Shopping in Haiti - outlets, shopping streets and boutiques

Not everyone is brave enough to visit Haiti, so travelers who do this have an opportunity to purchase items and souvenirs that are not available anywhere else. Someone might call your journey a crazy idea and claim that it is dangerous to stay in this country. These people simply do not know that tourist areas are safe and well-guarded, so the crime level is similar to European resorts. Just like in most countries, tourists in Haiti can purchase small souvenirs like thematic figures, paintings, refrigerator magnets – the most important is to find items that have a connection to the country and its landmarks. Haitians also produce souvenirs for tourists, and guests of the country can find them as soon as they arrive. Street vendors offer wooden figures of lizards, cows, zebras, and elephants. Even though there is no record of elephants and zebras in Haiti, tourists often purchase these figures.

Haitian Gourde (HGT) is the national currency of Haiti. One gourde is equal to 100 centimes or santim. The currency is available in the following denominations: coins of 1 and 5 gourde and banknotes of 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500, and 1000 gourde. There are roughly forty variations of the national currency and all of them are valid. For a beginner, it might be quite hard to get oneself familiar with the Haitian money. Banknotes issued many years ago are slowly liquidated once they become worn out. Coins are available in 5, 10, 20, and 50 centimes denominations. There is no need to stock up on the national currency because the U.S. dollars are widely adopted in Haiti. Tourists can pay with dollars in markets and shops. Moreover, local exchange offices often charge a commission or have a bad exchange rate.

If you want to exchange U.S. dollars into the national currency, you can do it virtually everywhere. All banks and large hotels have exchange offices. However, it might be harder to exchange other currencies. It can take much time, and the exchange rate can be very low. This is when street merchants and money changers can help tourists. They offer immediate exchange and a good rate, but it is dangerous to deal with them – these merchants can be swindlers or scammers. Withdraw currency only using ATMs and banks. There are many ATMs in the capital but it is hard to find them in remote areas so plan your spending in advance and get cash if you are going to travel in the countryside. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Haiti is a marine country, so there are many souvenirs with the sea produce such as shells and pearls. Local craftsmen turn them into amulets, talismans, bracelets, hairpins, and other attractive trifles that can be useful or not. Tourists are always interested in items of this type. Shells are a particularly popular material. There are figures of humans and animals, beads, boxes, and even small pictures made of shells. Mahogany masks are particularly popular among tourists.

Coffee is cultivated in Haiti. Barahona and Gonaives are the most popular variations. Consider trying Haitian Blue – this coffee has a peculiar and distinctive taste. Coffee is one of the main export products for Haiti and one of the few sources of income for the Caribbean country. Haitians like their local rum and tourists usually purchase Barbancourt rum. This exquisite rum is famous beyond the borders of the island. The company was established in 1862. Rum is made from the fermentation of the pure sugarcane juice that is then aged for at least four years. The rich taste of Haitian rum won many awards at international exhibitions. Haitian rum and coffee can be great souvenirs from the tropical Caribbean country.

Here are some ideas of original souvenirs from Haiti. Local shops sell the globe of Haiti (the globe that has only Haiti instead of all continents) and a figure of a slave that is a copy of a famous monument. This monument is a symbol of the country that was the first place where slaves got their freedom back. A music CD with Haitian music can be a memorable souvenir for any music fan. Animalistic metal souvenirs are also very popular. Lizards and cows are the most popular choices. Metal artworks depicting Vodou rituals (this religious cult is very popular in Haiti) became popular in the country in the 50s of the 20th century thanks to George Lioto, a blacksmith from Croix-des-Bouquets. His followers show their works in private exhibition centers. Tourists can visit these galleries during excursions. The metal artworks are precious items and many collectors try to buy them.

Some markets sell old metal artworks in certain Haitian cities. The largest market of this type is open in Port-au-Prince. You can easily find this market because it has large red doors. Because of countless metal crafts and artworks for sale, this market is usually called the “Iron market” (Marche de Fer). This is a great place to shop for antique weapons manufactured in the 17th-19th centuries and various household items made from metal. Sellers offer all kinds of goods. There are self-made toys, woven baskets, spiritual items, totems, coconut belts, jewelry, herbs, leather items, wands, hats, paintings and statuettes by local artists.

Tourists can find souvenirs not only on the market and in shops, but also right on the streets in the most unexpected places. As a rule, excursions have fixed routes, and so local craftsmen come to the places where tourists usually appear to offer their works. These street vendors do not have any stalls and fixed prices. They often tell the price depending on how rich a potential buyer looks like. Tourists should bargain here because they can easily lower the price, gaining a discount of 100% and even bigger.