■'/
9B
TRAVEL/The Charlotte Post
Thursday, November 20, 1997
JHaiti also has good side
By Angela Hunter
SPECIAL TO THE POST
• Most times when we think of
T travel, we see in our minds eye;
• i Resorts, beaches with blue water
• ' and white sand, tour guides for
; hiking and snorkehng, or maybe
; just traveling to another state to
; visit family and friends.
' Well, what about another coun
try, or what about the poorest
third- world country. Yes; Haiti,
my latest travel in 1997.
1 The single’s ministry at my
; local church made a trip to Haiti
; to a town called Gonaives. We
;■ assisted a local missionary fadh-
. ty that our church supports in
teaching Haitian students, minis
tering to the sick, visiting and
witnessing to the unsaved, and
aU the while, living the way they
lived. No running water, limited
electricity and making trips to the
market to cook and serve three
meals a day.
We left Charlotte at 6:30 a.m. to
fly to Miami Airport, from there to
Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where we
met our hosts for the week. The
Haitians that at the airport were
very eager to see Americans come
in. Several begged to assist with
our luggage, while others pleaded
for money. Anything to help them
get their needs met. They were
hungry, they had little money for
food, no real jobs to support their
families, just an open door to ask
and plead for assistance from
travelers coming into their coun
try.
From the airport, we were
escorted to a graffettied school
bus that some Haitian beggars
were hanging on to, so that we
could be driven to Gonaives. The
bus ride was three hours long as
we drove through the night on for
gotten roads. When I say “forgot
ten,” I mean half-paved roads
where portions of it were pot-
holed and eaten up along the
sides and middle, almost making
it impossible to drive on. Even
though our Haitian driver made
his way along just fine, as he
dodged every pot hole and bump
in sight. (Which made for a very
zig zag sort of a ride.)
After reaching our destination,
we were escorted to our home for
the next week. No air condition
ing, no carpeting, no showers, no
Gonaives, Haiti
Alaska has spectacular scenery
By Maxine Silverstein
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Unforgettable. Breathtaking.
Inspiring. These are the words
people use to try to convey the
extravagant beauty of Alaska.
The problem is, the experience of
sailing the Inside Passage defies
description. The only alternative
is to describe the sights along this
incredible journey and trust that
you will allow your imagination to
run wild.
Most Inside Passage cruises
depart from the beautiful city of
Vancouver. As your ship travels
northward you enter a network of
islands, glaciers and ^ords along
. the Alaskan coast. And so it
begins.
The spectacular scenery is
enhanced by a wide variety of
wildlife that includes seabirds,
otters, seals and breaching hump
back whales. The ports you visit
are warmed by the hospitality of
the rugged Alaskan people and
the reminders of their ancient cul
tures. Hand-crafted totem poles
and native dancers keep the spir
it of the Tlingit, Haida and
Tbimishian people ahve.
The Inside Passage is perhaps
most famous for its glaciers.
These massive, slowly gliding
moimtains of cobalt blue ice
appear to hang from cliffs along
the waterway. Far from silent,
they creak and then thunder as
chunks break off and plunge into
the waters below. Seeing these
wonders close up makes you feel
like a small part of a very big
world, and suddenly you know
that this, not the NationsBank
building, is a true skyscraper.
While viewing a glacier from
your cruise ship is very satisfying,
flightseeing provides a truly riveti
ing experience. Soaring in for a
closer view on a bush plane, or
actually landing in a helicopter
and strolling around on top of a
glacier are two advantages of let
ting a pilot be your tom- guide. On
the way, you’ll enjoy an eagle’s eye
view of the unspoiled wildlife,
which includes orcas, sea lions,
porpoises, seals and sea otters. AU
of these feast on the seafood we
humans love as weU - shrimp,
crab, herring, salmon and more.
You’U see plenty of these deUca-
cies on yom menu aboard ship,
too.
When yom ship reaches Glacier
Bay, the captain wUl drop anchor
to aUow you to view the whales. If
you have never seen a whale in its
natmal habitat, this alone wiU
make yom journey worthwhile.
Bring along an extra roU of film as
this is an experience you wiU
want to record and remember.
Tb get the most from an Alaskan
vacation first-time visitors should
look into a cruise and land tom
combination. Most cruise lines
offer pre- and post-stays on land
that wiU complete yom picture of
om last great frontier. Some even
incorporate a visit to the six mil
lion acre Denali National Park
and Preserve. Fast becoming one
of the state’s most popular attrac
tions, the park is home to nearly
200 species of wildlife.
See yom travel agent to plan
the perfect Alaskan trip, and pre
pare to see sights that wiU make a
lifelong impression, yet defy
description.
- Maxine Silverstein is co-owner
of Charlotte-based Mann Dravels
(1-800-343-6266).
Angela Hunter, center, with students from her English class. Hunter was a missionary.
room service or wake-up caUs.
Just bunk beds, two half bath
rooms, and a rooster with a terri
ble set of lungs.
The Haitians that we were
around spoke Creole. 'Though
French is the official language, 90
percent of the people spoke
Creole. They were very nice and
welcomed us with a special love.
We responded gratefully, and
returned the love by speaking as
much of their language as possi
ble, eating everything on our
plates and helping with kitchen
duties.
We learned more about the
Haitian lifestyle each day we
were there.
'There were college students at a
local University in Gonaives
whom we taught through the mis
sionary that we visited. 'This par
ticular class was an English class
on an advanced level. Because
they were advanced, this made
for easy conversation and allowed
us to really communicate with
them regarding both Haiti and
the United States. 'They asked us
questions regarding the economy,
om welfare system, how much it
cost to buy an average home,
Christian schools versus Public
schools and how we worshipped.
'This made for interesting con
versation even for someone who
would normally rate this as bor
ing “political” topics. 'Their eager
ness to learn and know this infor
mation motivated me to be as
accmate and detailed as possible.
Each of the students, five men
aged 21-33, had a desire to preach
in the United States.
As we loaded up to head back to
the United States, photographs
were taken, hugs were given,
clothes and shoes were disbursed
to the Haitians as a gift of thanks
and memories were embedded.
'The trip was successful, cus
toms and travel was smoother
than anticipated and we had in
om hearts a real view of Haitians,
than most people would ever
believe. 'The beautifiil side that is
hardly ever revealed, the clean
side, the genuine side.
Tell us about it
What’s your most memorable
travel experience? The Post would
like to hear about it - good or bad
— and print it in our travel section.
Please type your experience and
send it to Travel Section, c/o The
Charlotte Post, P.O. Box 30144,
Charlotte, NC, 28230. Or you can
drop it by the office at 1531
Camden Road. If you have pic
tures, send those also. If you want
them back, send a stamped, self
addressed envelope or come by the
office after the article runs.
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