August 21
Traveled to Haiti today. It was, thankfully, an uneventful flight. The Port-au-Prince airport is always chaotic but I made it through. Someone from Mercy & Sharing was there to pick me up and provide transportation. My friend Mike, who is on this trip to stake out a December trip for a group of volunteers, was due to arrive about 2 1/2 hours later. I suggested we go to the Visa Lodge for lunch. It is a place where I have previously stayed. They advised me that there had been shootings in the area in the last day so we went to another hotel near to the airport. I asked about the shootings. No one seems to know whether they are criminal, political or random. They have almost become a fact of life.
When Mike arrived we set off for the resort we will stay at for two nights. We would have stayed at the Kaliko Resort because that is very close to the orphanage but they were totally booked up. Instead, we had to stay at the Indigo Resort which was further out. The Indigo was once a Club Med back when people weren’t afraid to visit Haiti. It is actually quite nice. Mike was relieved because he had never been to Haiti and was assuming the worst. The grounds are well kept, spacious, it is on the ocean with a very nice beach, it has a magnificent pool, a nice restaurant and adaquate rooms.
Tomorrow we visit the orphanage and begin to stake out the project.