Visiting the 8th Wonder of the World!
Day 5: Citadel and Local Hospital--from Martel
What an adventuresome day! It started off early by leaving the hotel before 8:00 am. After ½ hour of driving in the hot, crowded car, we arrived in Milot, a city at the bottom of the hill to the Citadel--the 8th Wonder of the World! A tour guide, also named Edy, jumped into the car and we took off up the steep, rock road to the fortress. Once we made it about half way, we stopped, got out of the car, and were immediately mobbed by locals wanting to sell us bracelets, masks, flutes, and bowls. This was where we would ditch our vehicle and make the rest of the 2 kilometer journey by horesback (the road was VERY steep!) After making it through the crowd, we each mounted a small horse. Mine was a palomino named Jackie. The landscape was beautiful; lush green banana, coffee, and cocoa bean trees covered all of the mountains surrounding us.
Martel arriving at the Citadel--the final 2K covered on horseback
What we could see of the Citadel from our horses was nothing compared to when we went inside. It was massive, and it wasn’t even completed. From 1806-1820, over 100,000 people built it. But, luckily, it was never attacked. It is made of stone and our guide explained that the cement was made of limestone, sugarcane, and the hooves of cows. Inside was a display of the two-ton cannons (there were 200 of these!) and 50-pound cannon balls. The cannons came from the Haitians capturing a ship of Napolean's. This place was simply amazing. Truly, it was hard for me to believe that such a phenomenal piece of ancient architecture could be built on a mountaintop.
The remnants of the ancient palace called Sans Souci (inhabited by Henri Christophe)
We also got a tour of Sans Souci Palace where Henri Christophe and his family lived. It was huge too: the whole acreage was even bigger than the Citadel. During the time of his residence, there was even a swimming pool.
After finishing our tour of these historical Haitian landmarks, we drove back into town and took a tour of a local hospital. This was quite shocking, to say the least. It was very different than the US. Almost all of the care was taking place in rooms where windows were wide open and doctors/nurses were minimal. In the ER, sanitation was not their top priority. One man was lying outside a room, with blood dripping from his head, clearly passed out, and handcuffed to his bed (the police were right outside and apparently he was a criminal.) It makes me so grateful for what we have in the United States, as far as medical treatment is concerned.
It was a long and extremely interesting day, full of excitement! More to come.
--Martel
On top of the Citadel---pointing to the spot where the Columbus' Santa Maria landed and sunk!
