After a quite hectic first 36 hours of traveling, I was looking forward
to a chance to recover during my first of two nights in Suriname and then this
happened…
Getting from the 5K race finish line in Speightstown, Barbados
to my hotel in Paramaribo, Suriname actually went well. The taxi ride, covering nearly the entire north-to-south
length of Barbados at sunset, was beautiful - and the slow, friendly pace of
driving was a pleasant contrast to the mean streets of my home, Las
Vegas. My flights from
Barbados to Port-of-Spain to Paramaribo, both had welcomed early departures and early arrivals. My time in the airports was only remarkable for
a single proud moment. As I went through
security re-screening while in transit in Trinidad, I quickly and efficiently
went through the typical process of partial undressing/unpacking prior to passing myself and my bag through x-ray scanners. But as I approached the metal detector, one of the four persons on the security detail, flashed me an unapproving look, pointed to my pocket and asked, “What is in there?" I replied, “Just my
passport”. While the others looked as if they were about to break into applause to reward her for her attention to the detail of my bulging pants pocket, she came back with a skeptical, “That is all?” All of their faces turned to the puzzled expressions of children who has just seen a magician pull a rabbit
out his hat for the first time when I reached into my pocket and pulled out nothing, but my prized possession - a blue passport that has so many added pages that it acts as if it is held together my a spring-loaded hinge. I somewhat triumphantly replied, “Yep, just
my passport.”
Once in Suriname (arriving at 1 AM), I was one of only two passengers, who
needed to purchase a visa. This wasn’t a particularly difficult process, but it did involve handing over $25 USD – of
which three bills were rejected for folds, writing and/or tears - and meant that I reached the immigration line well after everyone else had left. This was fortunate because for some reason, it took the involvement of all three immigration officials on-duty and over 10 minutes before my passport was stamped and I was waived through with a smile, but no explanation for the delay.
After a 45 minute taxi ride to the city, I climbed out of the cab and was relieved to see a beautiful hotel façade in a quiet residential area. That was followed by an immediate sinking feeling that my luck was about to turn
when I noted that the building was particularly dark and there was a padlock on the front gate. As the taxi driver started to drive off there was a short pause, and you could tell he was thinking - “I should
probably help, but if I stop now who knows when I’ll get home and it’s already
2:30 AM”... and he drove off.
My wife has long accused me of planning all our travel around soccer games. This is not actually true...sometimes I plan the travel first and then look for the soccer later. That was the case with Run-the-Caribbean. After I selected the countries that I planned to run across - I became aware that regional qualifying for the 2018 World Cup would occur while I was in the islands. When I scanned the list of fixtures, I found the perfect one - Canada vs. Dominica. This was ideal because Dominica didn't have a reasonable running route across the island, it had a number of natural sites that I wanted to visit and Canada featured a player from my favorite club, Portland Timbers. So my schedule was set to ensure I would be in Roseau on June 11th.
My travel from St. Kitts, started with another ridiculous exchange with airport security. I arrived at the modern, comfortable St. Kitts airport only an hour and half before departure, but was happy to find that I was the only person in the check-in line for Liat Airlines, the only person in line to have their boarding documents reviewed, the only person in line for emigration, and most importantly - the only person in the security line. As the four security staff members stood up from their chairs I placed my laptop and cellphone in a bin and then asked if they wanted me to take out liquids. When the answer was "yes", I place my bag containing 3 packets of laundry soap, a nearly empty sunscreen bottle and a small shaving cream can in a second bin. That's when the security staff asked me if I had a smaller bag. I was puzzled. She gestured to a "smaller bag" with some items inside hanging from the wall, and stated, "You should use a quart bag. You have a gallon bag". Thinking this was a suggestion, I thanked her for the information. She then asked me, "So do you want to go back out and see if you can get a bag?" Now in most places in the world this strict enforcement of "the rules" meant one of two things. Either we were about to have a stand-off to see if I would flinch and pay a bribe or there was a near-by shop/stand in which the owner sells nothing but quart-sized zip-lock bags at an astronomical mark-up. In this case, the official seemed not to be looking to profit, but just requiring strict adherence with "the rules". I surveyed the situation. The cost of the items in my bag was approximately $4US. Even if I could find a quart bag, I didn't know what the cost would be. Without laundry soap, I could wash my clothes with shampoo (which is what I usually do anyway), sunscreen could be purchased anywhere in the Caribbean, without shaving cream I would have one more excuse for not shaving, and getting rid of the bag of liquids would simplify procedures during my connection in Antigua. Realizing the clear benefits, I let the security staff know - "thanks, I'll just leave this stuff for you". Thus allowing me to clear security and allowing the staff to sit down and plan their next "shake-down".
.jpg)
As Columbus struggled to find support for his endeavor, I've found it somewhat difficult to find and establish contact with others that are currently involved with Parkinson’s support and/or medical education throughout the Caribbean. However, just as Columbus finally found the backing he needed in King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, I have been fortunate to find a couple groups to partner with during my trek through the Caribbean.
In October 2103, I attended the World Parkinson’s Congress in Montreal. As some of you know this meeting, which brings together People with Parkinson’s, clinicians and researchers, had a big impact on me. With the next WPC planned for Portland, Oregon in 2016, I am try to help promote the conference. During Run-the-World 4 Parkinson’s Disease last year, we were able to raise $6000 that will go toward travel grants for those with Parkinson's to attend the WPC in 2016. During Run-the-Caribbean you can still support this cause by donating through the following link: 444 Parkinson's Foundation. However, this year my energy will be focused on my primary goal of raising awareness of the WPC rather than fund-raising.
.JPG)
%2Bresize.jpg)
