Jul
24
Lucho took us back up to the reservoir tanks for the Foncodes system this morning. We took about 50 point from the top of the tank around the clearing where we hope to build one of the new filters, and up the side of the mountain to get the relative elevations.
When we got back, we went to lunch with one of the families in Vista Alegre, and then met with a government engineer back at the Hummingbird House.
Jul
23
The morning started with the loud screaming of a pig being killed in the building next door- where the workshop is- and while I tried to fall back to sleep, there was too much other noise. I got up to go see them smoking the pig; the others weren't far behind in waking up. We started surveying the road towards Milpuc after breakfast. When we got back, we had lunch with all of the people who had been helping carve and prepare the pig- the first time we had eaten with the entire family in the same room. We have asked them several times to eat with us more often, but much of the time the family eats outside in the kitchen.
After lunch Charlie, Paolo and I tried to take the equipment up to the reservoir for the Foncodes system to survey the tanks. We were unable to find a guide for this afternoon, but decided to try to follow the trail we had been on the other day. The tanks had not been far up the mountain, and the trails closer to the town are relatively clear, but we still managed to get ourselves lost a couple of times before finding a trail we recognized. We did not make it up to the tanks, however. We turned around and went back to the hummingbird house for the water board meeting after realizing that someone had taken the battery cord for the total station out of the backpack and we couldn't survey anything anyways.
The meeting with the water board started around 5:00. We spent the most part of the meeting discussing in detail all of the responsibilities of the board in our absence. They will clean out the tanks at Mari Pata along with other maintenance of the work we have started, oversee construction of the new tanks once the government starts, set up community participation and taxes to fund the system's maintenance, and (hopefully) contact us via email every month or so.
Jul
22
Today was the hike up to the caves at Cacapischo, as well as Charlie's birthday.
We left at 6:00 for what we thought would be about a 4 hour hike up, a couple of hours in the caves, and then about another 4 hours to get back down in time for a late lunch with friends of Lucho's and then the water board this evening at 7:00. We did not arrive at the caves until after noon, and then we had lunch and went up to 2 of the 7 caves. We left around 3:30, and the hike down took about 5 hours. It was dark before we made it out of the cloud forest onto the ridge trail, at around 6:00. We returned at 8:30 and the water board and several other people were in the hummingbird house. We rescheduled the meeting for tomorrow, and went to dinner with Lucho's friends. We returned to the Hummingbird House and had cake and drinks and talked for a while longer before going to bed.
Jul
21
Paolo and Lucho showed us the things thay had bought in Mendoza yesterday- the rebar for the stove top, and a couple of valves to fix the air blocks Angel showed us. Lucho said they had also found someone who can get us a metal tube for the chimney. They also found us another transformer to charge the Total Station, since Professor Hopcroft took his with him when he and Caitlin left. We had lunch in Vista Alegre with the family who owned one of the improved kitchens we had seen yesterday. We took measurements and discussed design- whether the family liked their kitchen, what they would do differently, etc.
Jul
20
We split up this morning. Lucho and Paolo are going to Mendoza to buy the rebar and other supplies we need for the improved kitchen project. The rest of us stayed to work more on the kitchen design.
We found out that there were a couple of improved kitchens in the area, so we spent the morning walking to Vista Alegre with some of Panchito's children to see one of them. There is another in Vista Alegre and one in Chirimoto that we will be seeing later this week. When we got back, we had lunch with Tulio and then started making the adobe for the kitchen we hope to build in the Hummingbird House. Panchito offered to make the bricks; he said that if we have time to use them on this trip we can, and that if we do not he will store them somewhere or make new bricks if he has another project to do. We hope to have time to build the oven, but must wait for the adobe to dry. This normally takes about one week to 10 days, so we are cutting our time close but think it best to plan everything and have it ready even if we do not have time to build this trip.
Jul
19
There was another meeting of the water board this afternoon. Elections for president, VP, secretary and treasurer were held. Our previous meetings had involved all of the same members, but no positions had been formalized. Today, there were more people from the town present to vote. We talked in more detail about the committee's responsibilities.
