Labadee pushy vendors and beggars

I just visited Labadee for the first time last Thursday (March 7). I was surprised at how aggressive the vendors in the Artisans' Market were. You couldn't even walk the main path between Columbus Cove and the Town Square tram stop without incessant badgering. I thought that one of the points of a private island is to give the cruiseline control over the experience.

Even more unsettling, though, were the kids begging for food at the fence near the Columbus Cove picnic queue. It's a stark contrast with the abundance of food inside the compound compared to the hungry kids in the poorest country in the hemisphere waving plates. I didn't even know what I should do, but I and others my party definitely felt guilty.

I know what you mean. Haiti is a very poor island and poverty is every where. I find that on almost all of the Carribbean Island that the cruise ships visit. The port areas are realy nice but once you head out onto the island, poverty is every where. I get a very sad feeling when I experience it. It really opens your eyes to how fortunate we really are here in the United States. Giving something one child results in an entire group of children coming and begging. It is sad to experience.

It's particularly bad on Labadee because it happens right at the point where the cruisers are ready to enjoy the barbecue lunch. On other islands, you pass though the poverty inside of a van or taxi. but in Labadee, the fence is right there, and the kids are just on the other side of it, looking right at you.

This is just so sad. I just don't think I could eat with the children begging for food.

We are taking our first trip to Labadee in November and Had planned to go to Columbus Cove.....but now not so sure......:o