Day 3-032
Day totals: 16 hrs, 4 kms

Everything's been running pretty smoothly on this trip, but I still have this uneasy feeling that something could go wrong very easily . I list the challenges that I have ahead of me:

1 Get across Port-au-Prince and on the north bound tap-tap on the other side.
2 Reach Cap Haitien and find a place to stay the night
3 Explore the famous Citadelle near there
4 Find the bus that goes to Dominican Republic
5 Cross the border back into Dominican Republic

So next morning, I'm off early, ready to take on my first challenge. I stock up on baggies of water, and climb about the tap-tap to Port-au-Prince... and we're off!

Along the way through the mountains, children are on their way to school, wearing their nice, clean uniforms and the girls all with color ribbons in their hair. Clearly parents make a big effort to put their kids through school. Parents who must have hope for a better life for their children.

Another thing I notice is that, although there are a couple of police stops, were never stopped or asked for a bribe . Unlike in Dominican Republic where this happened twice. (Once the police officer was reluctant to accept the bribe in front of a foreigner so the driver pretended to shake his hand, slipping him the bill)

I'm not saying this country is less corrupt... just that... well... I didn't see it.

We reach Port-au-Prince and I waste no time hopping on a motorcycle taxi to go to the northbound tap-tap station. I don't even bother to haggle over the price. Just get me there safely. So we're off at breakneck speed on a faster road behind the sprawling Iron Market (which looks even uglier from the back side.

Squeezing between the cars, with vehicles just inches away, I'm put in an awkward predicament... do I give the driver a thigh squeeze... or do I lose a kneecap? Hmmm... I guess I'll stick with option 1....

Soon we reach a colorfully painted retired American schoolbus and I climb aboard . Challenge number 1: Accomplished.

The Ride North

After a lengthy wait, the bus is finally off... And I bid farewell to Port-au-Prince for the last time. Definitely one of my least explore and less photographed capitals--but I'm quite content to leave.

On north, the city abruptly ends and there's a wide, open plain. It's nice to see that sprawl hasn't been allowed to spread here. But it stil begs the question... why isn't anything being grown here?

Then we reach the mountains and the scenery changes abruptly. Completely barren hills with houses and shacks scattered all over it. None of the cheery feelings I got about mountains hamlets on the way to Jacmel. Living here looks pretty miserable. So this is what Haitian deforestation looks like...

We drive along the base of the mountain. Miles and miles of barrenness . It might as well be the middle of the Sahara desert. Obviously this side of the island gets a lot less rainfall... but there's still no excuse for the mountains to be completely barren like that.

Finally, after what seems like forever, we cross a ridge and into a plain, where finally I see some large scale, productive farming going on. Whew. I was starting to think the whole rest north side of the country is a wasteland.

I get off at the edge of Gonaives. Not wanting to rush things to much, I'm going to explore this city before continueing on to Cap Haitien. It looks like it's a long walk to the city proper, but there's enough activity going on that I think it should be safe.

On the way I come across a bakery, where I grab some delicious banana bread. So far I haven't eater very many things that I could say I really enjoyed, so the banana bread hits the spot. I chat with the a cashier (who has spent time in Dominican Republic) then continue on .

I would have to say, Gonaives actually feels like a functional city. There's still trash about, but not piles and piles of it. Buildings don't look like they're in the process of falling apart... and there's even a nice plaza with a modern style cathedral, and a monument to the father's of Haiti's independence. Nobody bothers me or even seems to notice as I do my videoclip and play my set.

It's clear that certain parts of Haiti are more functional than others.

I could stay the night here (and there are no shortage of hotels), but I decide to go ahead and press on to Cap Haitien. I take a tap-tap back to to the edge of town where there's a covered pickup truck that's heading to Cap.

Here's where I see people get angry at each other for the first time.

In Haiti, even with the lack of visible security and clearly established laws, business interaction actually runs quite smoothly . People don't argue about the fares on the tap-taps... competing drivers don't fight with each other over customers. It seems that, in contrast with the image Haiti has as a place of violence, when it comes to day to day stuff... people are actually quite peaceful and patient in dealing with each other and the every day challenges.

I remember at the bus station in Port-au-Prince, seeing two guys face off... shout at each other...push... "It's a fight!" I think, remembers scenes from Morocco...

Then they burst out laughing, and shake hands.

But now as the wait gets longer and longer for the tap-tap to fill up, things start getting tense. The passengers insist that we go ahead and go. So the driver drives up the road a little way...then drives back again. Also, there's another driver who's next in line who is getting irritated that he's not being given a chance to get any passengers.

Finally one of the passengers walks off. The driver manages to convince him to come back... and the wait continues.

In other countries, there might be a manager who determines when the collective transport should go, to make sure all the drivers get a turn. Here, people just have to work things out with each other. And it seems that this driver is a bit more greedy than the average Haitian. He tries to convince me to pay 4 times the fare, so then we can leave right away. I might be willing to--but I suspect that if I do, he's still going to make us wait...

Finally we head off. Turns out the wait was completely unnecessary, as within minutes down the road, the tap tap fills up completely.

Here I take a moment to admire fare collector, who stands on the bumper of the pick up with his head pressed against to roof for balance as he received scrunched up balls of money from the passengers (for some reason, Haitians like to scrunch up their already decrepit bills into little balls when they pay). Then, while the wind whips through the truck, he holds all the money in one hand while sorting it out and handing back change with the other. I expect at any minute for him to lose his grip and see money flying everywhere... but nope.

Here for the first time I see some serious roadwork going on. The narrow, potholed road winding up the mountains is being replaced with an actual two lane highway. This makes for slow going, right now... but it's still nice to see some positive changes going on!

The road climbs higher and higher up the mountain, until the weather changes and there nippy cold air flowin through. At the pass there's a scruffy town and market area with an isolated feel... It feels very far from the life down on the coast.

It's getting dark as we wind back down to the northern coast. I'm reaching an unknown city in Haiti with no idea where I'm going to stay. I remind myself that I must be more careful here than I would somewhere else. This means: NO wandering around looking for a cheaper hotel. Just take the first one I find. Actually... no wandering at all.... take a taxi. I remind myself that coughing up a little extra cash is a whole lot smarter than risking getting robbed and losing everything....

As we reach the edge of the city I spot a hotel, and quickly ask the driver to stop. 25 US$ for a room with running water that doesn't work? I'll take it!

Challenge number 2: Accomplished.