Day 3-031 Day totals: 16 hrs, 8.4 kms
It takes a while to get out of Port-au-Prince and it's sprawling suburbs . But when we do, the scenery changes dramatically. I see for the first time a large, green area of land being cultivated... then suddenly, we're head up a steep road into the mountains.
I've heard about how Haiti is completely deforested because desperate farmers have been forced to cut down their trees to sell the wood for charcoal. But this isn't entirely true. In the populated slopes of the mountains, there are plenty of trees. Some of the slopes are cultivated with plants and do look pretty vulnerable to landslides and erosion, but there are plenty of trees as well. Off in the distance I see other mountains that are stripped bare. I wonder if it's because those mountains don't have people living on them, so with lack of control, it was easy for people to go cut down trees.
Along the Jacmel road (which, by the way is paved!) we pass by countless hamlets and mountainside small farms. In other countries I might look at these farms and think "wow! it must be rough trying to make a living off these steep mountain slopes!" but here my thought is "these people are the lucky ones ..." Instead being crammed into the shantytowns of Port-au-Prince with no real job prospects... they can breathe clean air... grow their own food... Sure they might go hungry sometimes if their harvest fails, but it's still a better life... I think...
Finally the road winds down the mountain again and we reach Jacmel. Getting help from the guy sitting next to me worked last time, so I'll try that again. I ask where I can find a cheap hotel, and he accompanies me a block or so down the road. I'm not sure if I should tip him or not... he seems like a professional guy, not someone hoping for a 1 dollar tip...
This hotel is 40 US$ a night--way more than what I'm used to paying (In DR, I average about 8 US$ a night!) I figure I'll continue down the road a little further just to see if I can find something cheaper. It's getting dark and I don't want to push my luck too much...  
As I approach the beach another guy offers to help me. He shows me his card "I'm a tourist guide"
Suddenly my first guide catches up with me.  "I work with the police--I just wanted to make sure you're OK"
Alright ... nice to have a positive experience with the police this time...
Lest things get any more confusing, I figure I'd better just go back to that 40 dollar hotel...
Evening in Jacmel
Jacmel is definitely different from Port-au-Prince. Well, for one thing it wasn't destroyed by an earthquake 5 years ago. It still has ancient French colonial style buildings that are very faded, but still have a charm. No "tax collectors" demanding money here either.
The hotel is pretty basic, with a shared bathroom and a bucket shower. But I won't complain. Being safe is most important right now. I order some food at the restaurant downstairs. The chicken is delicious, but the rice and beans... well... not sure if they've gone bad or if they're supposed to taste a bit off. I take a few bites then decide not to risk it. I head outside hoping to find something, anything familiar to munch on.
I find a sweets street vendor not far away and he's selling... what?! Tango cookies? I check the package... Yep! it clearly says "Made in Morocco!"
How in the world did Moroccan cookies make it all the way to the streets of Jacmel, Haiti?!
I know my Moroccan friends will get a kick out of this . I buy three packs, take them back to my room and take a selfie with the caption "this goes to show that Moroccans (or at least Moroccan cookies) can be found everywhere!"
Next door is a large church with a church service in full swing. The service goes on for hours, with traditional hymns being played on a keyboard, wind instruments and drumset, prayer and sermon. Finally I fade off to sleep with church service still going on... only to wake up next morning to another church service taking place! Seems like Haitians spend a lot of time attending church...
Exploring Jacmel
I head outside to experience Jacmel. The streets are quiet. Unlike Port-au-Prince, I feel at ease snapping pictures of some of the ancient decaying buildings. I reach the beach where I'm quite impressed by a fancy new boardwalk, with some artwork and colorful tile murals. The beach itself looks a bit trashy and polluted... but let's just focus on the boardwalk.  
The tourist guide from yesterday catches up to me.  "Don't go any farther" he advises me. "It's a bit dangerous over there" He then goes on to offer a tour to the nearby "Bassins Bleue" for a hefty 120$ dollars . I thank him and tell him I'll consider it.
I head the other direction to where there's an fancier looking hotel (which I'm assuming means private toilets that flush!) I notice it does have several customers who look Haitian. Expats perhaps?
On up into the town are the ruins of a market place. A fellow approaches me offering some artwork done on dirty pillowcases. I can't help but feel sorry for him, wondering how long it will take him to actually sell something, so I give him a little something.
I do find a cheaper hotel--about 15 US$. Like the first hotel, the door locks are really flimsy--but it's in a family home (thin pieces of plywood separating the "rooms" so I figure, with the family around my stuff should be a bit more secure... right?
I head back to the first hotel to pick up my stuff. There are two young white girls there, so I can't resist my curiosity... What brings them to Haiti?
"We're from France" they tell me "We have some Haitian friends and they suggested that we come here... We couchsurfed the first night in Port-au-Prince ... then came here and went to Bassins Bleue. We loved the view coming over the mountains."
I couple of French girls just chilling out... traveling independently in Haiti and talking about how "beautiful" the country is? Wow!  
That's it... I definitely need to check out this Bassins Blue place. If couple of French girls can head off into the Haitian countryside, there's no way I'm going to be too chicken to do so...
I'm not going to pay 120$ for a tourist guide though. I head to the motorcycle taxi place and a guy offers to take me for 40$ I walk away and another guy comes and offers to take me round trip for 10$ Deal. I hop on the back and we head off the road... across a stream where we ford with the motorcycle half submerged... then up a steep, winding road high up the mountains, with a view of Jacmel and the sea far below.  
