TIH (This is Haiti) - Containers

Yesterday Kyrk asked me if I wanted to go down to Port-au-Prince with Willy to load up some containers that were sent to us by a gentleman in the States. Since I was working on repairing the new blue Isuzu’s cage and that’s the vehicle that was going, I said that I would go along. When we left, I asked how long and Kyrk said about two hours. Usually when any time is given you usually add on a range of at least 100% more - this went beyond my expectations.

We called and asked if they had a forklift ready for the unloading and they said that they did. Well, TIH, they did not have a forklift when we arrived. So after a while of figuring out how to fit the stuff on the truck and after talking to Kyrk on the phone, we determined that we would send the old Canter as well because all of the containers would not fit on the new one. We managed to barely push and fit two containers on the blue truck by driving it next to the semi-trailer and lifting the dump a little. We didn’t have very many tools, but thank God that in one of the containers that we knew we had to break apart we had a basic tool set of a hammer, adjustable wrench, and pliers. We had to take part of the cage off the blue truck to get the container to slide on. As difficult as that was, that was the easy part.

When Rogin came with the old Canter we started to break apart the container. They were all screwed together and it took a lot of effort and time to just unscrew the containers. Then we had to empty them and then load them into the trucks. We used the wood from the containers/crates as sides to the trucks so we could pile in the stuff. It was the most difficult work that I have had here yet. Packing the food bags was a steady work over many days, but this was heavy, difficult work in poor conditions. It was is in the heat of the day in Port and I, personally, am not used to working so hard in the heat with very little shade (I like our mountain air conditioning where we live). We bought filtered water in little 8-10 oz. plastic bags to survive while we worked.

On the way back, we hit a major traffic jam and with about a half hour left in the trip it started to rain and we didn’t have tarps to cover anything up. When we got here we had to unload everything. I got in the truck to unload since I knew where things were and lifted them out to a chain of people putting them inside a building.

I ate a tiny breakfast yesterday morning and that didn’t help me with energy. We left at around 10am and did not get back until 6pm. It was quiet an adventure and today I am sore! At least it got my thoughts off of customs...which we continue to sort out in our brains whether or not to bother having anything sent here. This container deal that we loaded up seems like the ticket – as long as it may take by boat, customs seems to let the stuff slide by better and faster – the boxes in the container were not even opened. If you wanted to get ANYTHING in, that would be the way to do it. My fingers hurt so I am done typing.