SB Team Haiti has a blog!: The ride back to Port au Prince airport

When we arrived a week earlier, the ride to Mirebalais from Port au Prince took 45 minutes without traffic. It was quite a different trip back to the airport. We were picked up at 7:30 am for a flight that left at noon. We now know why they wanted to pick us up so early. The 45 minute drive took nearly 3 hours. We encountered the worst traffic jam probably just minutes from the airport and when our driver questioned other drivers making their way at a snail's pace headed in the opposite direction, we couldn't understand the replies but we understood the nods to the negative. Traffic jammed in one direction jams up traffic in both directions it seems. Two lanes turn into 6 going in all directions. Cars start using both lanes to get to where they need to go, even if headed in a different direction than the lane was intended for. So our driver proceeded to turn around and though it seemed like he was driving in a circle for a half hour or more, he took an alternate route that eventually led us to the airport.

A mild translation of the traffic jam. This was just prior to our turning into it then becoming one with it.

11 of us and all of our bags were crammed into one vehicle. It didn't have to be this way but we didn't want to use a second Partners in Health vehicle unnecessarily so we sent it back to the hospital. When Jason suggested that we send the 2nd vehicle back to the hospital, the group agreed. Everyone in this group was so flexible. It seemed the right thing to do, to make another contribution to a resource poor country. We would have tied up two vehicles for three hours unnecessarily. Zadok, Jason and Connor were stuffed into the back seat with Connor half off the seat. The heavy heap of luggage was resting against Zadok's head. Maggie covered her mouth and nose with a scarf, protected from the nauseating fumes from cars in front of us. Black exhaust poured out of cars and trucks in front of us. Mario was unable to sit back in his jump seat. They were troopers. No one complained. Not one complaint! I didn't hear "are we there yet?" even once.

We made our way at 15 - 20 mph (or less) down dirt roads with huge potholes, the noise from the undercarriage of the car was loud and nerve-wracking. Our driver drove around every obstacle, how ever he could. He was awesome! At one point I wondered if we were even going to make it. I didn't say anything but I worried that we were going to miss our flight. There are no real rules of the road. There are two lanes going in opposite directions however at traffic jams, the cars start going in any direction and even the police we passed don't stop to direct the chaos. There is no enforcement of rules here. What rules? It was such an adventure and so interesting. It was our last gift from Haiti and it didn't disappoint.

What?! How'd they get from Haiti to Waikiki so fast? Doesn't it look that way? Jason (he has the selfie smile down pat!), Patti, Mario and Connor at the beach in Fort Lauderdale during our layover on the way back to LAX. What a handsome group!