Rather than trying to liveblog a journey back from the Feast to the United States where there is only an hour in between, with the possibility that the internet will not work particularly well in some of those places, I thought it would be worthwhile to discuss today’s busy traveling experience in parts, where I can type things here and then save them even if I cannot post them.  This morning we had breakfast and got ready and at 10AM we were off to do a bit of last minute exploring.  First we went to the Trois Rivieres rum factory which had a charming windmill and also offered a lovely shop that included the sale of reasonably priced cane syrup, which we did not buy anything at nonetheless.  Then we made our way along the road to various views of Diamond Rock, including a tiny house built by a prisoner who had been freed from Devil’s Island in French Guiana when it closed.  There was a moving trip to a memorial for slaves that had died in a shipwreck and driving past the estate where Empress Josephine, first wife of Napoleon, had lived while she was on the island, and then we were off to the airport.

Once we got to the airport there was the usual comedy of errors when one is dealing with airlines and airport staff in a place where foreign languages and ticketing issues present difficulties. First we were only able to print boarding passes and baggage slips to Port-au-Prince rather than to Miami. Then we found out that the tickets we had did not include any checked baggage to Miami even when we were able to look at both of the tickets. Then we had to wait in a line in another place and pay 40 euros apiece for luggage, making sure that our luggage would arrive in Miami when we did (so we think, at least, as I write this in Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadaloupe). After that there was waiting in a handicapped area, the usual rush through security when one is with someone in a wheelchair, and then a somewhat chaotic check-in at the gate where my ticket presented some problems that the person at the gate had to figure out. And with that we were on our way to Guadaloupe, a flight that allowed me to get some reading done (good) and provided plenty of amusing company (also good) but one that did not include any refreshments, including water (not good, considering that I am pretty dehydrated as I write this). Of course, once we arrived at Guadaloupe my family got separated because the gate staff was slow in getting a wheelchair for my stepfather and I was not allowed to wait on the plane with them because I was able bodied. Who knows if we will be able to get anything to eat or drink here before we are off again.

As it happened, I did end up getting some water to drink in Guadaloupe, but it didn’t do much for my insatiable thirst (I’m still super thirsty as I write this in Miami).  And, sadly, my brief time on that lovely island was marred by having to deal with the dim bulbs in charge of the security at the gate.  When I showed my passport and boarding pass to get a green sticker on my passport showing that I was cleared to go back on the plane to Port-au-Prince, the non-Mensa-candidate forgot to give me back the boarding pass and I got left in limbo waiting for a reprint, which the woman at the gate said she couldn’t do.  Eventually the person who took my boarding pass realized she had an extra one and I was able to get the boarding pass scanned and get back on the plane, where there was a surprise sandwich on the flight to Haiti.  Given my experiences in Point-a-Pitre and my concerns about Haiti, it was probably for the best that we did not get off the plane, but that made the flight crew’s efforts to make sure nothing was being hidden in various seat orifices more difficult because so many people were still on the plane.

Here are some brief notes about Haiti from what I saw–there weren’t a lot of lights or trees to be seen, a lot of the buildings were small ones with rusty tin roofs, and it was sad how muddy the rivers pouring into the sea were.  There were also some European ships off the coast that I could see, perhaps dropping off aid.  Other than that there was not much to see in not leaving the plane.  The flight to Miami included a meal, which was nice, as it kept us from being ravenously hungry late at night, but even though there were hardly any people at customs in Miami, the shuttle for our hotel took forever and it took quite a while to check in as well.  At least I am in the hotel room writing this and about to take a shower and then sleep, because after I drink enough to not feel like a cross-Sahara explorer, some sleep would be really good, since about 5AM or so it will be time to go back to the airport for the last leg of the trip home.