A day in the life: roadtrip to Dame Marie, part 1

Before I set out for Haiti in 2010 I was told that my particular destination, the town of Jeremie, was at the end of the road. Forgotten by Father Time, Jeremie -- the City of Poets -- had long since been forgotten by the world. But at the particular point in my life, some quiet would be good for me. I intended to do -- and did -- some online studying.

So the end of the road suited me just fine.

But as with much of life, when you think you're achieving a particular goal... you soon realize that there's so much more of life out in front of you.

Such was the case with Jeremie.

As it turned out, I wasn't living at the end of the road by any means. But what lay beyond was definitely "less traveled by." And anyone who knows me, knows I live by Bob's advice. So how could I refuse the offer I was given last week?

Sure, the pickup was standing room only. But the flatbed had enough space to plant at least three human feet. It was at least a square foot of open space. And betwixt the bed and the cab, there was even a grill! I had something to hold. The pickup's pearl white grill. If I was lucky and held on tight, I wouldn't be meeting The Pearly Gates...

I got picked up around 7am and figured at that time, it would be relatively easy to get outta Dodge. I was wrong:

Mardi Gras was fast approaching. It was only a week before Weekend Gras. And the peeps were already out in force... even at 7am!

But we were soon on our way to the town of Dame Marie and headed into the mountains:This stop was after about two hours. We were 2/3 of the way there and had just passed the last town, Chambellan, before the big mountains started.
This equine may appear to be stranded, but that's not the case. Although there weren't any multi-lane highways around... rest assured... there are people everywhere.Generally unknown to Americans, Haitians have their own version of the interstate highway system

Although my hands were getting a bit sore from riding flatbed, I was having a great time:I have no idea what kind of flower this is, but I thought they were beautiful:Anyone happen to know what kind of flower it is?

Tim White