Port Au Prince Matkaopas

Sak pase? That's Creole for "how are you?" You will hear this often on your trip to Port-au-Prince, capital city of the Republic of Haiti. Despite political instability, Port-au-Prince has managed to maintain a tourism industry and locals will still greet you with a smile and a "sak pase" Port-au-Prince has a lively atmosphere and a strong, but unfortunate, past. Shortly after gaining its long-sought-after independence from France, the prosperous nation of Saint- Domingue (today's Haiti) lost its wealthy status. Poverty began to overtake the land. With this decline in wealth came political troubles and, today, Haiti, once the jewel of the Caribbean, has lost its glitter in the eyes of travelers. Even so, the capital has steadily evolved from a quiet 1940's colonial town to a busy metropolitan city. Character and culture flow from its history into its present-day commerce, music, and art. If one can empathize with Haiti's unfortunate past, one can still appreciate the beauty of the land in the mountainous terrain, the exotic forests and lakes, and, most importantly, the lives of its people.