Ile a Vache Doesn't Make it Easy to Leave

            Who wouldn't want to stay on a nice island with warm climate and nice beaches, but it was time for us to leave. Unfortunately for us, the island had different ideas and getting back to Port-au-Prince wasn't going to be so easy.

            The Abaka Bay resort that took us from the mainland to the island stilled owed us a boat ride back to the mainland, even though we spent the final night at Willem's house. It turns out Willem needed to leave earlier than us to go to the mainland for business purposes, so he took a different boat as we were schedule to take the Abaka Bay boat at 11am. Willem had a boy escort us to the trail from his house to the resort, and he picked the route that was both the shortest and the most physically taxing. We climbed up and up and up again, while carrying bags. As soon as we reached a highpoint, we would look up and see another hill to climb, and it would happen again and again. We just about finished the bottle of water we were going to use for the entire trip home in about only ten minutes. When we finally reached the highest of highpoints, we saw the resort just below us and it offered some magnificant views of the land, but overall wasn't worth the physical toll to get up there.

             We had scheduled to have the boat take us at 11am to catch the 12:30pm Transport Chic bus, which would have been more than enough time to get there and get a good seat. That was the last bus leaving Cayes for the day and I needed to be back the next day to catch my flight to America, therefore it would have been bad and expensive news to miss that flight. Plus, we were just about out of money, so if we missed the bus, we didn't know how we would be able sleep at Cayes or buy new bus tickets if no refunds were available. The ride to mainland by speedboat is only about fifteen minutes. We first sat at the resort outdoor bar to have juice and water to cool us down from the demanding walk to get there. We arrived a few minutes before 11am and were anticipating to leave soon after we finished our drinks. As 11am passed and it became 11:15am and then 11:20am, so we asked when are we going to leave, we needed to catch the 12:30pm bus. Then the person we made arrangements with gave us the great news that they didn't want to make multiple trips with the boat, and were waiting for another group waiting to go to the mainland as well. To top it off, the other group first needed to eat lunch and then be ready to go.

             Something seemed wrong when she started yelling at the hotel staff in creole, and eventually I found out the trouble we were in. Luckily she had the idea of purchasing our return tickets in advance, otherwise there was no way we were going to be on time for that 12:30pm bus. Had the boat left at 11am, as we scheduled with them, the time it would've taken to drop us off at the mainland and return for the other group, would have been well before they were even done with their lunch. It was a case the Abaka Bay management didn't want to use up the any extra gas in the boat's tank. She called the bus company to inform them we'll likely be late and see if they could hold up the bus a little, but that was only going to last us so long. Around 12:06pm she asked one of the hotel staff to ask the group if they were done with lunch and ready to leave, fortunately they were. As we all rode together on the boat we explained the situation we were in and why we were in such a ruch. They were nice enough to offer us a ride back to Port-au-Prince in case we missed our bus and gave us their phone number, but our goal was still making the 12:30pm bus.

            The boat was getting closer and closer to the dock, and as soon as it seemed we'll be alright, the boat's engine cut off and we were stalled in the water. So close, yet so far away. It seemed as if everything was against us catching that bus. The driver eventually got the motor running again and we finished our way to the dock. The next challenge was finding a moto to drive us a few minutes to the bus station. There was one moto who was already about to take a lady, but after explaining our pressing time needs, she was nice enough to defer the bike ride to us. Once we reached the bus station I was happy to see the bus was still there. Just like on the way to Cayes, since we were late I had to take a cramped seat up front next to the driver. By the time the bus started moving the time was 12:45pm, so we got very lucky they held the bus up that long for us. On the road back there was quite alot of traffic caused by a UN truck that was smashed by another large truck apparently. The delays set us back about an hour, but it wasn't a concern as we were still going to make it back that night and I would be able to make my flight the next day.

            I guess my birthday gift to Ile a Vache included drama and action as well...

Getting an Island for My Birthday

            Well, I wish I was getting an island to own, but what I did get for my 30th birthday was a trip to an island off the southern coast of Haiti called Ile a Vache. In order to get there it required a motorcycle, a bus, another motorcycle, and finally a speed boat.

             Our bus was scheduled to leave at 10am, but in order to get a good seat we wanted to get there much earlier. Unfortunately, getting a motorcycle taxi(moto) was proving to be quite difficult, and even when we were able to call someone to pick us up, he was late. The bus company is named Transport Chic(eat your heart out Greyhound) and the estimated ride was scheduled for five hours. We still got there well before 10am, but many others were also already there, so we had to settle for cramped seats up front next to the driver. With Transport Chic, if the bus is filled up before its scheduled departure time, its goes early then, so actually it left around 9am. The journey took us out of the crowded and messiness of Port-au-Prince to the southern countryside of Haiti which features mountains, hills, plains, coastlines, horses, and donkeys. The further south we went the more people there were on the side of the road using donkeys to carry goods or riding horses to travel. The bus did have an air conditioner system, thankfully, but in order to conserve the engine, each time the bus had to slowly crawl up a mountainous road, the strain on the bus made the driver shut the AC off till we going downhill.

