Day 17: Saturday 24 September - Trip to the Mountain

Today I grabbed a ride out of Port-au-Prince into the mountains of Haiti. I've noted in previous posts that signs of construction are surprisingly sparse within Port-au-Prince itself. Apparently this is because it is not the 'reconstruction season' here in Haiti at the moment, as there are too many storms and too much rain. On the way out of Port-au-Prince we pass more tent 'cities' and street vendors - common signs in the city landscape. As the built environment becomes less dense though signs of construction are more common, but still very sparse and conducted predominantly with basic hand-held tools.
As we leave Petionville the roads are no-longer covered in asphalt and become increasingly ridden with large holes and boulders. In a short space of time we pass several abandoned vehicles. A group of men also try to push one taxi full of boxes up the road with black smoke bellowing out the back.

As we head out past the village of Fermate the landscape becomes greener with steep terracing surrounding us on both sides of the road. I see plenty of fruit and vegetables being grown: maize, mango and squash. Haitians grow these all year round so can have up to 4 crop cycles in a single year. Many Haitians describe this part of the country as a 'paradise' full of fresh water, green countryside and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. The natural habitat half way up the mountain-side reminds me of parts of rural China with terracing covering many of the steep slopes.
It's a very peaceful setting with beautiful scenery and fertile soils. I wonder why more people from Port-au-Prince don't move out to the countryside. Apparently the land here is owned by rich Haitians and is very expensive. And despite the poor conditions in Port-au-Prince, people are drawn there for work and for aid agency hand-outs.

On the way up the mountain we pass through the market towns of Kenscoff and Obleon. The buildings here are mainly small, masonry and 1-storey. Many are beautifully decorated with bright paints. The roads are full of buses carrying people from the surrounding villages and settlements picking up supplies for themselves and to sell back in their villages. Livestock also roam the streets - pigs and goats are everywhere. The scene is not too dis-similar to the outskirts and suburbs of Port-au-Prince except there is a lot more space here.
We end up in the village of Furcy - almost half-way between Port-au-Prince and Marigot on the south coast. It's a very small, sweet village at the top of the mountain. The village consists of maybe 9 or 10 small masonry buildings: a barber-shop, tuck shop, liquor shop and 4 street vendors selling hot food. I have a mixture of eggplant, corn, rice and beans for lunch. This is fairly staple Haitian food.
Other stalls sell Pork and chicken and fruits and vegetables. I buy some mangos for later and some water cress. I also try some of the 90% sugar-cane liquor. It's rough stuff. The locals laugh at me for cautiously sipping my full cup of almost pure alcohol. One local shows me how it's meant to be drunk: down in one gulp.
After the drink its on to the games. Various vendors have set-up at the top of the village with games including dominos, the wheel of fortune and dice. I play but do not win.
We stop at various points on the way down to enjoy the views and the fresh breeze. The vegetation up at the top of the mountains is a mixture of terraced cropland and fern trees. I'm surprised to see lots of bracken growing there too, which reminds me of the moors back home. The views overlooking the mountains are spectacular.