We spent a while discussing in detail three options for the town. The first option involves only our group- we would start by refilling the Mari Pata system, and then start a several-year process to build the other two systems. The next option involves mostly the governmet, and does not include the Mari Pata system at all. The government would build just the two new filters with our supervision. Both parties are part of the third option in which we refill Mari Pata in January as a temproary filtered source and as a model for the next two filters, and then we work with the government to design the other filters. The government agreed that would fund the majority of the project if we were to collaborate, so the project will run much faster if the government is involved. The community agreed that it would be best to have government funding so that the project can be completed within a couple of years, and so that we can also direct our attention to other initiatives in the community. Most members now agree that it would be better to fill the Mari Pata system as a model for the other tanks.
Jul
18
Late start this morning. After breakfast, we read over the plans for the improved kitchens and continued to work on calculating elevation points and drawing a preliminary map of the town. We are planning on spending some time this week looking at examples of improved kitchen projects that have been built in the area. We may be traveling to Omia to see some kitchens, and there is one that we know of in Chirimoto that we will be looking at later this week.
This afternoon is Lucho's Cousin's wedding. We left around 2:00 and started walking towards Pindicucho, another small neighboring town and the bride's hometown. The ceremony was a small civil matrimony held in the bride's family's home. Dinner and dancing followed. We all felt awkward eating dinner with the bride and groom and their immediate families. After dinner, we watched the bride and groom dance with various relatives, and then the cumbia started and the dance floor was opened up to the rest of the guests. We left around 11 with a relative of Lucho's who was heading back to Chirimoto.
Jul
17
Angel met Paolo and I this morning to take us up to the source at Mari Pata, while Jeremy, Charlie and Richard continued surveying. We had not gotten all the way up to the source the other day with the whole group, and we want to be sure that all of the sources are clean. We had taken the sample from where the stream reappeared, and are worried that the sample will have more contaminants that the source because much of the mountain is cow pasture. We are still waiting to see the coliform counts, but feel that we sould be consistent. On the hike up, we were talking to Angel about the meeting last night and what he thinks would be best for the town; he seems to think it a bad idea to revive the old system because of the condition of the old pipes and because the system can only serve up to 3/4 of the town if the pipes are in good condition.
Although Mari Pata is closer to Chirimoto than the source at Lambras, the hike took longer- almost 4 hours- because the path was so dense. The source is actually several small streams that join, fall over a waterfall, and then flow down the mountain to the capture tanks. On the hike down, we passed the reservoir for the Foncodes system. We met the others at Alberto's house for Lunch, and then returned to the Hummingbird House.
Jul
16
We spent the morning back at the reservoir and tank for the Mari Pata system.
Lucho and Jeremy returned from Mendoza late- about half an hour before the the water board meeting started. We discussed the organization and formation of committees to finish and/or mainatain any work we start during our stay, to help us while we are here. We spent the majority of the meeting discussing what our group will be doing when we return. We mentioned that we could refill the old filter and put the Maari Pata system back into operation when we return in January, and we gave the town the option of having us build both of the new filters, or letting the government build the filters with our supervision. While we are skeptical of allowing the government to work on another water system in Chirimoto, given the state of the last four, we have an offer for government funding and our group will be able to work with the government to agree on designs and supervise construction. Alone, our group would take several more years to complete the filters, so the board members agree that it would be a better idea to involve the government. Details will be discussed and confirmed at the next meeting. The board can not seem to decide if they want us to revive the old system or start right away in January on the new filters; they say that the project might not be worth it because we know nothing about the condition of the pipeline. Our thought is to revive the system as a model for the town and government to follow.
Jul
15
We all met up at the Trigoso's after breakfast, and then went into Mendoza. Lucho took Jerry and Caitlin to the airport while the rest of us went to look around the shop for materials and get phone numbers.
Lucho was late getting back because he had had to spend a long time arguing with the airport officials to get Jerry and Caitlin on their flight back to Lima. When he got back, Paolo and Art we not with him. They had gotten off in Chachapoyas and would be arriving later by taxi.
We had to borrow money to pay for our flights back to Lima because we found out that the bank in Mendoza would not take foreign cards and we were stuck without our money. Thankfully, we made it to the Municipality and got the tickets before the office closed. We spent the next couple of hours until Paolo and Art arrived at dinner and then buying groceries.