A bump in the road- January 20

January 20

We hit a slight bump in the road on trip to Haiti, but we made it! Read on....

Well the adventure has proven to be eventful in just the 2 days since we departed from Minneapolis. Twenty-six hours after we left Minneapolis we arrived in Port au Prince, Haiti. Needles s to say it was a long trip.

The delay occurred in Miami. We boarded our 2:00 p.m. flight to Haiti, only to sit on the plane for two hours due to a luggage issue (luggage checked-in on the plane, but no matching passenger) and then a mechanical problem in the cockpit (lights out, which I guess would be critical). So they tried to fix the problem, but to no avail. Thus we were all taken off the plane and told they were calling for another plane. Thirty minutes later we were told no plane and that we would be staying in Miami for the night. After standing in line for two plus hours we ended getting booked for the outbound flight at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning. We took our food, shuttle and hotel vouchers and off we went in the Super Shuttle to the Miccosukee Resort and Casino.

It was 9 p.m. when we got the hotel, which as someone put it…”This is like a scene from a bad movie” and “I feel like Alice in Wonderland”. We weren’t quite sure why we ended up 20 miles from the airport, in a casino, oh and by the way we were going to have to catch the 3:30 a.m. shuttle back to the airport. Most people turned in early, with the exception of Rick and Bob who enjoyed a little Cuban music and dancing (Rick wanted me to clarify, they weren't dancing with each other)

Well 3:30 came early. No one was looking bright eyed this morning, but we were off to the airport. We were so early that we couldn’t even get through security until 4:30 a.m., but we were first in line (to look on the bright side). Well we did depart from Miami as scheduled and arrived in Haiti at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning.

All of our supplies arrived safely and we navigated through customs and the airport crowds without too many problems. The only issue is that we are trying to push the luggage carts stacked with three bags and/or bins across streets with numerous pot holes. We had a few mishaps during this process, but finally got there.

We made it to the guest house. Set up our rooms and had a bite to eat. We then went to do a little shopping and bartering with some local vendors. On the way back to the guest house there was complete silence in the van. I guess everyone finally hit the wall at about 4:00 p.m.

Steve, David (joining us from Wheels for Humanity/United Cerebral Palsy), Alanzo (joining us from Mexico) and Miriam (joining us from Dominican Republic) arrived Saturday afternoon as well. We had dinner and then headed to the pool (Yes, we have a pool which seems kind of crazy) for a quick dip. Most people were off to bed early.

Today we welcomed Richard and Bill and Mel are on there way too. We have unpacked and sorted through the supplies and will be doing a little more resting by the pool. Tonight we will head to the Montana for dinner. Oh, and yes we are helping Amy celebrate her birthday today as well. It’s a big birthday for her, so last night we decorated the dining room and this morning she was wearing her tiara and boa as the birthday girl. Happy Birthday Amy!!

Some things I have noted thus far, there appears to be some improvements in the landscape (not seeing as much trash/garbage or abandoned cars along the road ways, also more green vegetation). One thing that hasn’t changed… the barking dogs and crowing roosters which seems to go on all night long.