There is Nothing Like a Road Trip!

Bruce Springsteen, “London Calling” – Hyde Park – London – 2009

Someday I’ll walk outta here again, but now I’m trapped!!

Living on the HATS orphanage compound for an extended period, there are days I feel like these Bruce lyrics. Walking around the compound helps, getting outside the gates to stroll along the canal is better, BUT there is nothing like a road trip to St. Marc or Port au Prince to change one’s outlook.

St. Marc is 30 kms away and the drive takes 30 – 45 minutes. St. Marc is a city of about 160,000 people and is the largest city between the capital of Port au Prince in the south and Cap-Haïtien in the north.

St. Marc

Today’s objective was the bank to get a bag of cash to do the end of the month payroll. And I mean a bag; we had a stack of Gouds like a loaf of bread.

Driving in Haiti is an experience that is difficult to describe. It seems like there are people, and cars, and trucks and motorcycles and potholes and speed bumps and animals everywhere. Everyone wants to be in your piece of territory. Of course there is the shouting and horns as well. I love it.

Ladies out Twacking

 

St. Marc street corner. Motorcycles, students and sugar cane

 

I’ve moved many mattresses in my day but never in a wheel-barrow

Which bus holds more????

A Nissan?

 

Or a Toyota?

You have to be aggressive to get anywhere but at the same time drive defensively because you know not where the next threat is coming from. Taking pictures for the blog at the same time as I was negotiating the traffic was probably not one of my better ideas….. but we survived.

Taxi stand

 

Pont Sondé Market

 

Shoppers on the way home from the market

 “Electricity” – the HATS soap opera – update.
Luckner is STILL waiting for the installer’s quote before the work can start. The old Delco keeps chugging along. The new Wilson sits quietly alongside awaiting its turn. Paulto was able to work some magic on the 2 fridges and they are now working quite well again……. Stay tuned

~Keith