A Familiar Setting

I recently finished reading three books set in Haiti that show different ideas about and experiences of this place.  I enjoyed The Comedians the most of the set (probably because it was the most political) but I also liked the variety of voices in Haiti Noir.

The Comedians, by Graham Greene, is set in Haiti under François Duvalier (Papa Doc), written by the owner of the fictional Hotel Trianon (based on the Ollofson).  It’s a clever but saddening satire of politics in Haiti and elsewhere, but sometimes hit too close to home.  A few bits and pieces I found interesting are included below.

“Your first refugee, Excellency,” Hamit said. “I was half expecting you, Monsieur Philipot.”

“Oh no,” the young man said, “not that. Not yet. I understand when you claim asylum you have to make a promise not to engage in political action.”

“What political action are you proposing to take?” I asked.

“I am melting down some old family silver.”

“I don’t understand,” the ambassador said, “Have one of my cigars, Henri. They are real Havana.”

“My dear and beautiful aunt talks about a silver bullet. But one bullet might go astray. I think we need quite a number of them. Besides we have to deal with three devils not one. Papa Doc, the head of the Tontons Macoute and the colonel of the palace guard.”

“It’s a good thing,” the ambassador said, “that they bought arms and not microphones with American aid.” (p.131)

This excerpt represent my idea of the book; there’s conflation and the sense that political talk is often cheap and has more to do with playing a role than really addressing an issue.  Action, however, involves significant risk and is often best left to others.

“Perhaps the sexual life is the great test. If we can survive it with charity to those we love and affection to those we have betrayed, we needn’t worry so much about the good and the bad in us. But jealousy, distrust, cruelty, revenge, recrimination…then we fail. The wrong is in that failure even if we are the victims and not the executioners. Virtue is no excuse.” (p.139)

I liked this reflection.  It’s spoken by the most sincere character and seems useful for a place and time in which other structures are falling apart.  

“No, I don’t despair, I don’t believe in despair, but our problems won’t be solved by the Marines. I’m not sure I wouldn’t fight for Papa Doc if the Marines came. At least he’s Haitian. No the job has to be done with our own hands. We are an evil slum floating a few miles from Florida, and no American will help us with arms or money or counsel. We learned a few years back what their counsel meant.” (p.232)

This sentiment is repeated in other ways elsewhere in the book.  Living in Haiti, I completely agree that any solutions to Haitian problems will come from Haitians and not from foreigners.


The title of The Rainy Season: Haiti then and now, by Amy Wilentz, promises some insight into or at least reflection on the current political situation.  Instead, it captures a variety of events Willentz lived or observed while she was in Haiti in the 1980s.  I like the way she devotes significant time to ordinary people she meets along the way in addition to those with a role in Haitian history.  For me, the dinner parties or the discussions between journalists that she recounts weren’t nearly as interesting since they remind me of my own limited view of politics and developments here.


Haiti Noir is a short story collection edited by Edwidge Danticat.  Some of the stories seem predictable, others seem overly gruesome, and in still others you see the characters’ care for one another.  It’s fascinating to see what authors with a connection to Haiti imagine or sensationalize about this place to create mysteries.  The publisher (Akashic) had a neat idea of creating these collections set in all different places and although this is the only one I’ve read, I figure the fears they illustrate vary greatly.   

Welcome, vamos ir a Panamá

For several months now, I’ve been thinking whether by blogging I might be able to add to the fabulous blog content I read and the correspondence I have with my friends.  The most valuable thing I’ve identified is expanding the discussion of books and travel destinations that I have with several good friends.  I know you’re headed to interesting places and reading wonderful works and I think several of you would get along with one another and benefit from the recommendations from a broader group.  I also want to put more time into thinking about what I’ve been reading, especially the books and articles that I recommend and creating some useful travel information for the places I’ve been. 

I know some of my friends have their own blogs and ways of sharing their travels and book recommendations.  I hope some of you will share your wisdom and photos here at some point as well.

For now, I’ll start with a trip from several months ago: Panama

Panama tops the NY Times places to go in 2012 list and it’s awfully nice.  I spent a little over two weeks in several areas of the country with a couple of good friends.

