Vehicles in Haiti

The best way to travel in Haiti is by tap-tap (imagine small pickup with a kiddie swimming pool upside down and over the truck bed for weather protection and about 12-20 people crammed in the bed. Sometimes with livestock hanging out the back). A fine option if you are a local, but a little more difficult for a blan (white) family with 6 small children.

With the road conditions, an SUV and 4 wheel drive are a necessity. Many vehicles (large and small) are diesel due to fuel economy. Diesel is approximately $4 per gallon and gas is closer to $5/gallon. They tell me that diesel is always available, but gas availability is spotty. Can you imagine pulling up to the pump in need of gas only to find out that none is available.

So one of our first orders of business was to find a reliable vehicle (we sold our Honda Pilot before we left CO). We also needed a car that would accommodate our large family. I spent all day Saturday looking at cars and really sorting through junk. Cars are driven pretty hard here and have high miles. Cars are also very expensive due to the customs duties required to import them. Our last stop on Saturday, as it was getting dark, was an auto dealer (with only 2 vehicles). I stopped at the same auto dealer when Whitney and I visited Haiti a month ago and looked at a vehicle there. To my surprise, the same vehicle was still available which in some sense made me nervous. I test drove it today and found it be in very good shape. Clean, low miles, and pretty beefy. I had never heard of the vehicle model (but that is not unusual here as there are many foreign vehicles). It is a Nissan Safari and it is a beast (drives more like a truck). It is diesel with 4 wheel drive and has plenty of room in the back. A local told Whitney that women don't normally drive in Haiti, but when they do, it is beautiful (Was he hitting on her?).

The kids love the freedom of sitting in the back cargo area (something that is currently a necessity, but something we would never consider back home - When in Rome, do as the Romans). B.J. had a long day and couldn't resist the opportunity to lay down and fall asleep on his big sister (he could really stretch out). We are hoping to get a 3rd row installed later this week. Hopefully this vehicle is up to the task of hauling our family around over the next few months.