Today was a memorable day for a couple of reasons. A small team of us set off for Jacmel, which is on the south coast of the island, to assess the situation there. The road has only just been reopened and cleared for traffic. The journey takes you right across the mountains. It is a hair-raising drive at the best of times - narrow, twisting roads and very high mountains. At the moment it is made worse by the large boulders and land slides that came down during the earthquake and which block the road - reducing traffic to a single file. It is also rather un-nerving when you see the cracks right across the road and wonder if the bit you are driving on will break away and slide down the mountain!
Jacmel is a small town - quaint and historic. It has suffered terribly in the earthquake with 50% destuction of homes. There are few agencies working there so it wil be an ideal location for us to set up a satellite operation. We have a corps there with a school and compound.
I can't tell you much more about the day as I was unable to actually undertake the assessment. I woke feeling ill and got progressively worse during the journey. The officer at Jacmel kindly found me a camp bed and I spent the day sleeping while the team assessed. Needless to say, I was pleased to get home again last night and have the doc check me over. She thinks I have malaria - so I will be staying in at the hotel tomorrow to see if I can shake it off. So tomorrow's blog may be thin.
I should be grateful - I have been doing emergency work for 14 years and this is the first time I have been taken ill while away. Feel a bit of a lame duck today and hope I will be better soon. Prayers for a speedy recovery would be appreciated.
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