Introduction
Let me state something right up front before any of you get the wrong idea from what you’re about to read: Going to Haiti is one of the most memorable, fulfilling and fun things you can ever do. Go on a trip with Family Health Ministries with a sense of adventure, stay flexible mentally and expect nothing to be easy. You’ll have a blast, make great friends and have interesting party stories for years. You could also give hope and help to someone who has no reasonable chance of getting either one. It’s all there – you just have to decide what to make of it. (return to top)
First Impressions
The literature from FHM is factually accurate but I think fails to convey the real flavor of Haiti. Reading through it before my first trip, I packed mostly the wrong things and left all the truly useful stuff behind. Let me give you one example. Nowhere on the list does it mention duct tape. Personally, I wouldn’t dream of going to Haiti without a supply of it. Why? Because if something breaks (sunglasses) or rips (your backpack strap), there’s just no way you're going to be able to replace it. Nothing broke on my last trip but I gave away yards of it to make handles for carrying cardboard bundles of paintings and metalwork. You can always find a use for it.
Getting back to initial wrong impressions, I read the phrases “the terrain is steep so bring a pair of comfortable hiking shoes” that we would be subjected to minor, short-lived inconveniences. In my ignorance, I actually brought a pair of deck shoes with no traction and wound up slipping and sliding down a mountainside in the pouring rain while dragging a wheelie suitcase behind me and toting a backpack.
The FHM trips will expose you to a variety of locales. Let’s take them more or less in the order you will experience them. (return to top)
The Airport
Getting off the plane by descending the outdoor stairs may make you feel like a movie star in the 1950’s but the fantasy ends by the time you reach the terminal. First of all, it’s a long ways away in the heat. Secondly, yours may be the only airplane visible with only a large dusty field in sight to mark the runways. You're definitely nowhere glamorous. The days of Mick Jaguar and Jackie O. are long since gone.
As you approach the terminal, a band might be playing to welcome you. Give them a couple of dollars! They only have a few chances a day to play for the tourists and every plane is critical for their livelihood. (return to top)
Travel Tip #1: The lines to get through Immigrations can be very long and slow. Avoid the Special Priority line at the far right. Disabled people, pregnant women and small children are taken to the front of the line. If the plane is full, it will have large numbers of each and you will stall helplessly, watching the rest of your group file through the other lines and disappear from sight. There were so many of them last time that I swore they were circling around through a hidden hallway while changing their clothes and re-emerging to claim their rightful place at the head of the line. That was the impatient American in me. (return to top)
Travel Tip #2: Relax! Haiti moves along at its own pace. After a few days, you'll find yourself slowing down too. Once in front of an Immigrations agent, each passenger is scrutinized carefully. It’s as if wanting to enter the country is suspect all by itself. One year I had The Interrogator. “Why you want to come to Haiti? What you going to do here?” To each question, I answered that I was here on vacation and that I wanted to see this beautiful country. Don’t tell them that you're there on a medical mission with prescription drugs or they won't let the group out of the airport until your leader has turned over cash as bribes.
Once through the lines, it’s time to hustle over to the baggage carousel since the Haitians are sometimes known to claim luggage without worrying too much about the real owner. Mostly the carousels don’t work so grab a luggage cart, pile dozens of bags on it and enjoy the air conditioning while you can.
It’s good practice to say as little as possible going through Customs. Smiling and shrugging is safe as is the phrase, “Talk to the boss lady”, while gesturing vaguely in your leader’s direction.
Once permission is given to exit the airport, put your head down and start moving! You’ll have to push past the dozens of porters that want to help you with your luggage. “Pas touchez, s’il vous plait” and “Non, merci” are two useful phrases. I can only liken it to running the gauntlet – the faster you move, the sooner it’s over.
Once in the parking lot, the bags must be stowed away in impossibly small vehicles when you consider the number of people and their items. This seems to take dozens of men and lots of time so now is a good time to practice your patience. Luggage takes precedence over humans. We’re expected to squeeze in around the baggage, not the other way around. It's always fun to watch the newcomers to Haiti sit in one seat, do up their seatbelt and wait for the rest of the group to do the same. There's always a moment of stunned silence after someone yells, "We're riding Haitian style!"and the rest of the group piles in.
