Haiti: Coming Home

Haitian Airport.  Enough said.  I guess that is only true if you have spent time with some Haitians.  It was for sure an adventure worth sharing.

1 long line
3 security check points.
immigration
checking in and checking bags
1.5hours later.

What is funny is there was a lady I met on the plane to Part-Au-Prince that told me she liked coming back to the airport to depart better than arriving because that part of the terminal was much better.  Mind you a huge majority of the airport was destroyed during the earthquake.  Although I would agree that the area itself may be nicer than when you arrive and get your baggage you are very much so still in Haiti.

There are two lines that lead from outside of the building (under and awning) that wraps around the side walk. You are constantly being pushed and there is no sense of personal space at all.  The line to the right is if you are just a normal average Joe person leaving Haiti.  The line to the left is for people who pay for someone to carry their bags or have made the list.  Not sure what the list is or how one would get on it but if you weren't on the list they would tell you no and make them get back into ours.  There are also exceptions to the list.  If you are Haitian you can talk the guys that work there into letting you cut the line by being allowed to go in the left line.  The two lines end up merging at the doors of the building but they let about 10 people in the left line go to every one or two people in the right.  What an adventure trying to keep a group together. 

Once we made it into the building you immediately go through a metal detector.  We then went and printed our boarding passes with the help of one of the airport workers.  We still had about 5 of the 9 of us all together, with the other 4 ahead in groups of two, and once he realized we were a group he went and printed our baggage tags and took our luggage before we had to wait in the next line.  We were able to jump ahead of two of the guys that were a head of us.  We then went through immigration and through another metal detector.  You then go up stairs to find another metal detector which was ran by TSA. Wayne and Brad who made it to the gate first were surprised by how quickly our group had caught up. 1.5 hours later we made it to the gate.  No more complaining about the airports in the US.

Of course the trip home does not end there.  We landed in Fort Lauderdale, and when I say we landed I mean we slid on in through the clouds.  It was a bit rough and makes my top 5 worst landing.  Here we had to go through immigration right away.  This is when one of my favorite quotes from the trip was spoken: "I'm sorry I only speak creole."  Bulldog (mike) said this somewhat loud and for all to hear he was walking up to the desk at immigration.

We then went to get our luggage and go through customs.  There were a few of our team that made it through quickly and ahead of the huge line that formed when the airport worker was checking luggage.  Then a few more got through when the decided to break out the big room where you get searched and  your luggage gets searched too.  Luckily I was the small, little, innocent, white girl and I was pushed on through and did not have to go into that other room. The tough part was over and some good old American food was waiting for us before we got onto our next plane.

What an adventure. And what a great ending to a 9 day adventure were I experienced so much.  This trip was not one of those mountain top experiences that just come and goes, it was one that stays with your heart because it was just good.