Panama City – Upon my arrival in the capital, I was amazed by the infrastructure and the skyscrapers (only partly because I was coming from Haiti and am coming to worship pothole-free roads and user-friendly public transportation).  A friendly, inexpensive B&B, Dos Palmitos, made me feel instantly at home and offered an amazing breakfast to fuel our day.  Outside of the Casco Viejo and the promenade along the oceanfront, the city is not very walkable, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t try (and march my friends around too).  I didn’t get to try the interesting restaurants that I had read about, but did end up wandering the gigantic malls more than I had intended.  The city is a shopper’s paradise, but the tourist attractions can only keep one busy for a few days.  The public transportation system was navigable to curious outsiders with limited Spanish, which was a welcome surprise.  In addition, locals graciously gave directions and transportation assistance.

Bocas del Toro – An archipelago that’s far from Panama City and San Jose, Costa Rica, and somewhat cut off by mountains. It’s a long drive to get here or a short flight. There are plenty of flights to both capitals. Most of the islands are rather large and forested, though there are nice stretches of beach. High season is the northern hemisphere winter and simultaneously the Bocas (Caribbean side of Panama) rainy season so keep that in mind if you’re planning a trip. Most of the travelers seemed to be backpackers or retirees, but the atmosphere was definitely relaxed amongst travelers in the off season.  Bocas offers beaches (a distance from the main town), surfing, snorkeling and diving, and hiking, as well as fancy resorts that would feel far from anywhere.  We enjoyed a walking tour of a cocoa-growing cooperative on the mainland, learning about how cocoa is grown and processed, complete with samples, but the tour was especially enjoyable because we were the only visitors that day.  Restaurants in Bocas town varied significantly in terms of price and quality, but were generally pricier than we had expected.

Boquete – Sits in a valley below Panama’s tallest point and only volcano, Barú.  The hillsides around are covered in coffee plantations and there are plenty of hiking and rafting opportunities.  We enjoyed a local restaurant in the center of town for a couple great meals and journeyed to the hot springs a 30ish minute drive from town. The springs were wonderfully relaxing and the monkey there is entertaining, but don’t bring sugary drinks or anything you would be heartbroken to lose.  I wished we could have stayed longer here and enjoyed meeting the backpackers who joined trips at a hostel in the center of town and a very good yoga class.

Gamboa – We visited this little Canal Zone expecting to find a small Panamanian town, but since it was constructed for canal workers and off the main road, it felt like a little like an American suburb in the middle of a tropical rainforest. Pipeline road is a popular destination for birders and there are few housing options. Luckily we found a place to stay at the Canopy B&B (part of the pricey, naturalist-catering Canopy Tower set of properties), located in a beautifully restored home.

San Blas Islands – Are a chain of hundreds of small islands in the Caribbean. The drive over the continental divide is one of the windiest, steepest roads I’ve ever been on, (you can also fly to the islands) but the reward is grand.  Food choices seemed limited in the places we stayed and saw and you would probably be best off traveling the islands by sailboat to see more different areas.  The islands are picture perfect, the Kuna Yala people friendly, and the molas (hand stitched panels) enticing.  I loved the feeling of distance from the city and the dominance of the water in the way of life. We heard of fabulous snorkeling and got a good little taste, but not as much as we would have liked.

We did not travel to the Darién, Santa Catalina, or the Archipelago de las Perlas.

Throughout the touristy areas of Panama, the separation between visitors and locals was strong and somewhat disappointing.  However, the Panamanians we did talk to were overwhelmingly friendly and interesting.  Traveling alone with female friends, we felt almost no harassment. 

Practicalities: 

• US dollars are used throughout Panama but credit cards were rarely accepted outside the capital.
• Taxi fares in Panama City are cheap when you know what the price should be.  Bus rides cost $0.25 to $1.25.
• Spanish was most helpful in Panama City and in the Kuna Yala/San Blas Islands. There were many English speakers in Boquete, Gamboa, and Bocas. 
• We found that having the Lonely Planet was better than not having it, but practical information was often lacking (more so than most LP guides) and fellow travelers were far more helpful.
• The rainy seasons on the Pacific and Caribbean sides of the isthmus are opposite.  Check them out as you decide where and when to go.