76
JUNE2015
AMERICANWAY
Local traderscarry fruitsandother
goodson theway to themarket.
BLICKWINKEL/ALAMY
the rainhasgently returned, it’s time
to seemorehistory.Wehead for the
acutely angled, rock-encrusted lane
that leadstotheCitadelle—definitely
achallenge. Itellmyselfthattwocen-
turies ago,men and animals hauled
cannons to the fortress during
constructionon the summit, butmy
confidencediminisheswhenthetires
start spinning. Theguides and I ease
the loadbywalking 100yards ahead.
Whilewewait, twomenwithhorses
and a half-dozenwithmotorcycles
gather in hopes that we’ll turn to
them forthe3,000-footrideup.A few
minutes later,aclearlyfrustratedDan
Joseph joinsuson foot.
Decisiontime:questversuscaution.
MustIdefermydreamortakeariskier
ride?There’s anappropriateHaitian
proverbforeverysituation.Thistime,
DanJoseph says, “If it’snot all good,
it’sbad.”At themoment, ourstatus is
“notallgood.”
We’ll holdoff to see if theweather
improves.Aswewaitunderatallman-
gotree,Wilfredexplainsthatfamilies
cultivategrapefruit, coffee, plantains
andcassava innarrowstripsofsoilall
thewayupthehill.WhileDanJoseph
dispatches amotorcyclist to check
the upper road, I reminisce about
my sunny-water adventure innearby
Labadee that Ihadexperienceda few
days before. Big cruise ships anchor
there,butI’dclimbedaboardabrightly
paintedwoodenwater taxi ownedby
a20-year-oldboatman.Aftertyingon
thesmalldayglow-orange lifevest,we
glidedover rolling swellswhile read-
ing thepaintedmottos such as “One
for all” or “Practice is veryhard, but
the soundof theflute is sweet,” dec-
orating theboat’sroofoverhead.Like
a Technicolor coat, the boat’s vivid
art reflects the fusion of faith and
philosophywornwithpride byHai-
tians. Soonwe reachapicnic-perfect
palm-treerefuge.For thisboat ride, I
recommendgoing“portout,starboard
home” toview thefluffycloudparade
over themountains and little land-
lockedenclavesalong thebay.
