La Costena's plane this time was one of its largest. Couldn't see the pilots, we even had beverage service. Arrived in Managua 3 hours before we needed to leave. This was the only flight from Managua to Houston today and since we were so early, the check-in desk was not manned. We waited in line for 34-45 min and checked our luggage in. At that time, we were told that the plane would be leaving 1 hour later than scheduled. We walked across the street to the Best Western breakfast buffet and enjoyed being with our Virginia partners for the last time in a year. As we got back to the airport to go through security, we were told that our flight was expected to be 2 hours late. We were scheduled to have a 3 hour layover in Houston, so we thought we could squeak through and make our flight to DFW. We waited for awhile upstairs after clearing security and saw on the arrivals board that our flight was 4 hours late and ,of course, there would be no way to make that flight. Harry talked to an airline employee and got us changed to a later flight which we could barely make if we ran.
We flew from Managua to Houston finally and had to pick up bags, go thru customs, give bags back, go thru security, get new boarding passes for our new flight and high tail it to Gate E30. When we got there with our new boarding passes, they were cancelled because the airline/computer didn't think we'd make the flight. The wonderful lady working the gate, reinstated our reservations and gave us better seats. We made it on the flight with maybe 5 minutes to spare. Y E A!
Home --Nick picked Harry and me up and we got on the road. Tons of traffic- maybe because of the baseball game maybe not-- anyway we landed at our house at midnight.
The end to a very productive mission trip.
Friday, May 19, 2017
Friday- last day before flying home
Our goal for Friday was to BlueFields to have a chat with the Moravian Bishop and to meet with Father Tony whom we had met at training. We took the early panga from Pearl Lagoon and the weather was threatening. I had heard when rain began on a panga ride, tarps were used to keep passengers dry. Had heard about it, but not experienced it til this morning. Three rows of passengers in front of us were obviously tourists, standing up to take pics and taking selfies and applying make-up during the ride. When the rain began, no one had clued them in on how to behave. What we had been told is-- lean over after the tarp (large piece of plastic) is in place so the driver can see where to steer the boat, No one had told them this and the driver had to stop one time and screamed at them to bend over-- and they never really got it. He was screaming in both English and Spanish and these folks were Hispanic. I took a video to show the chaos inside the tarp as we were going, but I'm having trouble getting it in here. Maybe later/ or not. The folks pictured are the ones in front of me.
The rain stopped and we arrived in Blue Fields in time for our meeting with the Bishop, but first we went to breakfast at the Galleria. Very good food, service lacking --ordered a sweet roll to go with my omelet-- never got it. Could have insisted, but wasn't worth the effort.
Our meeting with the Bishop concerned the two water systems here and their need for filters and other maintenance supplies. Many topics were discussed, along with the possible impact of the new concrete road being constructed between Managua and Blue Fields. The workers need water, so they had a 300 ft. well dug for their own use. When the road is finished, the Bishop has heard that the construction company will give the well to the Moravian church. It is 30 minutes out in the country, but may be available for use at some time in the future. Reports from the filtration systems were discussed, maintenance supplies and the possibility of a mini-warehouse for eastern Nicaragua. Renewing covenants was mentioned and we met Juliette, the Bishop's secretary who is the person to contact if assistance or info is needed. We received her e-mail for this.
After visiting the Old Bank filtration system (named for the neighborhood it is in) we visited with Father Tony at his church. Father Tony is the priest for 27 churches, most of them small towns like Pueblo Nuevo and Orinoco. He answered some of our questions about Pueblo Nuevo about sustainability and communication. He also said he thought there was a Ciber Cafe there-- which no one of the folks we talked to mentioned. He was supportive of our installing a system in one of the two communities. Told us that the Catholic church would be able to assist either town to become self sustaining. He is a positive gregarious person who worked in San Diego in air quality control in his former life. He seems to thrive on his many challenges and all we've talked to appreciate him greatly.
To celebrate the end of a successful trip (so far) we went to a very new and fancy restaurant with white table cloths and filtered water. I ordered a dish called Dedos de Pollo. We had plantain chops on the table (like tortilla chips at home) the food was good and the service excellent. We were staying at the Caribbean Breeze and Yobeth stayed in my room. Flying out in the morning for Managua and eventually home.
