Real Haitians wear white, I cannot

I took a picture of this dog last year and was surprised to see it again this year.  I saw him and recognized him but didn't have my camera to take a picture.  Finally, today I saw him and took his picture.  I didn't think the shelf life for a Haitian animal is that long.

Last March

Iron market

This April

I saw my first hummingbird here in Haiti.  Actually I saw a few of them.  Another pleasant surprise.  We hired Son (Sp) and his tap tap to head down to the iron market.  I was in disbelief on how quick we made it down there.  Usually it's hours on end but today it was quick in regards to  Haitian standards. 

I love the iron market.  It's a very unusual place where I can get my fix of all things voodoo.  The stuff intrigues me to no end.  I'm not into voodoo but it's so artsy I can't help myself.  There's so much Catholic influence built in, it almost seems sacrilegious.  A guy was trying to talk me into buying a little, oh say 2-3 ft. tall statue of a voodoo doll made with a human skull.  "Oh, you can bring it on the plane" he tells me.  Yeah ok,  I want to be labeled as Hannibal Lector's daughter bringing home an intact human skull.  The he tries to convince me to ship it DHL.  No can do I tell him.  "Well you can ship them if you live in Canada.  Ok but I don't so I'll have to take a pass this time.  He seemed a little put out.  The statue/figurine looked like Tattoo from Fantasy Island.  Honestly some of it was really cool and other stuff kind of creeped me out knowing that there are human body parts involved.  I'll post pics of that later.  We wrapped it up, paid our pseudo body guards and off we went to lunch.



I have noticed since last spring that they are clearing out the old section of Port au Prince that was really hit hard by the earthquake.  It's all by hand so it's slow but it is progress.  I've seen lots of subtle improvements which is a good thing.

We went to lunch and I had goat creole with plantains.  It was very good as was the cold Prestige I was enjoying.  It took forever to order, forever, to get food, forever to get the bill.  Everything here seems to take forever.  We gave our driver some money to go get lunch and take a load off.  So finally after we settled up the bill, we decided we would walk down the street and head into the Star 2000 grocery store on Delmas.  We told our friend Oriol to have the tap tap meet us there.  We go hiking down the busy street, check our backpacks and head into the store.  We bought a mop, broom and dustpan.  I bought a big bag of puppy food for Life and another new puppy I called "After Life".   After Life is a little girl, Life is a little boy, this will be bad down the road.  After Life looked a little mangy so I bought some puppy shampoo too.   I know people were looking at me like the freak of nature I am.  I'm buying dog food and people are starving.  Again, I like animals more than most people.

I forgot to buy some roadies for me and Oriol and I went and grabbed those bad boys out of the cooler.  The sort of good thing in Haiti is that it's so hot, I can suck down beer and not really have to pee because I'm sweating my butt off.  You can never get enough water to drink here, just ask the people who live here.  We finish our purchases and go to the parking lot to meet our ride and they are not there.  So we wait and wait.  I crack open my beer, chuckle about buying dog food in a country of starving people.  Finally, Jamie's phone rings and it was Oriol,  apparently they went to the Delmas 2000 kind of across the street.  I don't know, Delmas 2000, Star 2000, you think they could spread them out a little farther down the street.  It drives Oriol crazy that we crossed the street in the first place like playing a virtual Frogger.  This is the only time I am thankful for Haitian traffic because it's easier to cross.

We've been having the hardest time posting pictures.  I've waited over 20 minutes for just one.  It's maddening!  I'm aging minute by minute wasting my life away sitting in front of a computer.  It's like carrier pigeons of the Internet world delivering messages.  Needless to say, pictures will sadly have to wait.

We were supposed to head up to the tin market but about an hours worth plus of literally bumper traffic, we scrapped the idea.  Besides, I had about enough dust, smog and diesel fumes to last a lifetime.  I was perpetually dopey...more than usual.  I felt the thick coating of dirt and dust and who knows what else.  It kills me that Haitian can get away wearing white and I wear it for a half hour and it's filthy.  I don't know how they do it.
The UN was out in a full force caravan and they were giving us the look of crazy fools.  I'm sure we were the only white chicks around for miles and miles.  I'll have pics of that whenever as well.

Tomorrow morning we are walking to Chedner's to drop off the stuff we bought him as well as some surplus money for the orphanage.  It should be fun carrying the bad of dog food for a mile through the hood.  I'm also looking for the perfect tee shirt to buy off some sap's back.  I found a few ones I wish I would have got so tomorrow I am going to be on the lookout.  Now mind you,  I won't be wearing it until it gets washed.  Ok,  I'm technology drained from lack of cooperation by the Internet.  I'm tapping out.