Notions of acceptable vehicle capacity and safety measure don't apply for a whole week and you know what? It seems to work just fine and it's kind of fun. Where else could you ride on top of a truck bed? As soon as we’re done squishing 10 people into a space meant for 6, tips are negotiated noisily with our porters. We squeal out of the parking lot as fast as our overloaded wheels will take us before the men decide they need more money. (return to top)
That brings up Travel Tip #3: "Small bills", as mentioned in the FHM literature really does means small bills - singles and fives work just fine for most things. No one has change for twenties and getting money exchanged in a bank is an unbelievably complicated, tedious experience. You have to show them your passport and fill out official bank forms. The tellers then need to take these forms to their supervisors and wait for their approval before giving you the money. Each person is dealt with individually instead of taking the forms over all at once and getting the OK all at once. Doing this for a group of five people took over one hour and I am ashamed to admit I was one of the five. Now I start hoarding singles and fives weeks before I go. (return to top)
Travel Tip #4: Negotiate only in American dollars because no one can calculate the conversion rate from goudes to dollars. It is a humbling experience to watch a group of highly educated people struggle with the mental math and watch them all come up triumphantly with completely different answers. Throw into this mess the fact that there are Haitian dollars as well as American dollars and if you're like me, you throw your hands up and decide you won't be able to buy anything at all.
The way to get around this is to announce at the beginnings of negotiations that you will only talk about American dollars, or ”Dollars Americaine” in the local vernacular. I have yet to hear of someone who has ever refused to accept US currency. This was true even out on a quiet country lane where the nearest bank was 30 miles away. Even though you know of value of things, expect to see price gouging the minute you show an interest in something. My attitude is, so what? These people exist on the edge all the time. If you overpay by a little bit, you might have just kept someone alive for another day. (return to top)
Travel Tip #5: No matter where you are, all small items in Haiti always seem to cost one dollar. I mean things like sodas, packets of cookies, gum and bags of plantain chips. The Haitians obligingly extend this concept to multiple buyers: Three of us bought a small tub of ice cream for three dollars. I’m sure if four of us went, it would have cost four dollars. We should have sent one person. (return to top)
Port-Au-Prince
Initial impressions: Hot and dusty like you have never experienced before, with sunlight so bright that you are always squinting, even with wraparound sunglasses. I live in south Florida so you’d think I wouldn’t notice but there is an undeniable degree of difference in the intensity of the light.
The ghost of a previously vibrant city is everywhere. Trash is everywhere. The buildings are crumbled around the edges, giving the impression that gravity is somehow stronger here. Bright pastels are faded, tin roofs are rusty, bits of iron grillwork are missing and bare cinder blocks are chipped and pocked.
Vehicles are old, no doubt much repaired. The streets are ribbed and potholed whether they’re paved or dirt. Working traffic lights are a rarity so drivers rely on their horns to sound an alarm as they approach intersections.
Open air markets seem to be on every corner. Women squat on the ruined sidewalks, perhaps shaded by a tattered piece of plastic suspended on a couple of tree branches. Their produce is displayed in large round baskets or on pieces of cloth spread on the ground. Artistic displays are created out of the items for sale. Packets of gum are arranged in a pyramid or mangoes stand on end, supported by a base of unknown vegetables.
More of your senses are used here than in the United States. The stench of rotting garbage is so prevalent that your nose gets used to it surprisingly quickly. After the first day, you’ll hardly notice. The sounds too are different here: the tinkling bell of the shoe shine men begins very early in the morning and can be heard all day. Pigs root and snort in the debris along the side of the road. Dogs with visible rib cages and thin legs dart in and out of the crowds in search of any overlooked scraps, not a likely prospect in a country this poor.
At night, expect that the noise level will not diminish by one decibel until at least 2 am. On my last trip, the entire city seemed to be just roaring all night. I lay in my sweat-soaked bed, convinced that a coup to overtake the government was taking place all around us. I found out the next morning that a soccer match was the cause of all the noise. Even on a gameless night, be prepared to lay awake for hours listening to roosters crowing, dogs barking and people partying.
One night, a group of men right across the street from our hotel was noisily welding into the night. Maybe it was cooler than working during the day. They were working without any safety goggles, leading us to conclude that the average career of a welder must be pretty short. Earplugs fall out for me but other people claim to use them and wake up completely refreshed, not having heard a thing all night long.
