My first glimpse of Haiti was filled with excitement and curiosity. The water was the clearest blue with patches of very barren land. It looked like swirls of sand going in different directions. The closer we got to Port Au Prince, the more I could see the masses of houses built so close together and stretched all the way up into the mountains. There were a lot of areas where I could see the bare foundation of homes. Not really a floor but the outline of rooms to what looked to be a start of a home or the ruins of the last hurricane. The most obvious thing I noticed in the outlying areas was the lack of vehicles on the roads. There were mostly bicycles, motorbikes and lots of people walking. We finally arrived at the PAP airport and I was given plenty of warnings from the group (from a North Carolina church - write more later on that) to stay close and don't let the Haitians take your bags. (They weren't going to steal them, just put them on a cart and assist so they could make some money). We weren't out the main door for even a minute when a one-armed man tried to wrestle my cart away from me. Fortunately I had plenty of help to get them back.
Lucner and St. Victor were there to greet me and we were finally on our way....so to speak. It was still another six hours to our destination. I had been told that Port Au Prince is a crazy city and that the road conditions everywhere were horrible. All I can say at this point is that A. J. Foyt would have been highly impressed with our driver. He drove an average speed of about 70 mph on a very narrow street with serious pot holes, other vehicles and tons of people. I was so amazed that there were no fatalities during our entire trip and have been told that it is very rare. The Haitians actually have a system that only they understand. There is a tremendous amount of honking and beeping coming from every direction for each and every oncoming or passing vehicle and there is definitely a ranking system of some sort. (In Texas that would be considered extreme road-rage). Pedestrians are the ones who have to be the most cautious. When we got out on the open roads where it was paved for a half mile or so, our driver would push the speed up to about 80 or 90. Never mind the livestock and other people on foot. (Never mind the engine, for that matter). Sure was hard to soak up the scenery with things just whizzing by and holding on for dear life with the deep holes and the nearly tipping over and having to remember when to raise and lower the windows to keep out dust or let the cool air back in. Lots to do for a six hour trip. I will have to continue this on the next writings. Love to all!
Lucner and St. Victor were there to greet me and we were finally on our way....so to speak. It was still another six hours to our destination. I had been told that Port Au Prince is a crazy city and that the road conditions everywhere were horrible. All I can say at this point is that A. J. Foyt would have been highly impressed with our driver. He drove an average speed of about 70 mph on a very narrow street with serious pot holes, other vehicles and tons of people. I was so amazed that there were no fatalities during our entire trip and have been told that it is very rare. The Haitians actually have a system that only they understand. There is a tremendous amount of honking and beeping coming from every direction for each and every oncoming or passing vehicle and there is definitely a ranking system of some sort. (In Texas that would be considered extreme road-rage). Pedestrians are the ones who have to be the most cautious. When we got out on the open roads where it was paved for a half mile or so, our driver would push the speed up to about 80 or 90. Never mind the livestock and other people on foot. (Never mind the engine, for that matter). Sure was hard to soak up the scenery with things just whizzing by and holding on for dear life with the deep holes and the nearly tipping over and having to remember when to raise and lower the windows to keep out dust or let the cool air back in. Lots to do for a six hour trip. I will have to continue this on the next writings. Love to all!
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