Ice Age

I'm a bit behind in my blogging. I was so busy all week that I decided to try to go the whole weekend without turning on my computer. It worked pretty well. Last Friday Al and I drove to the warehouses where our 380 wheelchairs are stored to bring some back. The van held 8 which is quite far to go for only 8. But storage is still a bit of an issue. At any rate the warehouse is in a huge complex owned by 2 brothers. In one building they make these big chunks of ice. A large vat holds metal cylinders that are filled with fresh water. The vats are surrounded by a chemical water of salt and ammonia to freeze the containers of ice. They are hauled out and loaded into trucks to deliver to the city. Driving around the city, you might see someone pushing a very rickety cart on wheels that look like they are going in 4 different directions and ready to wobble off on every bump and rubble they hit. The carts carry a wrapped hunk of ice and is surrounded by grimy looking bottles filled with different colors of liquid. These are the snow cone vendors. They will shave off some ice and cover it with your choice of color- I wouldn't presume to guess if they are flavored syrup but would think it is. I've not been brave enough to try it.

At this large warehouse complex they also 'package' water in 12 ounce size plastic bags. They are heat sealed 'culligan' water. These I drink all the time. You can buy 3 for 5 goudes which is roughly 12 cents worth. You just bite off the corner of the bag and drink. Its usually very cold and refreshing- Usually, as we are driving down the street, and stopped in traffic the water vendor walks by shouting dlo dlo dlo dlo really fast. Sitting in traffic is when it is most refreshing. Anyway, the machines weren't running while we were there but you could view through the window to see how they worked. Several guys were filling up gunnysack sized bags and loading them on to a truck.

On Saturday, we went shopping again - Deb, Al and I. I drove to Al's house again...a little practice never hurts. I think Jorel likes being chauffeured around. Anyway, after that he drove while we directed him.
one stop was Men Nou, an artisans shop with large variety. This haunting earthquake painting is on the wall. Probably not what you'd put in your house as it would be hard to look at daily. It is a beautiful piece of art and one of the best earthquake renditions we've seen. Its on color is the Haitian flag 'weeping'.

Some of the earthquake paintings depict ambulances picking up people among broken houses or more graphically heads laying in the streets. I'm not such a fan of these.

Anyway on Saturday, I bought some large pots to put plants in and oh we visited that brand new Giants supermarket that just opened last Monday. They had large packages of fresh ravioli, a huge cheese selection, caviar, and many other unexpected items. Its 2 stories with an elevator to the second floor. Its quite fun to discover these places. We found an antique store to rummage through. Next week I will buy a BBQ grill and more pots to put by the pool. Dr Moise will give me some Jasmine to put into the pots. I'm still looking for some comfortable chairs for the pool and patio.

Saturday night I drove to Munchees to meet Al, Deb and Dominique- we considered it an unofficial Working Group meeting. Unfortunately, no one else was able to come. Oh well, the guy guarding the van washed it while we were meeting.

Sunday was spent relaxing in the pool until I had to pick up someone at the airport. On the way, we had a rainstorm that filled the streets with rushing water in each low spot. It stopped by the time we got to the airport and on the way back, water that reached the bumper was all gone.

Never fails to amaze me how much water in such a short time disappears so rapidly.

Til next time, maybe I will be brave enough to try a snow cone.