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Haiti
For those who are unaware I worked with Alberta Government Telephones (AGT) and was seconded to Alta Telecom International (ATI), a subsidiary formed to transfer telecom technology to third world countries . There I worked in the position as technical sales support in Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. ATI had an office in San Juan PR which was managed by a good friend Des Adler. Des had requested my assistance with sales presentations in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
We flew into Kingston Jamaica and made our way to the hotel. After checking into our hotel, we headed to the outdoor lounge. We had a couple of beers while listening to a band of steel drums. After dinner we returned to our rooms and prepared for our upcoming meetings. The next day was filled with presentations To the Jamaican telephone company. Dez had a friend in Kingston who took us to a local Indian restaurant, the food was amazing probably the best Curry that I had ever tasted. After dinner we returned to the hotel for a couple of drinks on the patio with the background of the steel drums. By this time constant hammering was becoming annoying and I’d be happy if never heard steel drums again. The next morning we had more meetings with telecom official’s, then returned to our hotel to prepare for our flight to the Dominican Republic.
Our flight to the Dominican Republic consisted of a short hop to Port-au-Prince Hati. There we were scheduled to catch a flight to Santo Domingo. As we entered the concourse my first impression was organized chaos. Looking around I spotted what appeared to be a teenager in uniform with an automatic weapon over his shoulder. We spotted a bar and decided to stop for a beer and a bite to eat before our next flight. Unfortunately by the time we got there It closed for the day. Our next stop was at an ATM To withdraw some cash but the machine was not functional. We obtained our boarding passes and made our way to customs. The exit from customs led us directly into what appeared to be the only departure lounge. After an hour or so without any an announcements Des decided to take a walk. He returned after 20 minutes or so with a couple of cold beers purchased from a street vendor outside the airport, stating that customs was closed and anyone was free to come and go. We finished our beer and retuned to the ticket counter where that we were informed that our flight rom Miami was a few minutes late but some minion decided to shut the airport down for the night so it was unable to land. They issued vouchers for a hotel and a meal indicating that our next flight would be at 8 AM the next day.
A taxi took us through the charcoal smoke filled streets to our hotel, the extreme poverty was clearly evident during the journey. We paid the driver and added an extra $20 to have him pick us up at 5:30 the next morning. Both of us were becoming quite concerned about our predicament, anxious as to what may happen next delay our departure from this unnerving country. We found the hotel dining room and despite supposed spending limits on our vouchers ate and drank like kings. I am not sure who covered the overages but it wasn’t us or our company.
After a couple of hours of fitful sleep we checked out and nervously headed outside wondering if our driver had stiffed us. But there he was and we quickly headed back to the airport.
Surprise, surprise when we checked in at the ticket counter we were informed that our flight had already departed even though we were an hour early for check in. By now I didn’t believe anything we were told. Enquiring about alternatives we were informed that an new Haitian airline that had started operation the week before had fight to Santo Domingo in 1 ½ hours. On presentation of our tickets we were informed that they did not have International Air Transport Association membership and would have to pay cash as they were unable to process credit cards yet. We pooled our remaining cash and barely had enough to purchase the tickets. On the way to customs I expressed my concerns that our passports showed us checked out of the country but not back in. I waved my passport the agent and said it’s OK we were here last night. Miraculously we were waved through and entered the boarding lounge once again
We noticed that there was a set of stairs and ventured up to have a look. There we found an observation area that provided a view of the runways and taxi areas along with a self serve bar. After bit I noticed activity down the tarmac, it appeared that mechanics were working on getting an older prop plane started. As I watched it occurred to me that it looked like a Convair 640, I had flown on that type of plane some twenty years before with Pacific Western Airlines. When the engines started in a cloud of smoke and it made it’s way towards the gate I indicated to Des that it looked that was our plane. With trepidation we quickly downed a double rum and headed down to the gate. After boarding, the flight took off and a smooth trip to Santo Domingo ensued, the only positive to our Haiti experience.
After clearing customs our first task was to replenish our cash at an ATM. We grabbed a vintage chevy taxi im immaculate condition and headed for our hotel. Our driver informed us that he was called Mathew #7 and to contact him via the concierge at the hotel. Since it was Friday with no meetings scheduled we decided to relax and shoot some pool, Mathew informed us he would take us to a place he was familiar with. So after checking in we headed to the pool hall. Mathew arranged with the proprietor to remove the coin slots, after a couple of hours of pool and beers we returned to the hotel and arranged a trip up the coast the next day with Mathew.
On Saturday Mathew took us on a tour past the Presidential palace and around the city. We then headed up the coast to a restaurant on a the beach. Mathew parked in an open area and we went in and enjoyed an excellent lobster meal with him. Arriving back at the car we discovered that the parking area was now full. As he started the car to leave a fellow appeared demanding money for parking, an argument ensued and Mathew pulled a pistol from under the seat. Des and I dived for the floorboards as Mathew peeled out of the lot.
We went to the hotel casino for a drink and decided that we didn’t need anymore excitement and Sunday would be spent by the hotel pool.
Monday and Tuesday were filled with presentations and meetings with the local Telecom.
On Wednesday we checked in for our flight to
Miami, at the curb we were met with a guy that we thought was an airline employee. He took our luggage and escorted us to the front of the check in line. Unbeknownst to us he was not an official airline employee and followed us demanding money for his services. We gave him a few dollars and went to our gate despite his protestations.
Upon arrival in Miami Des discovered his newly acquired Florsheim shoes were missing from the side pocket of his suitcase. We surmised that we probably should have been more generous with our Dominican agent friend.
We eventually arrived back in Calgary thankful that we survived unscathed.