Travel in Haiti

Travel in Haiti is unpredictable and often times unusual you never know how you might travel. The other day we waited for Tigo to show up with the truck to ride down to Jacmel to clean out the Art Gallery. After waiting a little over an hour for the truck to come, it arrived very full and we wondered where we would sit, since there was three of us. The truck already had 16 people, 14 goats, 6 large bunches of bananas (the way they hang off the tree not the little bunch you buy in the store), and at least 6 large bags of produce of different sorts about double the size of the large charcoal sacks in the United States. All this was in Tigo’s little Toyota pick-up truck. I was ready to ride up on top of the cab with two other people there, there is a rack you can sit on; but a woman in the cab gave up her seat for me. I was grateful but I have rode up on the top of that rack before. You never know what will be carried on a truck. This is a picture of a truck we passed by when I was driving through Port-au-Prince last week.
Other unusual travel, the other day we went down to Jacmel on the motorcycle we almost always travel with 3 people on a motorcycle and I have seen as many as 6 people (some children) on a motorcycle before. But as we were down at the Texaco getting our internet a huge storm rolled in. The sky was dark grey, the wind was blowing and it was pouring down rain. I was already making plans in my head to stay at the gallery down in Jacmel but the guys were definitely ready to head up the mountain. I was out voted. When the rain let up a bit, we packed up our things and walked out the door only to find the rain had picked back up again. As my heart raced, I thought about going up that slippery mountain on the motorcycle getting drenched in the rain. Then Kenson (our driver and friend) pointed out that, the ambulance in front of us were going to Bainet which is about twice the distance. I thought about it and Lee and Kenson encouraged me. The next thing you know I was tapping on the window of the vehicle. Excuse me sir I said, Do you think you could give us a ride up the mountain to Mizak. He asked me some questions back, how many people, where are you going again, then, he said he wasn’t sure his boss would agree. Finally I asked, “Aren’t you here to help people? Well, I need help.” Finally he agreed. He said we could look in the back for where we could sit. There was just a little bench back there and a girnie. We all squeezed on the little bench. I was so grateful when we got to the river and saw the water rushing over the road. There is no way we would have crossed on the motorcycle. We would have had to turn back to Jacmel having already been soaked. I gave a little ‘mesi’ to God; especially after crossing the river and seeing all the streams of water coming down the road making its own rivers, washing rocks away in the process. I was so relieved to be finally be home safe and sound.