Sunday, December 5, 2010

Arrived at Base

Arrived late in Port au Prince after AA lost the maintenance log for the airplane. Usual melee at PAP airport as dozens of hustlers try to carry your bags hoping for a tip.


Arrived at base after a 20 mile, 2 hour ride and set up bug nets and get a good nights sleep. Sunday: day off. Great chance to unpack supplies and organize our baggage.




Special brunch provided in honor of International volunteers: French toast, syrup, real bacon, Bongu cheese (Clone of Vache qui Rit), two kinds of mango, fresh squeezed OJ, and an orange. Wow-- no rice and beans, no fish heads.

Walked downtown, changed money, toured the open market place. Had forgotten how forlorn this place is. The market is a large mud lot with stalls made from crooked sticks, tarps, and scarp tin. (Bangladesh and Indonesia are years ahead.)

Very little change here since the earthquake. Families still living in the dirt under tarps or in tents. People were bathing in a scummy ditch beside our street. Cholera will certainly get worse before its gets better.

We accidentally left our malaria meds at home. We were able to buy some more doxycycline in local store for $3 (...less than the co-pay at home) sans prescription.

We met lots of old friends here although many have left by now after spending many months volunteering. All Hands have been here almost a year. There are many improvements at the base: hi speed internet, movie screen, partitions around the bunk room.

Sunday night there was an impromptu talent contest at Joe's bar next door (Joe also owns the base that we are occupying). This was international and local volunteers and we had everything from a fiddler to juggling and "The Twelve Days of Xmas" with some specially adapted lyrics. Great fun. David even did his magic trick.


Off to work in the morning. The roosters will make sure we're up at five.

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