The rain stopped and we arrived in Blue Fields in time for our meeting with the Bishop, but first we went to breakfast at the Galleria. Very good food, service lacking --ordered a sweet roll to go with my omelet-- never got it. Could have insisted, but wasn't worth the effort.
Our meeting with the Bishop concerned the two water systems here and their need for filters and other maintenance supplies. Many topics were discussed, along with the possible impact of the new concrete road being constructed between Managua and Blue Fields. The workers need water, so they had a 300 ft. well dug for their own use. When the road is finished, the Bishop has heard that the construction company will give the well to the Moravian church. It is 30 minutes out in the country, but may be available for use at some time in the future. Reports from the filtration systems were discussed, maintenance supplies and the possibility of a mini-warehouse for eastern Nicaragua. Renewing covenants was mentioned and we met Juliette, the Bishop's secretary who is the person to contact if assistance or info is needed. We received her e-mail for this.
After visiting the Old Bank filtration system (named for the neighborhood it is in) we visited with Father Tony at his church. Father Tony is the priest for 27 churches, most of them small towns like Pueblo Nuevo and Orinoco. He answered some of our questions about Pueblo Nuevo about sustainability and communication. He also said he thought there was a Ciber Cafe there-- which no one of the folks we talked to mentioned. He was supportive of our installing a system in one of the two communities. Told us that the Catholic church would be able to assist either town to become self sustaining. He is a positive gregarious person who worked in San Diego in air quality control in his former life. He seems to thrive on his many challenges and all we've talked to appreciate him greatly.
To celebrate the end of a successful trip (so far) we went to a very new and fancy restaurant with white table cloths and filtered water. I ordered a dish called Dedos de Pollo. We had plantain chops on the table (like tortilla chips at home) the food was good and the service excellent. We were staying at the Caribbean Breeze and Yobeth stayed in my room. Flying out in the morning for Managua and eventually home.
Orinoco Island
After our visit with the community of Pueblo Nuevo, we loaded up our panga and went back the way we came to the island of Orinoco. Before meeting the community members and seeing the well and facilities, we needed to have lunch. I should have skipped this experience. During the whole trip I have been challenged to find "non fish" entrees cuz I really just don't like the taste or texture of fish. At this restaurant there were no menus and they did not provide bottled water. The waiter guy said we could have shirmp- fried, boiled, sauteed in butter or steamed. All meals come with rice. I ate about half the sauteed shrimp and drank water from the bottle I carried. NOT MY FAVORITE MEAL of the trip.
At the Catholic church, we met several community folks
who had been at the training on Wed. They showed us around the Sunday school facility across the street from the church and also showed us their well
. This is an entirely English speaking community which would make our training jobs much easier. They already have a building that could be used, but which would need some renovation--
drain added, roof strengthened for the tank, plywood walls removed,
All needed changes but
Really minor changes compared to building from scratch.
The well has not been used much but is 22 feet deep, has a 3.5 ft well diameter and contains 6 feet of water, with no pump-- Water is accessed with a bucket. Hardness of the water was 034.
When questioned about how we could communicate with them, it was discovered, while all have phones no one has e-mail or data for phones. In this community water is only available in quarts/liters-- larger bottles are not available. Occasionally they pour clorox in the well to kill bacteria. No mail service is available or hardware store for replacement parts. The local responsibilities for the installation were spelled out to the group. They will need pumps for well and system and the tanks would need to be purchased locally (in country)
We did remind them not to begin renovating until they heard from us
and our decision wouldn't be made immediately, but after discussion and research.
We left Orinoco after looking at the facilities for visitors to stay, I'd hardly call it a hotel, just marginally better than Pueblo Nuevo-- it did include a window in each room and had mosquito netting available. Bathroom facilities were available in the owner's house-- no clue where that was.
After returning to Green Lodge, we discussed the pros and cons of each place and were invited to think our decision over.
At the Catholic church, we met several community folks
The well has not been used much but is 22 feet deep, has a 3.5 ft well diameter and contains 6 feet of water, with no pump-- Water is accessed with a bucket. Hardness of the water was 034.
