Jesse OC
Beyond mountains, there are mountains.
A sprawling, twisting and climbing city of contrasts, Port-Au-Prince is the epicenter of Haiti. In Petionville, the destitute and affluent co-mingle and exist alongside uber-expensive restaurants, road swallowing markets, precariously built houses painted with hallucinogenic colors and more motorcyclists than paved road. The downtown continues to showcase the scars of the 2010 earthquake. The National Palace lies in ruin; the Cathedral barely stands; tent-cities dot the landscape. Yet the markets and streets pulsate with life. The statute of the Unknown Slave stands somberly in front of the ruinous palace - a chilling reminder to all visitors that Haitian history contains equal measure of both tragedy and triumph.
The first country in human history to outlaw slavery continues to fight for an equal footing among the world's powers today. An assault on the senses, an illuminating journey into the past, Port-Au-Prince will leave its mark.
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