First four days

This has been a whirlwind four days, especially as jet lag lingers. I cannot believe it has only been four days. Will met us at the airport, as promised, and we had our first meal in a sidewalk cafe, tapas and beers. The sidewalk cafes are everywhere on the broad streets, as well as the narrow streets of the old quarter. There is a laidback feeling to the city, because of the cafes, and there are many beautiful people on the streets. It is a beautiful city, with restaurants everywhere (like NYC), but slower and friendlier (like Richmond). I could easily live here.

It is difficult to give you all the details of these days, but I will hit the highlights:

Still sleepy, but getting a Sim card for our phones. Just data. You can contact me on Whats App or Face time.

First evening, We met Marta for Tapas on Carrer de Blai, with an amazing array on the counter. Pick what you want. They count the toothpicks to charge you at the end.

Second Day, we walked ten miles with Will, up a small hill to "the Bunkers" to see a 360 degree view of the city. This day included several stops at sidewalk cafes, and a picnic lunch on top of the hill. And did I say the weather is amazing? Not too hot, blue skies. Rain that evening lasted about 30 minutes so we ate inside for a change.

Very civilized people here. A public bathroom at the top of the mountain in a container, toilet paper and towels included!

Third day, a "free" walking tour. (You tip the guide of course.) This was a fantastic tour with history lessons in the old quarter. Then we went to Marta's to stay, because she is gone for two weeks. We walked to a wonderful light show at the Magic Fountains, just below Mont Juic. No pics of that, you just have to be there. They do it four nights a week for free! I have a bundle of pics from the tour, can't decide which ones.

 Cathedral of Barcelona, took two centuries to build

 Memorial to Catalonians 

Our guide Theo

 Apartments above Roman columns monument

 Flag with star is for Catalonia

 Palace courtyard, site of Inquisition executions

 Historic Archives, David rubbing the turtle for luck on the Modernist mailbox added for the Bar Association: leaves symbolizing the complexity of the law, birds representing the freedom of the law, and the turtle symbolizing the slow movement of the law.

 Marketplace Santa Caterina

 Roman columns, with apartments built around them!

Working Man's church, Santa Maria del Mar

 Site of Bomb 1939 that killed 42 children

 Memorial to Catalonians over ruins of their houses

 Apartments over Roman columns

 Two flags flying

 Sant Geordi

 Inside Santa Maria del Mar, stairs to organ loft

 Ancient synagogue ruins, not much Jewish community here. Many killed in 1391, then any more left at beginning of Inquisition in 1492.

Fourth day, we finally laid around for a morning. In the afternoon, we walked over to the Modern Art Museum which is in the Palace on Mont Juic. Will had found out that Saturday afternoons were free. Really amazing to see Miro, Gaudi, Jujol, etc. And another fantastic view of the city.

In front of Miro mural

Our Tourist afternoon

 A trip to Hinche is not complete without a trip to Bassin Zim, which the Haitians are making into a National Park. The local children and young men still come to help you up the steep path, even though it is a stone walkway now. Their helping hands are appreciated in the slippery cave above the waterfall.

Kirby was our guide, and Greg even played his trombone for us. It is a magical place.

The Mobile Clinic

 Lociana measures the fundal height and uses a Doppler to listen to the baby.

Magdala sets up the tests they will do: Rapid HIV testing, malaria, and Hemoglobin. Some sites with more privacy also do gonorrhea and chlamydia testing. This clinic does not have any privacy. The women collect urine in a cup behind the building, for a urine pregnancy test, at their first visit. She is interviewing this woman, and asking about any problems she is having.

This is one of twenty villages served by the mobile clinics of Midwives for Haiti.  We drive down a narrow dirt track for 40 minutes to get to Los Mamounes. (I think that is the spelling!) The clinic was in the school before, but it was too noisy, so they moved to the church. The pregnant women see us arrive and they start coming. A woman comes with a brush broom to sweep down the dirt floor, and a man tosses water on the dirt to control the dust. All the four midwives wait in the Land Cruiser. Some men bring over benches for the women to sit on while they wait, a small table for writing, and plastic chairs for the midwives. The midwives bring in three large suitcases full of supplies, and a massage table.

 Marie Ange handing out medications.

 The last two women waiting to be seen. We saw about 21 women this afternoon. This is one of the smaller clinics.
With the help of an interpreter, I get vital signs (blood pressure, temperature, and pulse) on all the women that are waiting, after they get their teaching. The midwives have two laminated posters. One teaches about nutrition during pregnancy. The other one has pictures of danger signs in pregnancy. The midwife teaches until the women can tell her the danger signs in pregnancy. She warns them to go to the hospital if they have any of these problems.

Magdala and Philomene get the history from each woman, and do tests. Marie Ange hands out vitamins, iron, and folic acid to each woman. Today she also gives them some sanitary napkins for their postpartum period. The fourth midwife examines each woman on the massage table. Today they tell one woman that she needs to have her baby at the hospital. Her baby is very large, measuring 41 centimeters. They explain that she could have a shoulder dystocia, that the baby could be stuck. The woman has had all her five children at home, and she has never been to Hinche. They speak to her strongly, but we wonder if she will follow their advice. She would have to take a motorcycle taxi to the hospital.

There are eight new patients today. They collect 25 gouds for the first visit, and 10 gouds for subsequent visits.  (This is about 75 cents, and 25 cents.) The midwives are our graduates. They are sponsored by donors outside of Haiti. Once again, I am amazed at the efficiency of the clinic, and the competent  caring of the midwives. It makes me feel good about the work we are doing.

After the clinic, we went to a casabe bakery near by. this is an unleavened flat bread made from the yucca root. It was quite amazing to see how they mashed the yucca root, compressed, dried, sieved, and then made it into large flat cakes, about 2 feet across, and baked it on a large piece of metal.

Packed up to go to the market