Shake, Rattle, and Roll

Today's grand adventure was a trip out to the Baptist Mission in the mountains above Port-au-Prince. Despite it being a Saturday morning, traffic and people abounded. We learned a new meaning of "bumper to bumper." NoVA traffic has nothing on Haitian traffic! We had about 100 close calls and gained a deep appreciation for Pastor Bollinger's driving skills.

At about 2700 feet, we stopped at an area known as the "Overlook" which featured a majestic view of greater Port-au-PRince stretching from the narrow part of the Bay of Gonaives in the west to the nearer of the two Haitian lakes bordering the Dominican Republic in the east. Pastor Bollinger gave us a visual tour of Port-au-Prince from a birds-eye view showing us the presidential palace, the National Cementary, the National Cathedral, and the national soccer stadium. We also saw Port-au-Prince's sole airport with its 10,000 foot long runway cutting a large swath through the heart of the urban sprawl. He also pointed out City de Soleil, the worst of Haiti's slum on the coast.

The overlook also featured our first encounter with some of Haiti's first merchants and their very assertive sale techniques. Greer made friends very quickly. We were offered many "sweet" deals. They threatened to turn sour if we neglected them. They continued to offer good bargains as they clung to the truck as we began to drive away.

Leaving the overlook, we continued our exciting adventure in Haiti's version of "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride." (Look up Disneyland if you don't know what that is.) The roads were mostly paved. The paved roads were mostly pot-holed. Many of our crew quickly discerned that standing up was much better than sitting down. Jim applied his down-hill ski technique to riding in the back of the truck. Those "lucky souls" who rode in the cab got a smoother ride but were unable to look away from oncoming traffic. Sarah banged her head once or twice which may effect her leg-wrestling skills.

Arriving at the Baptist Mission, we promptly disembarked and headed to the bathroom and then the snack bar. The snack bar offered many fine food choices including one sandwich named "The Tourist" which was American cheese and ham. There was also an "internationally famous" grilled ham and cheese on home-made wheat bread. The wheat bread was excellent. Pastor Campbell ordered a "Santo Domingo" and got a "Havana." See him for more details. We toured the facilities at the Baptist Mission which included a large gift shop, bakery, clinic, and classrooms. The mission also had its own zoo. The zoo could fit inside St. John's upper parking lot. It featured a monkey, a crocodile, an iguana, a boa constrictor, a number of apathetic peacocks, and more rabbits than the rest of the animals in the zoo combined. The local museum was apparently curated in a distinctly Haitian style --- which is to say that organization was not its strong suit. It included displays on political history, world currency, local wildlife, voodoo, artifacts from the colonial era, local arts, and a suitcase wrapped in misprinted Maxwell House coffee cans. More merchants congregated outside the entrance to the Baptist Mission and were more than glad to offer their wares in assertive fashion. Michelle is the person to have with you if you need to drive a bargain!

Pastor Bollinger then took us on a surprise visit to Fort Jacques. As we learned from our impromptu yet well-informed Haitian tour guide, Fort Jacques was built following the liberation of Haiti in 1804 in an effort to keep the French from retaking the country. The fort is at the top of one of the tallest mountains surrounding Port-au-Prince. Our guide gave Paul an "authentic" cannon ball to carry around for most of the tour. The guide told us the cannon ball would be shot out of the cannon and then roll down the street. (The fort, ironically, was designed by French engineers.) The fort is now a popular cultural site. We engaged with many locals while visiting the fort.

The ride down the mountain was no less exciting than the ride up. We ended the day with a trip to the supermarket. On our way there, we encountered a Haitian funeral procession complete with a marching band, hearse covered with flowers, and many people walking along side.

More to come tomorrow....