A recurring dilemma is whether to leave the door open and leave yourself wide open to the bugs but maybe catch some evening breezes. I usually opt to leave the door open, spray thoroughly with bug spray and wind up missing a spot that is covered with bites in the morning. (return to top)
Travel Tip #6: Don’t spray bug spray while you’re standing in front of a fan. (return to top)
Travel Tip #7: If I really, really can’t get to sleep, I take two 25 mg Benadryls. I wake up in the morning groggy and bug bitten but at least I can claim a few hours of rest. (return to top)
The Countryside
Haiti is a volcanic island and as a result the land is either flat or steeply pitched. There is nothing in between. As you head out of Port-Au-Prince, look for the Gas Station of the Immaculate Conception. That’s the landmark to tell you that you're finally out of the city.
The Caribbean Sea shines a beautiful turquoise color just a few dozen yards off the road as you make your way through a chain of tiny towns. Once in Leogane, the traffic circle in the center of town marks the end of flat ground. Immediately, the vehicle begins climbing and within a few miles the sides of the road fall away to reveal beautiful mountains and valleys. Guard rails do not exist in Haiti and drivers do not wait until they can see around the numerous bends in the road before passing. It can be somewhat unnerving so try not to focus too deeply on what is happening around you.
Focus instead on the shacks made of wood, cinder block, plastic and/or tin that are visible the entire way and are sometimes nestled just a few feet from the highway in a curve in the road. Tethered goats eat the brush from the mountain sides while their keepers, small boys and sometimes girls, are playing a few dozen feet away. Corn is ripening in terraces so steep that it’s hard to believe that humans can stay upright to plant and harvest them.
I have made this trip more frequently in sunny weather than in wet, but if it rains it will not be a gentle sprinkle. Monsoon is a better word for the violent rain you will experience. Bring a poncho or be prepared to get completely, totally, wringing wet. Teva sandals are a really good thing to be wearing on this trip. As you get closer to the top of the mountains, groups of small children will frequently be on the road. One year, there were so many of them wildly cheering and waving at us that I felt as through our group was liberating the Dutch countryside. Being part of a group of obvious Americans will be part of your experience. Wave back! (return to top)
Fondwa
Milestone marker 16 kilometers is your landmark. One more curve, a short stretch and suddenly the Total gas station is ahead on the left. The road just before it has vendors on both sides for a few dozen feet and then curves away abruptly to the right and out of sight. Your driver may pause for a moment to say hello and allow a few local passengers to hop on back of the truck before downshifting and beginning the descent. Some people compare it to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride; others say it’s Splash Mountain (this is obviously more accurate if it's raining but I'm sure you get the idea).
Whatever the comparison you favor, it’s going to be a trip you will recount years later to your grandchildren, probably prefaced by the words, “Let me tell you about the day I almost died.” Alright, so I'm exaggerating here. I never was in an accident on this road nor have I ever heard of one, but your imagination will provide you with dozens of possible scenarios by the time you reach the driveway of the guesthouse.
Perhaps you should close your eyes. But then you would miss the spectacular green valley slicing through the nearly vertical mountains. The location of the red clay path cutting across the fields to the orphanage would be a mystery, as would the sight of the families sitting on their front porches. You would miss the way to the newly consecrated church by not being able to see the tree trunks painted in bright blue and red bands. These are voodoo colors to signify the way to a sacred place. You would never see the small boys riding on donkeys in hand carved wooden saddles, waving hello to the Americans.
Finally, the truck will downshift for the last time and lurch up the short driveway beside the guesthouse. Now you can open your eyes. Chances are good that Sister Carmel will be standing on the porch to greet you with a wide, slightly gap-toothed smile on her round face. Perhaps shy Sister Simone will be there too, pretending that she doesn’t speak English.
Up the steps you go and down the long, covered porch that wraps around the front of the building. Up another set of outdoor stairs and you enter the living areas. There are a series of dorm rooms, each with 8 or 10 beds. Men and women sleep separately. The bathrooms are either a room with a toilet and sink or rooms containing just a shower stall. There are also a couple of sinks in the large, open room in the back.
