JACMEL
The main highway to Port Au Prince from Macdonald is National Route 1
and has recently been rebuilt and is excellent with center lines and guard
rails. National Route 2 west from Port Au Prince to Leogane is fair with some
remaining earthquake damage and a particularly large break in the highway
caused by the earthquake. Leogane was the epicentre of the earthquake and was
hit very hard. The highway is also poorly marked with few road signs and as a
result that we missed the turn-off at Dufort for Jacmel and drove 10 to 12
miles the wrong way. After doing a most “unmanly” thing by actually asking
directions, we backtracked and found the right route across the parking lot of
the Texaco station and so through the mountains. This is a good road, well
paved though narrow and very winding through a steep mountain pass. This is a
concern as oncoming traffic tends to appear in your windshield without warning
and as a result, we had several near misses, one in particular that stands out
in my memory to this day.
Jacmel first founded by the French in 1698. It is located at the head of
a 2 mile wide bay with beautiful black sand beaches on the Caribbean or south
side of the island. In the 19th century Jacmel was an important
seaport for shipping coffee to Europe as well as being a major embarkation port
those travelling to Europe.
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| Jacmel Town Centre |
The core of the city suffered a fire in 1896 that destroyed many of the
original buildings. The city rebuilt in the 19th century French style
that remains to this day. The city experienced a number of significant firsts
for Haiti being the first to have telephones, the first to have potable water
as well as electricity. It is now moving into the 21st century and
is the home of a significant carnival celebration every year during Lent. Carnival
has resumed after being cancelled for two years due to the earthquake. It has a
large arts and craft base that has grown over the years to support local
artists. Many shops also sell Paper Mache masks made specifically for carnival.
It has been one of the more tourist oriented towns in Haiti and has the best
potential to once again welcome both foreign and local visitors.
While it was hard hit by the earthquake, it is well on the road to
recovery. Many buildings still showed signs of damage but many others have been
rebuilt or are under repair. It seems to vibrate with energy and it appears
that most people have meaningful work. There was a noticeable lack of begging
in the streets unlike either St Marc or Port au Prince and we were able to enjoy
our walk around town with locals paying little or no attention to us.
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| Maison Cadet with its red iron "Witches Cap" |
Hotels are few and far between in the city as most in the downtown area
were closed, still showing moderate to severe earthquake damage. However, we
were able to find clean accommodations near the town center at a reasonable
price that also included a great spam omelet for breakfast. The black sand
beach in town has a lot of potential but needs some minor cleanup to suit North
American tastes. There is a large art market there as well and a sprawling two
story hotel. This one has also been closed since the earthquake. This could be
a great spot for R & R when and if these hotels are restored.
There is a strong connection to Canada with Jacmel as the city was the
focus of a large Canadian relief effort immediately after the 2010 earthquake. There
is a small airport there and it was used by the RCAF as part of Operation
HESTIA providing emergency aid in the days after the 2010 earthquake. At the
peak of operations, Canadian military personnel supporting the emergency
response topped 2000. The Americans had determined that they could not safely
operate their Hercs off Jacmel’s runway as they felt that at just 3300 ft.
long, it was too short. The Canadians cut down a few trees and made it work for
the next 4 months. Initially used as a base for their Hercules aircraft, Sea
King and Griffon helicopters, they soon added the giant C17 Globemaster to the
list of over 160 movements per day. Later in 2013 the airport was expanded and once
again approved for scheduled service to Port au Prince.
Jacmel was also the family home of Michaele Jean, a former Canadian
Governor General and current secretary general of la Francophonie, an
association of French speaking countries. Haiti and Canada are 2 of over 80
Francophonie member countries.
We left for home around mid-day planning on being back in Macdonald
before dark. The trip was not without tragedy as evidenced by the sight of a
young man lying dead in the road, the result of yet another motorcycle accident,
this time just outside of Leoganne. All of us had difficulty sleeping that
night as that scene replayed in our minds. Traffic through Port Au Prince was
very heavy and it took over an hour just to get through the market near the
docks and Cite Soliel.
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