Haiti Delivers

There is a saying, “In Haiti, anything is possible.” Only those who visit will grasp the full nuance. Haiti can overwhelm you emotionally and spiritually, but if you are looking for a pure adrenaline rush, you can find that too.

You never know what to expect when you hop on the back of a moto. The most cynical will say you have a death wish, but for the open-minded it’s yet another way to get “intimate” with the culture.

Brother Res introduced me to moto-riding during my first visit with a ten-second narration, “Okay Man, always straddle it from the left, and for the ride you can either hold on to your driver’s shoulders, or grab the rack behind you.” In that brief moment I felt a sliver of confidence, he followed with a twinkle in his eye, “…but neither one is going to save you.”

Moto outings often beat any amusements such as the Alpengeist at Busch Gardens. On a recent ride we needed to cross town from our resident fishing village to the Matthew 25 senior care house. At the midpoint we ascended from an alley to the coast road which was inextricably snarled in gridlock. My driver’s strategy involved plunging into the small gap between a roaring 18-wheeler and a decrepit Datsun pickup who faced one another seemingly in a duel, and any aftermath now involved me.

We stopped there blocked by the vendor cart diagonally in front of us. The Mack truck’s air horn blared and it surged forward. Its bumper touched my left knee, the opposing Datsun’s bumper touched my right. The truck’s bulldog hood ornament glared inches above my left temple. I closed my eyes and lamented my now broken promise to my wife to “stay safe.” A few moments later the vendor pulled back her cart and we emerged through the other side.

I shot this video later on the same ride only when (by relative measure) all seemed better. 

Know you can visit Montrouis and never have to ride a moto, but if you want a story to tell your grandchildren, don’t pass it up.