Americas

[Visited: July 2007]

Cap Haïtien is a city with a history: it changed name several times: from Cap Français to Cap Henry, to be finally called Cap Haïtien - but many people refer to it as simply le Cap. It is charming as a city for its architecture and its colonial grid system, but large part of its attraction lies in the atmosphere on the streets. The laid back ambience of the central square, where students come for a break, to the backstreets where small business men walk with their business bag, the feel of the city is defined by the locals on the streets.
Early morning in Cap Haïtien, the empty streets are filled by the first signs of life. Before humidity and sun make it virtually impossible, you can meet quite a few locals running or doing their exercise on the main boulevard; you can also see schoolkids on their way to school, market women walking their wares to the city. More people flock to the streets as the morning continues; street vendors take their place, shops open and attract customers, traffic gets more intensive. The heat quickly increases now, and the shade offered by one side of the streets is used by almost everyone.
The spectacle of people walking past, contrasting with a brightly coloured wall in the background, or the grey of the asphalt of the street, continues all day. Many streets are under reconstruction, many have pools of water on them, reflecting the surrouding street life on their surface. The late afternoon brings beautiful, hazy light to the streets of Cap Haïtien, highlighting people passing in the rays of the disappearing sun. People everywhere talk to each other, start a conversation with the foreign visitor, head to the market to buy something for dinner. The colours of their clothes contrasts with those of the houses. Another day in Cap Haïtien draws to a close.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Cap Haïtien streetlife (Haiti). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Cap Haïtien streetlife.
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Cap Haïtien streetlife > Haiti > Americas

[Visited: July 2007]

Around the World in 80 Clicks