Evening meetings and devotionals are held in the room with the cheerful flowered cushions on the high-backed chairs. Go out and explore the grounds. The pavilion is to your right. Seated under its roof, you will feel as though you are floating in space. All around you is a magnificent, unbroken circle of mountains. If you were foresighted enough to bring a pair of binoculars, you can just make out a few houses here and there throughout the valley and perhaps someone hurrying home along an unseen path.
If you can pull yourself away from the view, keep following the trail. You can greet the pigs on your way up to the top of a small rounded knoll. From here, you can see over into the next valley and wonder if the white road below you makes it all the way to the sea.
Word has spread by now that the Americans are here. Your appearance has been discussed long before you got here. Children are suddenly everywhere, curious to see you. The agility of even the smallest of them on the mountain trails is unparalleled.
I once foolishly set out on a hike to drink cocoa at the home of An Important Person in the valley. I think he was the president of the Fonda Peasant’s Association. The group spent several hours nearly getting blown off exposed mountaintops and slipping and sliding down steep trails before arriving at a tiny, brightly painted wooden house in the middle of a small clearing.
The kitchen was a roofed but otherwise open structure across the open area from the main house. A huge metal pot was bubbling away over an open fire, filled with our hot chocolate. An elderly, toothless woman dressed in a torn cotton shift stirred the mixture with a wooden paddle, periodically adding condensed milk. When it splashed on her leg, she simply left it there so she could continue stirring the mixture. It was served to us in miniature, mismatched china cups and saucers along with small squares of homemade bread. Between the size of the house and the size of the servings, I felt as through we were Playing Tea Party. This comparison was reinforced by the fact that we wound up fighting like kids over who should get the leftover hot chocolate "I should have it! You got all the melted stuff in the bottom of your cup and I didn't get any!" It had the taste and consistency of melted chocolate bars and was the best I have ever had. (return to top)
That reminds me of Travel Tip #8: M&M’s survive the heat very well if you have to have chocolate. Hershey’s Kissables will wind up as clumps of crusty goo. (return to top)
I have completely lost the point of the last paragraph. On the way back to the guest house, the last few hundred feet of this Trail of Tears was an excruciating uphill rock wall and the only way to get up it was to heave yourself up a foot at a time while trying not to fall backwards. I was so winded that it wasn’t the fall that bothered me but the fact that I would have to climb all over again if I fell.
Midway up, I just had to stop for a minute and rest my burning calves. Suddenly children’s laughter was heard above out heads. Two schoolgirls dressed identically in blue jumpers and gingham blouses came skipping down the path towards us, swinging their lunch pails and talking. We silently parted to let them through and watched them leap gracefully from rock to rock in their worn Mary Janes, never once pausing in their conversation except to say, “Bon Soir!” to us.
If you think that going to the countryside would mean some peace and quiet, you would be mistaken. Anywhere in Haiti is the noisiest place I have ever been. On my first trip to the countryside, we had barely settled in when a woman started screaming in the backyard. We started nervously estimating how long it would take to pack the suitcases we had just finishing unpacking or whether we should just start running. Some of the braver souls went to investigate and came back with the news that a pig was being slaughtered in the yard of the little cabin behind us. Apparently part of their slaughtering process involved a lot of blood letting while the animal was still alive over a long period of time.
If you drink coffee, you must go to Madame Cherie’s house and drink some with her. Be prepared to buy some as you leave. It is locally grown and roasted and is delicious. (return to top)
Jacmel
Jacmel had its heyday in the 1970’s when it was a stop for the cruise ships that regularly visited the island. Once the tourists stopped coming, it fell into a state of complete neglect. The surviving Creole architecture is charming if you can look past the rotting exterior. The two-story houses have elaborate, ginger bread-style wooden trim and wooden porches on both levels. It is very reminiscent of the same style in New Orleans.
On your way into town, you ride under the sign that Welcomes You to Jacmel from the Rotary Club! Just past the sign is the bridge that spans quite a wide riverbed. Townspeople are washing clothes, gathering water or in one case, accommodating a group of young men bathing in the nude. They were completely at ease and stood in full view while yelling and laughing at our truck. Being embarrassed is only for foreigners in Haiti. People sleep nude on their rooftops in the summer to catch any nighttime breezes and think nothing of standing up in the morning to stretch, oblivious of anyone watching them.
