Day No. 3: Traversing Puddle-Wonderful San Juan!

Que tal, amigos?

We hope you all enjoyed a fireworks-and-food-filled Fourth of July yesterday! The four of us made sure to celebrate "American style" here in Iquitos, dining at a Texas-style BBQ restaurant near the Plaza de Armas and sporting red, white and blue attire throughout the evening. (Sadly, no fireworks, sparklers, bottle rockets, explosives, etc. were involved in our festivities.)

Today, July 5, marked our third full day in the field. With the help of our trusted guide, Wilfredo, our team traveled to remote areas of the San Juan Bautista municipality -- traversing muddy roads and forging gigantic puddles -- to continue conducting our surveys pertaining to water treatment and storage in the home.

Wilfredo's guidance keeps us right on track.

Puddle-filled road in San Juan, following a recent rainstorm.

Despite some minor time setbacks due to swampy terrain (Iquitos is currently in the midst of its rainy winter season!), we had a largely successful day, surveying 20 households and increasing our total number to 50 homes surveyed up to this point.

At this point in our water study, we have surveyed 50 homes within the San Juan municipality.

In addition to improving our Spanish-speaking abilities, we are truly beginning to piece together the story of water in San Juan. Many of the houses here lack a reliable source of home-delivered water and therefore have come to rely on other sources for their water. Some households, for instance, utilize deep wells ("pozos profundos") in their own backyards while others travel to water-pumping stations set up on the fringes of their neighborhoods, in order to collect a daily supply of water. Prior to consuming water from either of the aforementioned sources, many families opt to boil it and/or add chlorine tablets. Because coliform bacteria and waterborne parasites are so prevalent in this region, families here seem to agree: Take all precautions necessary, all of the time.

Water-pumping station in San Juan, owned and operated by the local government.

This pumping station in San Juan is currently locked up and doesn't function.

And so, tomorrow we'll continue our surveys -- full speed ahead! -- and will keep you posted on all new developments and revelations. As always, we appreciate your support and encouragement.

Hasta luego!

-Derek