AN ARRIVING A300 FLC STARTS THEIR DSCNT WITHOUT AN ALT CHANGE DURING THE ARR PROC INTO PAP; FO.

Narrative

WHILE PROCEEDING FROM THE E OF ETBOD INTXN (PORT-AU- PRINCE) PAP CTL WAS NOT RESPONDING TO OUR CALLS. WE CONTACTED PAP TWR AND WERE CLRED TO GANIV INTXN VIA THE GANIV 1A ARR. AFTER PASSING ETBOD INTXN; WE DEPARTED 11000 FT FOR 6500 FT. WE WERE PROCEEDING VIA THE PAP 105 DEG RADIAL INBOUND TO THE PAP VOR. AS WE PASSED THE VOR AT APPROX 8500 FT; WE TRACKED THE PAP 290 DEG RADIAL TO THE GANIV HOLDING PATTERN. PAP TWR ASKED WHAT OUR ALT WAS. AFTER WE TOLD THEM; THEY TOLD US TO CLB TO 11000 FT; THEN TOLD US TO MAINTAIN OUR PRESENT ALT INSTEAD. PAP TWR EXPLAINED WE WERE CLRED TO GANIV INTXN VIA ETBOD; THEN TO PAP VOR. THEY WANTED US TO MAINTAIN 11000 FT UNTIL XING PAP VOR. POOR RADIO QUALITY AND LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT. BOTH THE CAPT AND I ARE VERY EXPERIENCED FLYING TO MTPP ARPT. THIS IS A MOUNTAINOUS AREA; YET PAP CTL; ARR AND TWR FREQUENTLY CHANGE ARR INSTRUCTIONS; WITH NO CONCERN FOR THE FLC. ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IS THE LACK OF TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION ON THE ARR PAGE. INSTEAD; THE PAGE IS CLUTTERED WITH RESTRS AND INFO THAT ARE HARD TO DISCERN. IN THE FUTURE; TO PREVENT ANY CONFUSION; I PLAN ON INFORMING WHATEVER CTLR I'M TALKING TO OF ALL ALT AND COURSE CHANGES.