            We kept passing town after town, each with their own marketplace or "busy" area by the side of the road. There was one instance we reached a police checkpoint and our bus, along with a couple of others, had to pull over to the side of the road. While drivers were busy showing their papers to the police officers, passengers from all the buses took the time to make their own "pee break" and went outside to urinate near the bushes. Our bus eventually started to ride off leaving one lady behind, so when passengers started yelling, he pulled over again to let her back on. He announced it wasn't a bathroom break beforehand, but it was a long journey and I guess people needed to go. We did come upon a real rest stop which the bus pulled over at to re-fuel as well as let everyone get a bite to eat at the resturant. We had to rush down our chicken leg with rice and plantains before the bus was going to leave. To help us finish our meal quicker, a dog kept sticking its head inside the place looking for scraps. When we were done with the meat, we simply tossed him our bone and let it have lunch too. That bone was chewed in swallowed in less than two minutes.

            It was back on the road, going through more towns, passing by trucks and tap-taps(cabs) with people hanging along the sides, and even the roof. The road itself did have an intimidation factor as along the sides were smashed vehicles to serve as a frequent reminder to drive carefully. The bus was constantly honking its horn around every bend where maybe, or maybe not, another vehicle might be oncoming. The road rules in Haiti are rather laxed as commonly speeding trucks are plowing by on the wrong side of the road or other vehicles are constantly trying to get ahead of eachother. In a little under five hours, we did reach our final destination in the town of Cayes, and picked up the second moto for another three minute ride to the docks where the boat would take us to the island. The area near the docks featured a small public park people were relaxing in as well as some students doing their school work(on a Saturday). There was also a small open air cafe, which was closed for business at the time, that we waited at until the boat was ready to pick us up. As we were waiting, a kid came over to us and asked for money, but we told him no. A few minutes later he walked by again and tossed a small piece of plastic in our general direction, perhaps his revenge for us not giving him any spare change.

             The boat did arrive and it was finally time for us to take the last step to reaching the island area called Vache. It wasn't just an ordinary boat, it was a speed boat, and we were bouncing up and down the entire ride. The seats had cushions, but they were of little use as the contant poundage on my lower half gave me quite a headache. The ride took about fifteen minutes, and when we got there the long day's journey was well worth it. At first, there were mountainous walls which led to a small enclave that had colorful beach-front bungalos on top of clean white sand. The boat docked at the resort, named Abaka Bay, and as soon as we reached the sand, a gentleman approached from the outdoor bar with rhum sour drinks for each of us. Glacing around the area there were lounge chairs for the beach, hammocks to lay in, a basketball hoop, and the feature attraction of the beach with its clear light blue water, soft sand surface, and no rocks/pebbles in sight. Usually most beaches have rocks and broken sea shells upon entering, but not this one, just sand. It is almost as if they vacuum the bottom of the sea somehow. We had a peach-colored bungalo room which was nicely furnished and well air-conditioned. Since fresh water on the island is limited, they requested to conserve water and limit showers to three minutes. They serve three meals a day and we got there in time to catch the tail end of lunch.

            As with most cases where owners are far away from their businesses, in this case the entire family of the people who run the place also live there as well. It was a weekend, so perhaps they have a tradition of converging there on Saturdays and Sundays. The first thing I did after getting into the room and unpacking was hit the beach for some swimming. Upon getting back to the room, we were pretty beat from the trip, the food, and then the swimming, so we ended up taking a nap till it got dark out. Initially, we thought with dinner that all we had to do was show up during the desinated dinner hours and we would be served. It turns out with dinner at Abaka Bay, they wait for all the guests to show up and be seated before serving the main course in buffet-style. As we were walking from our room to the resturant area, I noticed one of the hotel workers coming in our direction, probably on his way to knock on our door and tell us everyone is waiting to eat. When we got there we were either the last or second to last group to show up, so once we seated the main course came out immediately. The dinner the first night was very bland, but it was included in the hotel price, so we ate it up. There was a large television set near the bar area of the resturant that I inspected and was happily able to find out it had satillite Direct TV, so I would be able to watch some Sunday football the following day. After dinner, some people were at the beach lighting off fireworks. We just turned ourselves in and called it a day. The plan was for us to stay there for two nights, spend another night at someone's house, and then leave the fourth day.

             In terms of all the birthday presents I ever received, this one ranks high up there, competing close with the Sega Genesis system I got back in 1992...