Maiden Voyage

As I write this it is after 9:00 Thursday night. We just got back from picking up Robert, our engineer team member from Port au Prince. Denise drove the part from here to Gonaives and same on the return trip. I did all the driving to, from and in Port au Prince. You would not believe what it is like. Nobody pays attention to any of the few traffic lights, no passing zones, lanes, stop signs, speed limits etc. The horn is one of the most essential parts of your vehicle.  Many vehicles do not have working lights. Motos are a law unto themselves.

We had our first flat tire right after we picked up Robert and stayed behind schedule the rest of the day. As a side note: the jack that came with our brand new Toyota Landcruiser, does not lift high enough to change a tire. We resorted to shimming the jack and blocking the frame with assorted rocks and blocks.

By the time we left and outside of Port au Prince it started getting dark. I have never driven is such scary conditions before in my life. Trucks and buses where driving far too fast, some with only partial lights so you could not tell where or what they were. There were people and motos on the side of the road, many of the motos did not have lights so I could not see them unless I used my bright lights. TapTaps stopped to pick up and drop off passengers, blocking my lane. Few of these had tail lights, so I could not see them until I was right on top of them. Several times someone would pass a car coming towards me and I would have to swerve and flash my bights at the same time to see if I was going to hit anyone on the side of the road. Most of the time the oncoming traffic had their bright lights on and I could barely see.

It took us more than three hours to go less than 100 miles. When drove through towns, I would slow down, but buses and trucks did not. Most of the towns still had people jammed in the streets. Some still had their open air markets open. I do not know how people survive.

We had the back of the truck full of Roberts suitcases and groceries we picked up for the sisters, another friend and ourselves. We covered it with a sheet and put rocks on the sheet to keep it from blowing away so that people could not see what we had. It is not uncommon for people to steal stuff out of the back of a truck when you slow down in traffic. Johnny was navigating for me and in one town; I misunderstood him and was caught behind a stalled bus. He got out and directed me up on the sidewalk, through some market stalls and through a moto stand. I am talking about clearing maybe an inch on each side, with people pressing in. He had to physically move things for me to get through.

I did pick up a heavy duty tarp from a street vendor in Port au Prince, I think it is from re-purposed  billboard material. He told me it was a \”large\”.  I certainly hope so; it is for a shade/shelter on the roof for where Denise does her laundry. It was 1,500 gourdes, about 33 bucks. Not bad if it is a \”large\”. After I bought it he offered me a 9×9 micro thin for 500 gourds. Sorry to break his heart. It wouldn\’t have lasted as long as the sheet we used to cover the back of the truck. Even though when we got back, the rocks we put on the sheet had rubbed holes in the sheet. Well what do you expect, this is Haiti.

1. It is Friday morning. I just heard that the strike resumed in the area around the government buildings and burned a couple of government vehicles. The organizers of the strike want the price of fuel are demanding the price be dropped by 100 gourdes, ($2.15), to a price of $2.60. So far the price  has  been dropped by 20 gourdes.  They are threatening to continue the strike into Carnival to disrupt it. Carnival begins February 15^th. The organizers are trying to get all of the sections of Haiti involved.

We will not be traveling until we are sure that things are really over.

PSS. It is now Friday evening. One of the Doctors from the hospital here in Gros Morne was shot through his windshield and killed today in Port au Prince; news was he was caught in the demonstrations.  While this is extremely disconcerting, I do wonder; how many drive by shootings happened in the US today? How many managed to get in the news? I think we in the first world are in denial about who we are.

Peace be with all of you, and all of the people here. Please let us all pray for each other.

Bob