When questioned about how we could communicate with them, it was discovered, while all have phones no one has e-mail or data for phones. In this community water is only available in quarts/liters-- larger bottles are not available. Occasionally they pour clorox in the well to kill bacteria. No mail service is available or hardware store for replacement parts. The local responsibilities for the installation were spelled out to the group. They will need pumps for well and system and the tanks would need to be purchased locally (in country)
We did remind them not to begin renovating until they heard from us
We left Orinoco after looking at the facilities for visitors to stay, I'd hardly call it a hotel, just marginally better than Pueblo Nuevo-- it did include a window in each room and had mosquito netting available. Bathroom facilities were available in the owner's house-- no clue where that was.
After returning to Green Lodge, we discussed the pros and cons of each place and were invited to think our decision over.
Thursday we visited Pueblo Nuevo
Two or our goals met, we traveled on Thursday to the small villages that had been previously selected by the co-ordinator. Pueblo Nuevo is about an hour away from Pearl Lagoon via Panga. And Orinoco island is about 30 minutes from Pearl Lagoon.
This time we had to hire our own transportation because there is no regular panga service to either of these areas (that tells you how remote they are). Yobeth arranged for our personal panga to take us traveling.
We went to the farthest community first.--Pueblo Nuevo.
This community is situated around a really high, steep hill. The only modes of transportation here are by foot and by horse.
We saw no bicycles, but I'm not sure if we did see bikes, that they could make the steep climb to the top. A cement sidewalk is available to walk on and is helpful because the ground around it is mud (and horse poop). All of a sudden (about 3/4 of the way up) the sidewalk ended and what was left to finish the climb up the hill (that seems like a mountain) was the mud mixed with poop. (Remember the rainy season came early this year)
We got to the top of the hill to find our main contact who was at training the day before. He showed us the well, the surrounding area which include a church building,
another building for refuge in natural disasters and lots of empty fields.
Some in our group have concerns about a well on the top of a hill and
they ask questions about the amount of water pumped out in one day. We were told 500 gallons a day, some doubted that.
He told us where they plan to build a place for the water filtration system and that they have plans to put an electric pump on the well. The well was measured at 46 feet deep with 6 feet of water standing.
A whirl pack test was done to see if bacteria is present and a hardness test (24-25). The Whirl pack test must have 24 hours for bacteria to grow and develop, and Yobeth will check with them via phone on Friday.
A side note here, after talking to the "water committee"(interested community members) we learn that they all have phones, but not all have water or electricity in their houses. The small stores- in the front of various residences-- offer phone charging for a fee. One of the larger stores sold hand-made tack and saddles for the horses.
We moved to someone's house, where we sat in the shade of a tree and asked the questions we needed to ask to find out if they could sustain a water system.
There are maintenance costs and operator's salary to consider. We got the impression that most of the commerce in the area was of the barter type. (Our discussion later with Father Tony, Catholic priest/missionary, gave us a better understanding of the financial standing of the community) These people desperately want and need the water system, but we were concerned if they had the resources available to be able to sell the bottled water to keep the facility functioning without subsidy. Their main question of us is when will we know, so we can begin constructing the building for the filtration system.
We asked them where a group of 5-7 of us could stay for a week and where we could eat while there. They showed a place (I got no pictures, cuz it was not lit and the only illumination was through the boards in the walls. There were 6-7 rooms with a bed in each, no window, no electricity, no water-- just a room. They said they would cook for us at the church, but there would be a charge. We saw no bathroom facilities, but I am sure they exist.
An interesting very primitive place
We went to the farthest community first.--Pueblo Nuevo.
This community is situated around a really high, steep hill. The only modes of transportation here are by foot and by horse.
We got to the top of the hill to find our main contact who was at training the day before. He showed us the well, the surrounding area which include a church building,
A whirl pack test was done to see if bacteria is present and a hardness test (24-25). The Whirl pack test must have 24 hours for bacteria to grow and develop, and Yobeth will check with them via phone on Friday.
A side note here, after talking to the "water committee"(interested community members) we learn that they all have phones, but not all have water or electricity in their houses. The small stores- in the front of various residences-- offer phone charging for a fee. One of the larger stores sold hand-made tack and saddles for the horses.
We moved to someone's house, where we sat in the shade of a tree and asked the questions we needed to ask to find out if they could sustain a water system.
