditions in Haiti are slowly eking forward but
there remains a tremendous amount of work to be done.
Traffic snarls, sooty exhaust and urban congestion are
pervasive in the big cities. If you can look beyond
the problems, you will see a land of incredible
beauty. Cap Haitian has more historic buildings than
any other city in the Caribbean. These structures are
largely untouched since, as in Cuba, there hasn’t been
adequate money to destroy the old buildings and
replace them with kitch.  Cap Haitian could feel like
New Orleans . Is it anywhere close? No, but given
enough time and funding , it can be.

Haiti is littered with forts and a few palaces. Tours
are easily arranged to visit the northern fortress The
Citadel . Simply walking around Cap Haitian you will
walk over the ruins of other 18th century forts.
Bronze cannon, cannonballs and ancient urns are found
in abundance.

 Haiti has a rich history and this is reflected in her
culture. Haitian art is world famous and may  be
purchased almost everywhere  from street vendors .
Those seeking higher quality art can visit the superb
galleries of Petionville , Cap Haitian and Jacmel.
Haitian music sets a new standard  for island music.
Spanning the spectrum from traditional compas music
to the Band RAM, a  phenomenal group which blends
traditional racines music with contemporary
instruments and vocals. I challenge anyone to attend a
Haitian concert and not be moved to dance. Groups
often have  at least 10 - 15 members and play ballads
often lasting  10 - 12 minutes.

Is Haiti right for you? Haiti is not for everyone. If
you like all inclusive resorts, don’t come to Haiti.
If your idea of an extreme tropical vacation is to sip
a pina colada at Sloppy Joe’s in Key West, don’t come
to Haiti.

  If  however, you are an open minded traveler who can
appreciate pure West Indian culture , good food and
friendly people ,please give Haiti a chance.

Marc Binard MD
Abaco Bahamas





--- Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu> wrote:

>
> From: Kathleen <kathleenmb@adelphia.net>
>
> Dear Marc:
>     My experience living in Haiti for more than two
> years, traveling around
> the island, and visiting for months at a time have
> been like yours,
> love-filled and crime-free.
>     I changed plans to be there this past January
> and February (and, oh, how
> I have suffered this winter in Gloucester!!!!)
> because I feared my Haitian
> friends would possibly come to grief traveling from
> north of PauP to pick me
> up.  My physical instincts have always been very
> good, and so I pay
> attention to them.  That being said, I leave in less
> than a week for 3
> months in the Central Plateau.  Can't wait; I need
> Haiti and Haitians there.
>     At the same time, I would not bring people
> unaccustomed to Haiti with me
> at this time.  I don't know how misinterpretations
> or fear would translate
> into actions.
>     Again, I can't wait!!!!!  Kathleen Burke
>
>
>


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