Cap-Haitien ~ Haiti travel pictures & information
Haiti's second largest city, Sans Souci & Citadelle
I'd come to Cap-Haitien (some spell it Cap Haitian with AN but EN is correct), Haiti, located on the north coast of the island of Hispaniola by highway. I'd hired a van and driver in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and crossed the border at Dajabon into Ouanaminthe, Haiti. From Cap-Haitien (Haiti's second largest city; Port-Au-Prince, Haiti's capital, is the largest city), I went west to Labadie (Labadee), and stayed at Cormier Plage. I met a local Haitian artist (see Haiti arts) at a downtown hotel -- the Roi Christophe Hotel. Another popular hotel is the Mont Joli hotel, closer to the Citadelle and Sans Souci (Haiti attractions info). See Comments at bottom of page and more Cap-Haitien Hotels here. On the return trip, I stopped at Fort Liberté to have a look at the ruins of the old fort. See my Haiti travel story about this trip.
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 Cap-Haitien city view
Seen from afar, Cap-Haitien looks much like any other port. The population figures are hard to verify and vary wildly -- no one goes door to door taking a census. Current estimates set it at about 500,000, though it could be much lower. There are often outbreaks of mosquito borne illnesses like malaria and dengue here, as in much of Haiti, so follow medical advice before you go, and use a mosquito repellant that contains DEET. Carry some high-protein bars with you, too, and a personal water purification system (available at many outdoor and camping supply stores). |
 Cap-Haitien Homes
Cap-Haitien close up gives a hint of the poverty within. The tin-roofed, 1-2 room houses, basically shacks, stretch for miles. Though there are areas with concrete buildings, they are few and far between. Air mattresses, clean water systems, insect repellants and multivitamins and a reliable supply of nutritious foods, especially high protein grains, would make an enormous positive impact in a very short time frame. So, too, would basic dental and medical care. American Paul Farmer (author of The Uses of Haiti ) did some census taking on his own initiative, in and around his clinic, as chronicled in the excellent book by Tracy Kidder, Mountains Beyond Mountains (those of you interested in learning more about Haiti will want to buy both these books). |
 Near Cap-Haitien market
There's an entrance to this market at Rue L (L Street) and Rue Twa (3rd Street). Rue L is also the Route National -- the main highway. The city is laid out on a grid. Pavement, where it exists at all, is in poor conditon. I took these photos from the van; I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. As a blan (foreigner), I stood out as someone with money. It's best to keep a low profile. |
 Cap-Haitien street
The mid-week traffic was stop and go, bumper to bumper through this area. The van overheated and stalled (yet again) in the middle of the street, but several men got behind us, unasked, and pushed till it re-started. In some sections, the roads were paved, though not recently. In many sections, we bounced along potholes and puddlles. |
 Cap-Haitien market area
The street here was paved, and like many, edged with a gutter that trickled with sewage From my journal: Haitians all shake your hand when they meet you, even those at the border who call themselves guides, and the police doing random checks. (The guides were the boys and men hanging out at Ouanaminthe in hopes someone would pay them help then go through customs and immigration.) |
Straw hat vendor at Cap-Haitien market These straw hats seemed to be the brightest and newest of all the goods offered for sale here at the market. The largesse' of charity could be seen in the clothing and shoes offered for sale on the street: It appeared to be straight from a North American thrift store -- out of fashion for many years, and well worn. Many Haitian men were wearing newer T-shirts and slacks. Some women wore dresses, and teenage girls all had on the style of cotton tank top that was currently in fashion in the U.S.and Canada. Most everyone wore plastic flip-flops -- thong sandals. |
Laundry day west of Cap-Haitien On a hillside, laundry is done in whatever stream is available. Laid out to dry on bushes or the ground, the hot sun 'bleaches' out the worst of it. My overall impression was that people were very neat and clean, which I know is not easy in their circumstances. More Haiti Travel Pictures |
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Just a quick note to let you know that I did end up making a three-day visit to Cap-Haitien this past weekend (flew Lynx to and from Ft. Lauderdale). As expected, it was certainly an eye-opening experience. However, the Haitians I encountered were among the most friendly and good natured I have met anywhere. I visited the Citadelle and Sans Souci, and was amazed how respectful and good mannered all the children were - certainly a contrast from the US.
I travelled only by private vehicle (pre-arranged) but it appeared as if life had returned to normal following the unrest - traffic was very heavy (I was advised that fuel had dropped to about US$7 / gallon but not sure if that's accurate). There had been a lot of rain recently,
so the roads were in quite bad shape (lots of mud, etc.)
There was a very large mission group on my flight down Sat. morning - so large that Lynx actually sent down a second plane! There was another group from Pennsylvania returning yesterday so ironically not a single Haitian on the flight back.
As crazy as it probably sounds, I did go to Haiti purely as a "tourist" (i.e. not affiliated with any organization or anything like that). Although the Citadelle and Sans Souci were amazing, I really enjoyed meeting the people more - I visited a great community center in Milot called Lakou Lakay where I had lunch, and really enjoyed visiting Labadie Village and the surrounding area. Once things settle down a bit, I would love to return and see more of the country.
A Haiti traveler sends this note:
Our trip to Haiti was so much fun! We got to try sugar cane and coconut milk. We went swimming at Labadee and rode horses up to the Citadelle. It was all great! Our mission housing is right next to a church and we would fall asleep listening to them sing way into the night. Haiti is so Cool! The people were friendly everywhere we went. I was amazed driving down the main streets of Cap-Haitien there is plenty to purchase you just have to have money.
We purchased bread at this French bakery and I felt like I was in the States. It had beautiful cakes and pies and the building was air conditioned . . . it is across the street from the water front.