Jacmel is under a lot of construction currently and many of the streets are closed. After a long detour down streets that are so narrow that you can reach out to touch some of the buildings, you will arrive outside the gates of the Jacmelian Hotel. It was once a beautiful oceanfront hotel but is now run down, dirty and tired. We had lunch there one year. Men stood on the other side of the wall that separated the hotel grounds from the beach and yelled at us to buy things.
Just at the end of the driveway to the hotel is a shop on your right that sells paper mache masks. This is a local and famous art form. You can buy enormous body-sized masks of eagles or elephants, demons or spirits. If you can’t figure out a way to bring these enormous pieces home, they come in smaller sizes. Kathy may be able to let you use a FHM plastic tote for the plane ride home so they make it back in one piece.
Straight ahead from the paper mache store is a fairly nice art gallery with paintings by lots of different artists. The asking prices will make you gasp but if you see one you like be prepared to come back with a counter offer. As in any negotiations, remember that the person who cares least usually wins. I know this is in direct opposition to my earlier advice that you should fork over the full price for things like sodas but these are not cheap. Many of these paintings are priced in the hundreds of dollars. This is worth fighting for! Canvases can be pulled off their stretchers and rolled up if the paint has not been thickly applied for easy traveling. (return to top)
Travel Tip #9: If you see something you like, get it! You won’t be back. Twice I did not follow my own advice and have regretted it both times. (return to top)
Pile back onto the truck for the ride out to the beach. This is several miles out of town so banish those thoughts of being able to sun, swim and shop all in the same place. The beach is extremely rocky so your Tevas are a good choice to wear today. The water is a beautiful green and very warm. Try not to think about the fact that lots and lots of people have probably used this as a toilet since there are no public facilities on the beach. There is a building for people to change into their bathing suits. The message “Pa Pee Pee La” or words to that effect (Don’t pee here) is helpfully hand lettered on the side of the building.
Be prepared to eat a large meal here while being observed closely by starving kids and dogs. I can usually only manage a couple of bites of rice and beans before I hand over my plate to the nearest child. I always throw a few bites to the dogs because I feel as sorry for them as I do for the kids. The kids have always shared the food among them in an act so selfless and profound that it leaves me feeling small in comparison.
You can buy a small bottle of rum on the beach for three dollars, a Coke for another dollar and have quite a nice time. If you can forget for a moment that you’re in Haiti, the scene is very appealing. Mountains slope right down to the beach in a scene straight out of South Pacific. The sound of the surf on the beach, the smell of the fish frying and the palm trees overhead with their bunches of ripe coconuts will all conspire to make you think you’ve found True Paradise. Then you see a small boy with the ginger- colored hair of malnutrition and your fantasy evaporates in the warm afternoon sunshine.
The afternoon will fade in due course and it’s time to head back to the guesthouse. As you grind up and down through the mountains, consider stopping to buy some fresh pineapple, mangos and apricos. The last one is a fruit that looks like a small brown cantaloupe and has a pink-orange flesh. As one of our group said, “It’s a gift of God to humanity.” The sisters will cut up the donated fruit and serve it at dinner for dessert.
Petionville
The lure here is the promise of American- style food at the end of a long drive straight up a mountain. (return to top)
Travel Tip #10: Let everyone else go ahead of you to order their food. Why are you in such a hurry to get food that you can get nonstop the next day? Besides, the staff in the cafeteria does not handle large groups well. They tend to forget orders, especially at the end of a long line. Go look at the merchandise for sale so you can think about your future purchases while you have lunch. The zoo is a good place to start. There are 5 cages of rabbits and a monkey in a cage wearing a collar and a chain, dragging it loose around the cage. A lone crocodile drowses on the bare cement floor of its pen. Pigeons, the Flying Rat kind, occupy another cage. It’s small and sleepy and seems to be free. We didn’t see anyplace to buy tickets so we opened the gate and walked in.
