the weekend :)sorry for the wait on this one

i sit and listen to the ocean, a fountain, crickets and lizards. Rain gently falls. what a journey.  After much thought and trying to plan, i decided to 

the 'cove' right at our hotel

enjoying the beach

take the journey with 7 others from EDV and 4 from Grass roots to Jacmel.  We left our house in PAP at about 615, a shocking 15 mins after we where scheduled to.  i now sit here, Jacmel, at midnight. i believe we got here a bit after 11. that is MUCH too long, but we got lost... or rather i should say our driver got lost.  It really was an eventful many hours. Leaving PAP was busy, and hot, and some new sights for me. Passing though some sights that are now forever in my mind. Young children out in the dark just watching traffic and the activities of a friday night. hundreds of people filling the streets, women selling food and goods in the streets by candle light. burning trash, and piles and piles of garbage.  the worst of all, was a dead body and a mangled motor bike under a semi truck.  these and many more i can not remove from my mind, and at the same time i don’t want to.  sometime along our journey i also received a vomit spray shower all down my right side... that is what you get when the guy in-front of you is sick and pukes out the window while we speed down the bumpy roads. 

so Now i sit... with calmness and peace around me... but know what is going on “out there”. so i sit in a state of “surrealness”   

---reflection on weekend---(spent sometime away from my computer)

place that we had dinner, this is the next day. i did not take my camera out that night. we had a large table in the same location that the man on the right is sitting

Saturday i woke to a beautiful cove... ocean, beauty!  i feel blessed to have this rest mid trip, and to see the island, but i have many moments of mixed feelings. Saturday was bonding day. I hung out with my 2 roomates for the weekend. We had breakfast, we hung out on the beach, we played cards, we chatted, we laughed, we bonded. this is what i was waiting for.  ON the late side on saturday night we all headed out for dinner. this was a high light of my life. we doubled up and jumped on Motos.... ok i could not wipe the silly grin off my face! what a highlight! Vicki, who was between the driver and my self turned back and had the SAME silly grin on her face, haha. We shared such a cool moment. OH to be clear... a Moto is a motorbike, but kinda a scooter... kinda in between.  The streets in Jacmel are flatter then most places i have been here, and calm, and not full of pot holes. this made is all the more enjoyable. Dinner was just another cool experience. OH as Vicki and Jade(my weekend room mates) call these moments or experiences  MINI ADVENTURES. i guess it is a thing from UK TV. from the Austin Mini commercials...  the night on the town was interesting. it is a very beautiful city....many buildings that have been marked as historic. I had decided i did not want my camera along that night... so i dont have anything to show for it. BUT on that note, Vicki and i went out with Paul(from previous blog, possibly name not mentioned) and he took us for a tour and i got lot of photos! 

14 of us in the van home. this is the back half.

Front half missing a few still

Broken.... over heated....eek... now to find water

Our return trip from Jacmel even more eventful then the trip there believe it or not. It started out with a break down, on a 
steep up hill, on the side of a mountain. Locals started to surround, as well and the fog and darkness. We managed to get back on the road after cooling off the engine with some hard to find water. but THIS was only the beginning.... we broke down.... 3 MORE TIMES! and between the pile of Blancs on the side of the road and the insane activity in PAP and surrounding areas it was not dull... that is for sure. the Ra RA bands where out in full force. We often found out van surrounded and being stammed on by passing hands. They dancers, musicians and walkers getting further then we where in the van.   Some people in the van had interesting things to say, but i knew what i needed to do. Pray. At this point, it was Protection over the van and people in it, regardless of weather i agreed with their views on it all.  We made it back, LATE, and just as we hit the few blocks before the airport we experienced the final trial. RAIN, and FLOODS, rivers in the streets. Water was splashing up into our half open, half closed pexi glass windows and splashing on our feet through the holey floor of the van. We made our way, and arrived.  I was feeling rather ill at this point, and was happy to be ‘home’. i thought just that... which i found interesting since i had only had one night there, and it was not the best night of my life. 

So i find my self settling in. 

I am sure i have missed many details and stories from weekend, but i will share them as i think of them :)

sorry... MORE photos to come. they take TOO long to upload.