Day 2 in Belen!

Today we continued surveying in Belen's "Zona Baja" (Low Zone), the area that is affected most by the seasonal rise of the river. In the early morning, we visited two houses that were floating on the Rio Itaya, anchored to the land by an elaborate web of ropes and planks. In the first house, we stumbled upon a sad scene: two sisters having a meeting about their ailing father who had recently had an accident and now was bedridden and in pain.  He lay on the bed next to them sleeping soundly.  One of the sisters told us this story with tears in her eyes and asked if we could look at the medication he was taking.  Since we are untrained to be giving medical advice, we deferred to our guide Roger, a local health worker, who advised the woman on her choice of medicine--a powerful painkiller.  During that moment, we were disappointed that we could not offer more help to these people who are in such obvious need; however, it is moments like these that constantly reaffirm our decisions to become doctors and someday be able to provide much needed medical care to those with little access.

The rest of the day was filled was surveys, water collection, picture taking, and GPS coordinates. From our initial data analysis, it seems that fewer people treat their water in Belen and more people drink directly from the tap without a second thought. They have told us that their water has been treated already at the plant by Sedaloreto (the potable water company here in Iquitos), but Roger has told us that there are often breaks in the pipes which allow the potable water to become contaminated en route to the houses. We eagerly await the results of our water samples to see whether or not the drinking water is actually clean.

Entering a floating house in the Zona Baja of Belen.

After a full day of 14 surveys and 13 water samples, we decided to unwind with a late afternoon swim at Sombrero de Paja, my friend's restaurant and pool. I showed the gang the small pool near the back of the restaurant that is filled with alligators and paiche (giant fish typically used in ceviche). They fed the animals and then we retired to the pool for some IncaKola and sunbathing.

Abrazos y besitos,
Kimbo