Now it’s time to return to the Baptist mission and get your lunch. You had the benefit of some shopping time and can now you can enjoy your pizza and French fries. Or maybe you wanted a sub and a Coke followed by a brownie ice cream sundae. The menu is large. (return to top)
Travel Tip #11: if you're really hungry, walk over to the ice cream case after you ordered food. You can get your dessert almost right away . (return to top)
The mission has a very nice gift shop and lots of people start their search for souvenirs there. There are place mats, books of Haitian proverbs, language books and handmade clothing. Large bottles of real vanilla are everywhere and cost around $3. They also have dishes and platters sometimes that are nicely hand-painted. Credit cards are accepted here. If you don't want to carry everything, you can stow it in the van. The driver will stand guard.
Once outside, there are two spots with the nicest merchandise. The first is a small yellow building across the street from the Mission. The proprietor is very proud of the artists that he represents and will show you The Book if you are questioning the painter or the prices. This is a reference work of very well-known Haitian painters.
Travel Tip #12: Even if you don’t plan on buying anything here, you should at least have a look around his shop. The canvases are dusty and are stacked at least 6 deep around the floor of the tiny building. Others are hanging on the walls and suspended from the ceiling. The lack of proper display doesn’t matter: This art cannot be suppressed. The colors are wild and glorious. Voodoo spirits stare at smiling panthers lurking in candy-colored foliage. Wedges of watermelon, mangoes and carrots grow in the same tree. Men float in mid-air side by side with helicopters and angels. Villagers dance next to with women washing clothing. Overall, the scene is fascinating. The paintings here easily run into the hundreds of dollars so be prepared to negotiate. I don't think he takes credit cards. (return to top)
Travel Tip #13: The second must-see spot is the Wings of Hope down the road. This is an organization that takes care of abandoned and disabled boys. They have a workshop and showroom for the boys' highly detailed, flat metal sculptures depicting all sorts of Haitian themes. The tree of life, angels, and sea life are very common. These ornaments are made of recycled metal drums. The round ones are fashioned from the tops of the containers and the other shapes come from the sides. They’re cheap ($20 to $25) when you consider the amount of time it took to make them. The boys/young men tending the shop will wrap them in cardboard for easy transport. The sculptures would otherwise cut right through the luggage or your hand. (return to top)
There are around a dozen vendors altogether on the street, mostly selling paintings but there are a few stalls set up to sell a variety of other souvenirs. Machetes, wooden figures, jewelry boxes and globes are the most popular items. No trip to Haiti is complete without seeing these wooden globes. The sense of scale is highly capricious and Haiti can be as large as Africa. They are all hand-carved and each one is different. If you buy one, have a packing and transport strategy in place ahead of time. They will break if not handled and transported carefully.
In general, be prepared to walk away if the vendors do not agree with your idea of fair value. Most of the time, they will agree to a substantially lower price than the starting figure. (return to top)
Final Words
Now I think you will be far better prepared to know what to expect when you travel to Haiti, The places above are some of my all-time favorites. "Wait!" You’re saying. "It sounds like you're ending this and I have a lot of questions! What about the orphanage and the school? How about the clinic itself – you never even mentioned it and that's half the trip! The hotel - is it nice or not? What’s the food like?"
My answer is, I can't tell you everything. You will need to have your own adventures. Keep in mind that no matter what you encounter, going to Haiti will be one of the most gratifying and fascinating things you will ever do. I hope that you will come away with a great fondness for the people and their island and want to come back again and again. Maybe I'll see you then! (return to top)
My Packing List in Order of Importance
- Crystal Light powder – otherwise you will not be able to stand to drink the water.
- Hat and sunglasses
- Two water bottles, 1 main one and 1 spare. I keep them both filled all the time.
- Duct tape.
- Heavy-duty sun block. Waterproof SPF 70 is what I use.
- Insect repellant
- Purell hand sanitizer. If you forget or run out of #5, #6 or #7, you can borrow them. Most people bring way too much of all three items.
- Teva sandals. These will get you through most any situation.
- Sneakers/running shoes with a lot of traction for those mountain trails.
- Binoculars and/or a camera.
- A journal or even a sketch pad - my friend Chris had a great time with his.
- A few changes of clothes and underwear. You can get by with an amazingly small amount of clothes if you rinse them out at night and let them drip dry. They’re usually ready to go in the morning.
- Some extra food but I fine that I am generally not hungry in Haiti. Between the heat and all the water you’re drinking, you don’t need much.
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