Finally a young man shouts out for us to stop. He tells us that I need to have a "guide" to go there. Normally I would balk... but then, this is Haiti... it's only fair that the local folks make a bit of money off the 3 tourists there are today ...
We continue on a path through the shady farm plots growing beans and other foodstuff. It's refreshing to see rural Haitian life up close. A far cry from the filth and misery of the big city, it seems.  
We pass a young woman who is bathing topless. The guys greet her, but don't make any lewd gestures that I can perceive. It's something that I notice several times on this trip: girls can bathe alone (and topless!) in streams without being bothered and they can walk down dark alleys without guys bothering them at all. I find this quite admirable--considered how raw and unpoliced this country is. I see much more respect for women than I've seen in countries much more prosperous and "civilized" than Haiti.  
I'm not saying that rape and sexual harrassment don't exist, I'm just saying that, from my observation respecting women on the street and on public transportation seems to be the norm.  
We reach the first bassin, a bright blue pool with a waterfall and stream coming through a narrow gorge in the mountains. I know I'm going to have to go for a swim in one of these pools . It would simply be wrong not to.  
We continue on up, with each pool and waterfall more beautiful and exotic than the rest. Finally we reach a spot where there are a pile of shoes.
"You have to take off your shoes an climb down the cliff using the rope" I'm told.
My guide also doubles as my photographer and valuables watcher (I left the most important stuff at the hotel though). To get the the really magic spot you have no choice but to swim. We're not alone here. There are many 15 other people (all Haitians or Haitian expats), guys and girls. Some daring to swimout to a boulder where you get a clear view of the final pool, in a deep, narrow gorge, with a beautiful waterfall on the other side.  
A couple of us swim out to the waterfall, where you can climb part way up and dive back in the pool.
The place is magical. It would be beautiful anywhere in the world... but the fact that I'm enjoying it here in Haiti, a place that brings up only images of misery and suffering in many people's minds, makes it absolutely perfect.
The American Girl in Haiti
Back in Jacmel, I ask around for an internet cafe . I come across a "Salle des Jeux" where kids can play playstation games and ask if they have internet.
"Do you speak English?" a young woman asks me in a perfect American accent. She points me towards an internet cafe, but says it's probably closed because it's Sunday.
I head back to my hotel... but I just can't resist my curiosity. What is a young American woman doing running a Salle des Jeux on a a back street in Jacmel, Haiti? I'm going to go back and ask.
She explains.  "My parents were from Haiti originally, so I've always had a connection with this place. I felt I needed to do something different with my life. I went to Tunisia with the father of my son--but I didn't like it there"
"You look like you could be from Tunisia..."
"That was the problem! Everyone would talk to me in Arabic and I couldn't answer... I couldn't wander around freely. So I decided to bring my son here and move in with my grandparents."
"What do you like about Haiti?" I'm still curious. There are a lot of countries I'd enjoy moving to, but Haiti is not one of them .
"Here, if I don't make money today, I know I still have a place to stay and food to eat. People care about each other. I can walk about freely here... not so much so in Florida. And with this salle des jeux I feel like I'm giving something back. This is home to me. Here I feel my life means something... I don't really think about the inconveniences and all the comforts I'm missing out on"
I understand the feeling. It's exactly the same way I felt when I moved to Morocco.
"What about your son's education?" 
"I have a plan to stay here five years. Then I'll decide what I'll do next. The schools are difficult here and are all about just memorizing stuff. I'm not sure if that's what'll be best for my son. When my cousins moved back here they had a hard time with it--but they still loved it... they made friends right away."
I'm suddenly seeing this country in a whole new light. Many people look at this country and just see misery, poverty, and a dysfunctional system. But there are others who see this place as "home" and would choose to live here rather than in the wealthiest, most convenient and comfortable country in the world .... Not because it's a "sacrifice" they're making, but just because they prefer it here.  
I look out to the bustle in the street. The vendors... the neighbors interacting with each other... the friendly, easygoing vibe. Sure electricity isn't regular... running water doesn't work... But yeah... I can see how someone might fall in love with this place...
I head down to the boardwalk. I still need to do my Jacmel parkbench concert. On my way back I encounter a crowd of boys and young men, many of them smeared in red mud, running down towards the beach (and the two French tourist girls following behind, curiously!)
I ask a bystander what it's about.
"It's part of a vodou ceremony. Now they're going doing to the sea to wash off the mud."
... Finally I get to get a glimpse of vodou culture! All I've seen so far are churches, churches and more churches!
This fellow seems to disapprove of the practice (as have several others I've talked to as well). Later I do finally have the chance to talk to a young fellow who practices vodou, and ask him for his point of view .
"It's a great feeling when you're in a trance and the spirits come into you... I really like it"
"So is there much conflict between Christians and those who practice Vodou?" I ask
"Not really... many folks who practice Vodou also go to church"
I still don't feel too at ease wandering down the side streets, so I decide to end my day with a walk down the main road all the way to edge of town. To the west is the stream and wide riverbed with the mountains beyond. But every time I head over that way to try to take a picture, I encounter a topless woman bathing in the stream... uh... common sense tells me, don't take a picture...
And with that, my second day in Haiti comes to an end.