Haiti's Port au Prince has the most beautiful public transport in the world
The Tap Tap is the local transport in Port au Prince, the capital of Haiti. As the country struggles with every cataclysm and curse known to a nation, it’s public transport system remains one of the beautiful in the world. How about that for a paradox?!
Tap Taps are decorated with a baffling mix of dazzling colours, geometric shapes, floral motifs, religious slogans and pop idols. Apparently there’s a workshop in downtown Port au Prince which is responsible for most of this bodywork. On my recent trip to Haiti, I was advised against visiting the place by my hosts, the UN World Food Program, because it’s in a ‘red zone’, which denotes maximum risk and danger of kidnapping. Our security advisor said that we’d need a military escort to go there. I didn’t have enough time to put one together. Next time I might just say ‘in God we trust!’.
Here are some Taps Taps I managed to snap during a half hour stop at a busy Port au Prince roundabout:
