The Big Day Off

Today I woke up around 7am and I milled about for a while. I surfed the web a bit and then we got together a group of about 10-15 people to go to Jacksonville Beach. We all piled into a tap tap cab (a pickup truck that you ride in the back of) and headed off. The ride was uncomfortable because of the amount of people in the back. It was about a twenty minute ride. As we approached the beach, we passed a large estate that overlooks the water. It was almost completely collapsed. From the looks of the rubble, the place was probably pretty cool at one time, at least by Haitian standards.

The beach was covered with rocks and a dark brown sand. The water was a very light blue, and it was very nice to swim in. I took a dip for about ten minutes and then went to nap a bit on a big concrete block. We stayed for about an hour and then took a cab back. I was very hungry, so when we got back, I had an egg sandwich (egg, a healthy scoop of MSG, lettuce, onions, ketchup and hot sauce on a baguette) and a bottle of coke. I hung around the camp for a few hours. An Italian NGO came over to our camp for a game of basketball. I didn't play, but I did cook potatoes for the bbq afterwards. I didn't stay to eat because we went to a local restaurant to eat some conch. It wasn't much of a restaurant in terms of accomodations. It was essentially an open field with working generators and tents and some tables. The meal was not very impressive, but I did get to try conch. We took motorcylce taxis to and from the restaurant. Essentially, guys ride around the streets on motorcycles and you pay them for a ride. Me and another guy got on a motorbike and drove through what looked like people's backyards and open fields. There were cows and goats everywhere.

I'm back at the base right now facebook chatting with some folks. I've got a full day ahead of me tomorrow, although I am not quite sure what I'll be doing. I think I'd like to go back to the hospital site to work and catch up with Joseph. I look forward to the next post...