3 November 2009 -- Haitian Cultural Tour at Paradise Island

This morning I went on a very informative Haitian Cultural Tour at Paradise Cove. This tour is run by Tim and Dillon Mangs as a shoreside concession for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line from the cruise ship port of Labadee, Haiti. This tour departs from normal cruise ship entertainment fare by offering an educational look at authentic Haitian culture. Many of the ancient crafts showcased are still an important component of present Haitian life. Passengers load a 44-person excursion boat for a 10-minute ride along a scenic mountainous coastline, then disembark on a beautiful sandy beach, where they are served a complimentary rum punch at the Bamboo Bar. The tour begins with a short walk along the beach past a natural, freshwater stream, where a native dugout canoe is floating. Several native plants can be seen as people walk up the hill to the various exhibits: Natural Aloe, Pineapple, Sugarcane, Oranges, Limes, Coconuts, Bananas, and Plantains, Taro Roots. One of the first exhibits is a house under construction. It is built entirely of renewable, natural materials and the only tool used is a machete. A saw pit shows how logs are sawn by hand into boards. A fisherman sits in another hut weaving traps for lobster, crabs, and fish out of small stalks of flexible bamboo. Then the tour passes a charcoal pit, where wood is gathered from the high mountains and burned to create pure wood charcoal. This charcoal is still an important fuel for modern Haitian cooking. At one small house, a lady stands grinding peanut butter. After the peanuts are roasted, they are ground into natural peanut butter, an important local food rich in energy and protein. In the next house a lady is grinding coffee, and nearby a basket sits filled with the dried peels of the local oranges that are an essential ingredient of the French liqueur Gran Marnier. The path starts down to the beach past a young girl with a portable convenience store, the kind you see almost everywhere in Haiti. .A long shed houses a couple of local artisans. One man is a painter and the other is a wood sculptor. In the far end of the shed is a demonstration of Voodoo. The tour is almost complete as visitors walk down the hill, past the frame of a wooden boat and return to the beach, where they can drink at the bar, relas in a beach chair, or enjoy the cool ocean water and gentle waves. A link to more about this tour is at: Haitian Cultural Tour and a link to the RCCL booking page is at: Royal Caribbean Shoreside Excursions