Jaunted

Escorted by local officials, Clinton flew by helicopter to the Sans Souci palace of Haiti's 19th-century King Henri Christophe as U.N. peacekeepers and Haitian police guarded against disturbances in the nearby city of Milot. The few tourists who come this way for now — mostly locally based aid workers or missionaries — struggle through the city's traffic-jammed streets and negotiate serpentine, broken roads to reach the site, where they are accosted by desperate merchants selling souvenirs and mule rides to the nearby Citadelle Laferriere fortress.

Palaces and private helicopters sound like a dream vacation alright, but not if you can only get this treatment by becoming a former president of the United States. The palace itself is a UNESCO world heritage site and "among the Caribbean's most impressive landmarks," but poor road conditions and the aforementioned traffic all but cut it off from the tourists who would otherwise flock there and spend money doing so.

Despite Clinton's smile and hearty handshake, it looks like Haiti still isn't ready to replace St. Thomas as the Caribbean's duty-free and tropical paradise. Too bad too, because we could for a little Caribbean castle action.

Related Stories:
· On UN Mission, Bill Clinton Promotes Tourism in Haiti [AFP]
· Clinton Tours Historic Palace In Haiti Tourism Bid [AP]
· Presidential Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: AP]