We asked them where a group of 5-7 of us could stay for a week and where we could eat while there. They showed a place (I got no pictures, cuz it was not lit and the only illumination was through the boards in the walls. There were 6-7 rooms with a bed in each, no window, no electricity, no water-- just a room. They said they would cook for us at the church, but there would be a charge. We saw no bathroom facilities, but I am sure they exist.
An interesting very primitive place
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| a family residence in Pueblo Nuevo |
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Wednesday-- Training Day
A little background for what we were to accomplish on Wednesday. Living Water for the World's water systems in Nicaragua are divided by distance and direction.
The first sites were in the west where there is more infrastructure and much more population. The facilities in the east of the country- Caribbean coast- are newer and in much more primitive areas. There are almost no roads existing between the east and west with transportation mainly by bus on very undeveloped roadways, by small aircraft, or by water taxi. Our trips in-country take us about 1 1/2 to 2 days to make connections to get to the eastern part of the country.
Our goal is to "re-fresh" the original training for the operators/ teachers who live in the eastern part of the country-- there are 6 systems- some are new and some have been in existence for awhile. One of them is the highest producer of bottled water in all of Nica. Last year's re-training was handled by a Nicaraguan employee of Living Water (LWW) and we were told that he lectured the participants for 2 days and no one learned much. So our goal is to engage them, answering their questions, listening to their concerns and hopefully giving them a bit of new information to make their jobs easier.
We also had participants from 2 potential water installation sites who desperately want and need a system in their community.
We had 37 participants from these 8 communities some traveling for many hours to attend. One man missed his boat at the end of the training and had to wait til the next morning to return home. This does not seem to be a big deal for Nicaraguans because time is not nearly as important to them as it is to us.
I mentioned that we had heavy rain all night Monday night/Tuesday morning before traveling to Kukra Hill, Tuesday night/Wed. morning was WORSE. Heavy rain knocked the electricity out. Our water in our rooms depends on a very high tank (gravity fed to our rooms) which in turn depends on an electric pump to keep it full.
No electricity, no refill of the tank. No electricity, no A/C, no lights , but thankfully the kitchen which prepares our breakfast had a gas stove and bottled water, even tho the refrigerator was not functioning.
I had culled my stuff the night before, only hauling the teaching materials I planned on using for my newly shortened lesson time of 45 min. When the teaching bag was full as I put it in my suitcase before leaving, it weighed 17.5 #'s. It was a pleasure not to have to carry all the stuff to training, cuz we were walking and had to stop by the tienda to get cookies (biscuits) for snacking at the training.
We stopped by this store on the way to setting up for the training. 6 packages of various kinds of American cookies were bought at this store. Note the really high shelves with a ladder for accessing everything. This is the front part of someone's house.
As we got to the training site, we realized that no electricity was available there either. It is a large building with shutters to keep the rain out (yep it was still raining) and one light bulb which would not have been much help if it had been on.
Part of the plan for the beginning of the meeting was to show (in English and Spanish) LWW videos describing the filtration system and w/o electricity, a generator was turned on (LOUD). Interestingly enough, with the generator on, the outlets in the building worked and many people tried to charge their phones. Taking turns, I think all got that chore accomplished. The video was played, not sure everyone could hear it because of the generator and the hard rain on the metal roof, but they seemed attentive. I did my presentation next (and no, I didn't take any pics of me doing my thing, others did, but they haven't sent me their pictures)
I had to speak loudly enough to be heard over the generator and the rain. We had a good amount of participation- both in English and Spanish-- and yes the translator was doing double duty. Explaining to the Spanish speakers what I had said and explaining to English speakers, what the question was. We got thru it, handed out the posters I mentioned earlier, and answered questions about how and when to use the water. We had to talk about priorities-- if they had all the clean water they wanted (as we do) they would not have to make the kind of choices necessary, but with 5 gal of water choices would be necessary. If I had provided twice as many posters, it would not have been enough. I got the feeling that some were seeing them for the first time. One man asked if I had more, that he wanted to post them in the stores that are water dealers for his system. He took the ones I had posted on the wall as a demonstration.
