Travel Essay from Haiti: Poverty and Beautiful Nature on a Caribbean Island

A reader shares her travel impressions from Haiti, which shares the Caribbean island with the Dominican Republic. Despite visible poverty at every turn, the natural beauty left a profound impression. The essay is part of the Tiiu writing competition.

On a Caribbean island where Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the same landmass, an Estonian woman discovered something unexpected: beautiful nature hidden behind extreme poverty. This travel essay is part of the Tiiu writing competition and describes a trip that began with a decision made by friends to spend their vacation in the Dominican Republic.

Initially, the plan was to visit only the Dominican Republic. A decent hotel was selected, a flight through London was booked, and in autumn the travel group set off. The Dominican Republic made such a good impression that the traveler recommends it to everyone. But the most remarkable part of the trip turned out to be Haiti instead.

Haiti is one of the world's poorest countries, and that poverty could not be hidden anywhere. Everywhere the eye landed, poverty stared back-both on the streets and in rural areas. Yet it was precisely this contrast that made the experience particularly poignant: amid severe hardship, one finds surprisingly beautiful and untouched nature, which left the traveler with an indelible memory.