Look who made it to the Dominican Republic after all...

After all was said and done with the car (well, after they took it and we came home and went to a BBQ to lift our spirits) I decided that I wanted to make the trip to the DR without the car and so we set out the next day via Caribe tours bus to the DR. The bus is very nice, air conditioned (a little too efficiently) with nice comfy seats and complete with a little snack to tide you over. The bus ride is significantly longer than driving as you have to stop at the border and everyone gets off and has their things rifled through which put the ride at about 5 hours. We lost an hour heading in the DR but I was not going to let that bring me down, we took a taxi to the hotel (oh wow, talk about culture shock-hotel was super nice and really all I wanted to do was lie in the comfy bed with the blankets pulled up around me with the air conditioning and television on...you can see where my priorities lie). We decided to head out to dinner and chose a rice little "steak house".  Now keep in mind this was Santo's first time out of Haiti...he was like a little kid and I was so happy to be able to experience it with him. When you live your whole life in a country like Haiti with only stories about other places in your mind, I can only imagine what it is like to travel-even if it is just across the border. 

My favorite moment came when we were in the hotel and we were about to get into the elevator and Santo was looking at it and it did not even occur to me that he had NO idea what these large steel doors and enclosed area were. He politely asked me to show him how it worked and to explain what it was. I realized that there is just simply so much we take for granted and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to grow up in the U.S. with all its luxuries.

What is this thing!?!

 It is hard to imagine but here people that have not traveled outside of Haiti really have no idea about what things are like since TV and movies are mostly filmed here in Haiti. It is no like you can easily search the internet for things either as power and internet are scarce so what you get is really limited to stories from others. As someone who has traveled quite a bit I have a hard time imagining knowing only one way of life. E

Enjoying a wonderful dinner, Santo's first non Haitian meal.

I am a foodie. I love different types of food and trying new restaurants. This has been a problem for me here in Haiti as most of the food I have come in contact with is made with the same 10ish ingredients. Don't get me wrong, it is delicious but it is all the same. As someone who can't even set her alarm clock for the same time each morning, this 'food situation' has been the hardest part of being in Haiti for 6 months. What I wouldn't give for some fat chubby Thai noodles.

I was so proud of Santo for trying this seafood and rice dish that was full of wonderful spices like cilantro ...a totally different taste from the typical Haitian fare.

All in all the trip was a success, even if it was only 24 hours and we didn't get the solar panels. I witnessed what it was like for someone to travel outside of their home country for the first time and I was able to get a few of the luxuries which made the homesickness I have been feeling a little bit better.