I would like to address the stories coming out of Haiti regarding safety concerns.
Three weeks ago I made the trek from Haiti to the Dominican Republic. I felt much safer in the Haitian countryside on the journey than I did when I got into the DR.
Some of it was fear, but much of it is because I believe all people are inherently good and it is only their inner strength that will prevent the soul from being corrupted or made evil by the outside world. In Haiti, because of the greater rate of poverty and a class system where people are perceived and treated as lower caste in comparison to those in the DR, often their soul is much stronger because at that point even if they don't have money - and now often not their homes - they have their dignity.
I remember stopping for gas with my motorcycle and getting a soda pop - the Haitians were all so nice, children and adults so engaging that my friend and I couldn't help but to give them money and my last Power Bar.
Daniel Sheth
AAI Board Member
Good comments. We must dispel the myth of danger to tourists. SouthCom even went on record to say that there has NEVER been an instance of a traveler being harmed in the countryside of Haiti.
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