We made it! The entire crew is now in Deslandes. We have had
varying degrees of stomache woes, so hopefully now that we’re stationed here,
there will be less issues with sanitation.
Our ride was about an hour late this morning due to the gas
shortage- during this shortage, gas is being sold for 80 Haitian dollars/litre,
which translates to 400 gourdes, or roughly $10 American- how the heck can
anyone afford to drive here? I have yet to understand where Haitians get money
from, how they actually survive. Andy & I asked Samuel the other night, and
after lots of speculation, he said, ‘I don’t know where the hell they get their
money from either- it’s a mystery’. So strange!
We stopped at a beach- Ospri had told our driver to go to a
private beach (thinking that we would prefer it), but we all balked at the
$15/person entry fee- and went instead to a public beach next door, for
$1/person- much more reasonable. And real. There were vendors in our faces
selling their wares, and the crew ate some beach food, we drank prestige, and
swam in the ocean. It was nice- but oddly enough, shortly after getting there,
it got quite cloudy & breezy- almost chilly- the coolest I’ve ever felt it
here!
A brief stop at a grocery store in St. Marc, then off to
Verrettes where Ospri & his accountant & I met to have a quick business
meeting.
We drove as far in as we could, and then were ferried across
the river in the boat (after watching our luggage go, and dearly hoping that it
didn’t get wet, or tip over!). At some point along the route, we had to get out
of the boat to walk the rest of the way, as the water was too shallow for the
boat to pass.
We weren’t expecting to have to hike in with our packs- the
initial idea was to have the packs driven directly in (the long, long bumpy way
in), but in the end, that didn’t happen, I love hiking into Deslandes carrying
my belongings with me- it felt
good after being cooped up within the walls of the Grassroots Compound.
It is truly beautiful here- on the trip here, I was trying
to see Haiti through the eyes of my newcomers, trying to point out little
things I had observed, and once we got to the river, drinking in the beauty of
this area anew. It’s in such contrast to the dirty city.
Benitta made a beautiful meal for us- picklese (cabbage
salad with some heat), fried chicken, fried plantain, potatoes &
breadplant an eggplant dish, and a
gigantic plate of spaghetti. We were well taken care of, and received a warm
welcome from everyone. They are doing a great job of trying to host our group-
this is the first time the community has received paying guests, and they want
to do it up proper.
The generator hums in the background- they wanted extra
power to be able to light up the courtyard to allow my guys to set up their
tents. I think they’re going to love being here- the rhythm is relaxed, and
people are friendly.
Bedtime, at 9:16pm!
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