After my presentation, the group was given a break and they hit the cookies. Some folks had left home at 5 to get here by 9 and they were hungry. The six packages of Chips Ahoy and other cookies were gone in no time.
The rest of the time before lunch was spent talking about maintenance of the system, filter problems, and just general questions.
Our co-ordinator had ordered lunch for everyone and they settled down in their chairs to eat beans and rice with chicken. Our sweet translator who was responsible for the actual ordering of the food, got special meals for "the Americans". We had barbecued chicken/ mashed potatoes, etc. We told her next time just order the same for us that everyone else had.
After lunch each system was given a set of"whirl packs" which are used for testing the bacteria in the filtered water.
A demonstration was staged to let participants do the test for themselves.
A representative from the local Health Department was requested to attend to explain the legal requirements needed for the department certification. He agreed to attend, but failed to show up.
Each of the participants received a new LWW tee shirt as a bonus for attending. Our shirts are white with a swirly pattern on the back, the new ones are much nicer- blue with children on the front.
I was sitting outside my room after training and was engaged in conversation by a man who had been hanging around the Green Lodge for a couple of days. He told me all about being forced into joining the Nicaraguan army at the age of 15 (hard to guess his age now- he's had a hard life) He wanted out of the army, so he shot himself in the foot (literally) and he showed me the scar. He doesn't have a job, but he makes bracelets and necklaces from seeds. Yep, I bought one for $5. I heard later that the Lodge owner tried to run him off cus he was asking his clients of the Lodge for $$$.
When I checked my clothes I noticed I must have sat on something muddy during the day (not surprising). I washed the pants off w/ soap wrung them out and humg them up. They were completely dry within hours, with no trace of mud and not at all wrinkled. I love Columbia clothing.
After a successful day we walked to "Best View" restaurant for supper. I had Pollo de la Plancha, fried plantains (hard and dry) and cucumber/tomato salad w/ Italian dressing. And it truly was a wonderful view-- my picture doesn't do it justice.
Rain was off and on all day and by the evening, it was not raining. The electricity was back on when we returned to Green Lodge.
Nick called me each night we were here-
I was having trouble getting a phone call through, but he was surprised with the clarity of the call. I explained that directly behind the Green Lodge is a huge cell tower.
Tomorrow we travel to Pueblo Nuevo and Orinoco island to find out next installation place.
Our goal is to "re-fresh" the original training for the operators/ teachers who live in the eastern part of the country-- there are 6 systems- some are new and some have been in existence for awhile. One of them is the highest producer of bottled water in all of Nica. Last year's re-training was handled by a Nicaraguan employee of Living Water (LWW) and we were told that he lectured the participants for 2 days and no one learned much. So our goal is to engage them, answering their questions, listening to their concerns and hopefully giving them a bit of new information to make their jobs easier.
We also had participants from 2 potential water installation sites who desperately want and need a system in their community.
We had 37 participants from these 8 communities some traveling for many hours to attend. One man missed his boat at the end of the training and had to wait til the next morning to return home. This does not seem to be a big deal for Nicaraguans because time is not nearly as important to them as it is to us.
I mentioned that we had heavy rain all night Monday night/Tuesday morning before traveling to Kukra Hill, Tuesday night/Wed. morning was WORSE. Heavy rain knocked the electricity out. Our water in our rooms depends on a very high tank (gravity fed to our rooms) which in turn depends on an electric pump to keep it full.No electricity, no refill of the tank. No electricity, no A/C, no lights , but thankfully the kitchen which prepares our breakfast had a gas stove and bottled water, even tho the refrigerator was not functioning.
I had culled my stuff the night before, only hauling the teaching materials I planned on using for my newly shortened lesson time of 45 min. When the teaching bag was full as I put it in my suitcase before leaving, it weighed 17.5 #'s. It was a pleasure not to have to carry all the stuff to training, cuz we were walking and had to stop by the tienda to get cookies (biscuits) for snacking at the training.
 |
| Yobeth our translator, standing |
I had to speak loudly enough to be heard over the generator and the rain. We had a good amount of participation- both in English and Spanish-- and yes the translator was doing double duty. Explaining to the Spanish speakers what I had said and explaining to English speakers, what the question was. We got thru it, handed out the posters I mentioned earlier, and answered questions about how and when to use the water. We had to talk about priorities-- if they had all the clean water they wanted (as we do) they would not have to make the kind of choices necessary, but with 5 gal of water choices would be necessary. If I had provided twice as many posters, it would not have been enough. I got the feeling that some were seeing them for the first time. One man asked if I had more, that he wanted to post them in the stores that are water dealers for his system. He took the ones I had posted on the wall as a demonstration.
