We have some good news to share: Today we completed our surveys and water sampling in Belen!
Our initial goal here was to visit/survey 40 private residences in Belen's upper and lower zones and collect potable water samples in each location. Due to slight complications involving 5 homes not having readily available potable-water reserves during the time of our visit, we upped our survey number to 50 homes and finished up with a total of 45 water samples. According to the microbiology lab we're working with, the water sample results should be ready in a week or so -- We'll provide updates as soon as we've received and reviewed this data.
Here's a quick rundown of Friday's and today's (Monday's) adventures in Belen:
On Friday morning we met with our trusted guides, Roger and Pablo, and spent the morning surveying 15 homes in Belen's Zona Alta or "Upper Zone." The Zona Alta is a fairly picturesque portion of the municipality that boasts, from certain vantage points, an excellent view of Rio Itaya. The majority of houses here are cement-and-brick constructs, standing in sharp contrast to the casas balsas (floating wooden houses) and casas elevadas ("elevated houses" atop wooden stilts) seen in Lower Belen. A significant number of houses here seem to prefer paying for home-delivered, bottled water over consuming water from the tap.
Fast forward to today: Monday, July 18. This morning we again met with Roger and Pablo and began Day No. 4 of our Belen surveys. We opted to visit both Lower and Upper Belen, completing 5 surveys within each zone, bringing today's total to 10 and our overall Belen total to 50. We're currently working on compiling our survey/questionnaire results and will begin integrating the lab's water analysis data as soon as we receive it.
As far as leisure activities are concerned, we're doing quite well on that front, too. Friday afternoon saw us lounging at Casa Fitzcarraldo, a local hostel featuring copious comfy hammocks, perfect blue pool waters and a phenomenal/phenomenally high treehouse that rivals anything depicted in "Swiss Family Robinson."
Such great heights: A dizzyingly high treehouse overlooks
the swimming area at Casa Fitzcarraldo.
Saturday can effectively be summarized in one sentence: PERU GANA (PERU WINS)!!!! In case you haven't heard, Peru's men's soccer team enjoyed a strong 2-0 victory over Colombia in the quarter-final round of Copa America 2011. And hey, we're pretty excited about it!
On Sunday we enjoyed a relaxing excursion to Santo Tomás, a village located on the Rio Nanay, a tributary of the Amazon. After a relaxing lunch at our new friend Pepe's house, we took a boat ride to a nearby floating bar/fishing platform on an exceptionally calm stretch of the Nanay. While slightly hesitant at first, we eventually all dove into the murky -- but incredibly refreshing -- river water for a quick swimming session.
And that about sums up the last several days. We'll provide you with more updates from our trip in the very near future.
Cheers!
Derek
At Santo Tomas: A small passenger boat begins a trip up the Rio Nanay.
And that about sums up the last several days. We'll provide you with more updates from our trip in the very near future.
Cheers!
Derek
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