Beware of Haiti!

Haiti

There's a ton a info in the archives. They also have several websites you can try like Windows on Haiti, where you can learn a lot of their history and struggles. Their language is Patois and French. There has been a lot of animosity thru the centuries between DR and Haiti.

Pepe
Cler?n Catad?r

Jay

I made the above post as neutral as possible. I have to lay low untill TW goes by.
See you later.... I hope.

Pepe

Re: pepe

JayUKcomingtoDR said:

Who is TW? Will check out that site tho thanks.

Click to expand...

Tw seems to be nice enough
with lots of accurate and very usefull information.
I believe a valuable poster to this board and often amusing.
However his views om Haiti are
very extreme and racist
if somebody says something nice about Haiti , he really gets it from TW.
Hence Pepe's prudence.

A word to the wise

While my several excursions to Haiti have been exciting and interesting, given the current conditions inside the country (nearly a misnomer, really), I would strongly suggest that you refrain from visiting until you get you feet on the ground here.

there are many historical reasons for the tension between the DR and Haiti, but these are more than amply covered in the Archives.

At the present time, "security" is probably the largest problem.

Please, wait for a while. It would be similar to a trip to Afganistan.

HB

I think Afganistan is

1 up on Haiti.

Both good and bad

I have only walked across the Haitain border at Dajabon and Quanaminthe. There is a stark difference in the general standard of living. If you don't speak French or Creole, it could be difficult getting around. I have been told that an amazing number of Haitains speak English in the large cities. A friend (former Peace Corps vol.) who lived in the area traveled there many times with a Dominican escort who spoke Creole. He found the contrast in cultures to be fasinating and did feel his safety to be in jeopardy. Many people have also told me they enjoyed traveling in Haiti (both for pleasure and work). Others have told me about the horror stories.

TW generally likes crossing the line when it comes to Haiti, women, poor folks and major metropolitan areas in the US. When it comes to the jet set in Santo Domingo, real estate, political corruption, music reviews and memories of Chicago, there are none better.

Tom F.

Yea Jay it's me

Unless there have been major changes (For the better) in Haiti, there is nothing much to see. I was in Port-au-Prince a couple of years ago and other than filthy and muddy streets lined by run down huts, it's not really worth the trip. Have to admit that a visit to the "Upper Class area (Petionville)" is a must should you decide to go anyway anyway. The contrast between the two was out of this world. Then again that was a long time ago. Of course I wasn't there on a sight seeing trip, was trying to track down a Haitain who caused me a lot of grief ($$$). But that's an old story.

Haiti, the land without a nation

Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. It is a desert without sand. A miserable dust bowl with misery, disease and hunger. A land which lost its history, a history mainly attributed to the Dominican Republic. It is the only democraticly elected dictatorship with a voddoo priest for a leader. It has the worst standard of living in the world. Their people beg crums from Dominicans like people without pride and patriotism.

Haiti blames everything on Dominicans, including their bad fortune. Their jealousy has no boundaries. There are no resorts in Haiti. No clean beaches. No fish. No fauna. No flora. No rivers.The mountains are totally bare of trees consumed by 6,000,000 cubic feet of ash from burning for primitive cooking.

Haiti has no language, but a dialect. Haiti has no army, no police. It has government death squads. They burn homes of political opponents. Aids is their national disease. Haitian women come to bear their children in DR because they are afraid they are going to be born Haitian, but they cannot pay their hospital bill. We pay for it. They beg for our nationality and kill for our birth certficates.

Haitians work for wages that slaves used to work for 100 years ago and have destroyed our labor syndicates with their lack of pride. If Haitians only had a minimal sense of pride they would start to build a nation from scratch. They should be happy they have a land we or nobody wants. But they want Dominicans to build it for them. They want the world to do all the work for them. They work like slaves in DR and the United States, but are afraid to build their own nation.

Anybody begs to differ?

TW

Another view...

Hi Jay, Haiti can be a great place to visit, quite unique, the North-Coast is really nice, but you have to go with someone who knows the place... No safety problem whatsoever on daytime...

The Cap-Haitien region

Ok, if you stay downtown Cap-Haitien, I recommend these hotels : "Mont-Joli", "Les Jardins de l'Ocean" or "Le Roi Christophe"... Once there, you can visit "La Citadelle" and "Le palais du Roi Christophe" which are a real trip, and worth it.
Now if you want nature and nice beaches, snorkeling, diving and coconut trees, go to "Hotel Cormier Plage" or directly to Labadie village, where you can stay at that american guest-house "Norman's place" a really, really nice place on the beach, and Norman will tell you all the hiden secret of the region...

From DR.if you really don't find any guides, and you are used to the third world, cross the border at Dajabon, stamps passport at customs and immig. at Ouanaminthe and ask a motoconcho to take you to the "Tap-tap" (bus) to Cap-Haitien. Once in Cap-Haitien, the best would be to ask for the Hotel Mont-Joli, which is well known... There they will assist you with the rest. Make sure to leave early morning so you have the whole day ahead of you.
Buy the Lonely Planet Guidebook on Haiti and DR.
Have fun, Squat.

I have some pictures of Haiti from 1989. Taken just over the border. There was very little to see at that time but I never felt that I was in danger. Wish I knew how to post pictures on this board but if anyone would like to see them just email me and I will send them out to you.

I also have a long story that I might tell sometime about my, what I call (Haitien Angel) that came to enlighten me and help me get back to the border.

Jay: Squat's post is about right. but then again so is most of TW's, more the sadder for the Haitian people.

they are proud, they are nice, they are trying to live in the very poorest of Western countries (and, as I stated above, the use of 'country' is perhaps a misnomer.)

I have travelled in Haiti far and wide. I have some friends that have horror stories that would turn your hide!.

I repeat once more. Get here. Get the lay of the land. Talk to people. Get to know some Haitians. Most on the North Shore are from the North of Haiti. If you come to Santiago, perhaps i can introduce you to some of my former students from Haiti. One of them is a cop over there. You will have ample time to satisfy your curiosity.

HB

Haitian Vacation

I guess if anyone is interested in going to Haiti then there are other lands to explore which will be to your liking. Try Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Burundi,Sudan, or just simply take a tour of West African countries minus their wilderness preserves.

I strongly suggest Bangladesh during its monsoon season so you can appreciate what Haiti looks like on a sunny day.

TW