HAITI (Caribbean)

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Haiti, with its eerie voodoo (vodun in Haitian Kreyol) drums breaking the evening silence, is a land of superstition. Seeing a vodun ceremony, even if staged strictly for touristic reasons, is an adventure you may never forget. Worshippers, dressed in white, go into a trance as they use handfuls of flour to trace symbols of Afro-Haitian gods on dirt floors.

There is a strong scent of rum (world-class Barbancourt rum has been distilled in Haiti since 1765) as worshippers chant names of important deities, especially Baron Samedi. The Baron wears black, formal attire and a top hat. This popular deity is believed to have powers regarding death, funerals, and zombies. The latter comprise Haiti's walking dead and are de rigueur ingredients for Hollywood horror films.

Despite its poverty, Haiti has to be one of the most intriguing and exotic of all Caribbean destinations. Haitians have artistic talents to spare. As in the mother country, France, Haitians are engrossed in the production of world-class paintings and sculpture. Haitians also share the French knack for creating and serving fine cuisine in romantic settings.

Petionville, overlooking Port au Prince, remains comparatively pristine and prosperous. It is the venue for the enchanting and historic Hotel Oloffson. The hotel was immortalized in Graham Greene's novel: The Comedians. The novelist's name is over one of the hotel's decorative doors. Haitian artists - among the most creative in the Caribbean - decorated the hotel's doors with names of notable guests, among them Greene, Marlon Brando and Ian Wright. The latter is featured in a loopy and colourful Lonely Planet video about Wright's travel adventures in Haiti.