A Journalist’s Reminiscence – Part 1
Television coverage of the devastation following the earthquake in Haiti, brought to mind my first visit to this island country. In 1997 I traveled as a journalist for a relief organization to Port-au-Prince and the surrounding country.
I was apprehensive because of all the stories I had heard about Haiti, her people, Voo Doo, and the on-going political unrest. Needless to say, the moment I stepped off the plane it was an assault on the senses. A heavy pall of smoke hung in the air from the thousands of fires where Haitian women were making charcoal, a common barter tool. The smell of smoke mixed with the smells of garbage, and cooking permeated the air. Outside the fence, as you exit the airport, a large crowd of Haitians were yelling and clamoring to carry our bags and take us to our destination.
From the airport, we began the trip to our residence, the Hotel Montana. The sheer mass of humanity that spills out onto the roads, which are filled with the biggest potholes I’d ever seen, turned a mere 10 miles into a crawling, honking, slow moving journey that took an hour.
The streets themselves are filled to overflowing with people. People dressed in brightly colored clothing, squatting on the side of the road, selling anything and everything. From charcoal, to food, to clothing; you name it, they were selling it. We even saw one woman who was selling cement by the cupful. Children, most of them partially clothed, playing like kids anywhere.
After an exhausting, dust-filled trip, a sweeping drive brought us up out
of the hustle and bustle that comprises the city of Port au Prince into a
beautiful, Shangri La known as the Hotel Montana. This is the same five-story hotel that now sits in total ruin, pancaked to the ground. The graceful, old, Montana; residence for visiting dignitaries, UN officials, aid workers and diplomats is completely gone. The road that climbs the mountain to Petionville where the hotel was located is now an obstacle course of boulders, concrete, and other debris.
Haiti, home to 9 million people lies in ruins, rebuilding right now seems overwhelming, and the logistics of turning this horror around are mind boggling. Where to begin?
Terry -
Further impressions from John, my journalist friend, will follow. I thought you might like to know more of the sights and sounds and the life blood of Haiti prior to the earthquake.
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