When I heard I was going to Haiti, I was initially very excited, but then I remembered it was not a country that had the best image in the world. Voodoo, Papa Doc and the infamous Tonton Macoute and the devastating earthquake in 2010...
So it was with a certain amount of trepidation that we touched down in Port-au-Prince. Once through immigration, we emerged into what was for all intents and purposes West Africa in the Caribbean.
The pavements were crowded with market stalls manned by people selling everything from food to arts and crafts. The roads were very busy with 'tap taps', the local buses that also double as moving art galleries. Unlike other destinations in the world, we were initially ignored and wrongly got the impression that Haitian people were fairly standoffish. However, once we made the effort to talk to them, the ice was broken and they were very friendly and curious as to why we were there.
We visited the Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien (MUPANAH) museum and had an excellent explanation of Haiti’s turbulent history, but my favourite place was the Croix-des-Bouquets area. This is where local people fashion scrap metal out of anything from kitchen utensils to beautiful sculptures.
Admittedly, there are still many reminders of the earthquake, but there is a very positive atmosphere; this is a town that is getting on with life and looking to the future.
The Haitians are very fond of proverbs and one is “Piti, piti, wazo fe nich li” in the local Creole language. Roughly translated this means “Little by little the bird builds its nest” and this perfectly sums up modern day Haiti.
Operations Manager Craig has just returned from a recce trip to Haiti. Wild Frontiers is running a new Haiti: The Undiscovered Caribbean group tour in 2015.