After my presentation, the group was given a break and they hit the cookies. Some folks had left home at 5 to get here by 9 and they were hungry. The six packages of Chips Ahoy and other cookies were gone in no time.
The rest of the time before lunch was spent talking about maintenance of the system, filter problems, and just general questions.
Our co-ordinator had ordered lunch for everyone and they settled down in their chairs to eat beans and rice with chicken. Our sweet translator who was responsible for the actual ordering of the food, got special meals for "the Americans". We had barbecued chicken/ mashed potatoes, etc. We told her next time just order the same for us that everyone else had.
After lunch each system was given a set of"whirl packs" which are used for testing the bacteria in the filtered water.
A representative from the local Health Department was requested to attend to explain the legal requirements needed for the department certification. He agreed to attend, but failed to show up.
Each of the participants received a new LWW tee shirt as a bonus for attending. Our shirts are white with a swirly pattern on the back, the new ones are much nicer- blue with children on the front.
I was sitting outside my room after training and was engaged in conversation by a man who had been hanging around the Green Lodge for a couple of days. He told me all about being forced into joining the Nicaraguan army at the age of 15 (hard to guess his age now- he's had a hard life) He wanted out of the army, so he shot himself in the foot (literally) and he showed me the scar. He doesn't have a job, but he makes bracelets and necklaces from seeds. Yep, I bought one for $5. I heard later that the Lodge owner tried to run him off cus he was asking his clients of the Lodge for $$$.
When I checked my clothes I noticed I must have sat on something muddy during the day (not surprising). I washed the pants off w/ soap wrung them out and humg them up. They were completely dry within hours, with no trace of mud and not at all wrinkled. I love Columbia clothing.
 |
| The moon over Pearl Lagoon |
Rain was off and on all day and by the evening, it was not raining. The electricity was back on when we returned to Green Lodge.
Nick called me each night we were here-
Tuesday- The Rainy season began early this year.
We waited, and waited (we had originally planned to leave around 8), but didn't finally begin our trip til 11 or so, when our driver deemed the roads to be passable. The pictures show the road and the land under water surrounding the road.
We arrived at the water building in Kukra Hill about noon, looked the facility over and noticed some physical improvements. The floors are now tiled over the concrete, a partial wall was built between the bottling station and the front sales area (health department mandated) and a cover was added over the outside washing station. The facility is clean and was working well when we were there. The main change is the new personnel who are working there.
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| Operator in protective gear |
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| Bottle washing station, still no sink |
After watching the operators in action, we invited the pastor Arron to lunch at his sister-in-law's new cafe. We talked to him about the success of the operation and he assured us that all was working well, even though the original operators had left. One of the operators, Sugey Hunter is training to work in a new bank in K. H., but she will continue doing the monthly reports. The other operator, Egen had gone to Managua to be with an injured friend and doesn't know if he'll be back or not. By the way, I had a chicken quesadilla and it was excellent (service was pitifully slow, but food very good).
Having satisfied our first goal of the trip, to check in on the Kukra Hill facility, we were satisfied that things were going well. We reminded Aaron that the operators should attend the Pearl Lagoon re-training tomorrow to have questions answered.
Driving out of town, I noticed an entire family of 5 on a motor scooter. I guess folks make do however they can.
We drove back to Pearl Lagoon and the Green Lodge, where we talked about our plans for the next day's training.
I had originally been told to prepare to do "re-training" for Health and Hygiene for half a day (3.5-4 hours) while the operators would retrain on the system maintenance and water testing. The co-ordinator of this event decided all the people attending should get some Health and Hygiene training since many of the systems had slighted H and H training during the original installation. Therefore we did not divide into 2 groups, but stayed together as a group and my time allotment was changed from 3+ hours to 45 minutes.
Needless to say, I had to prioritize my plans and choose the most important areas on which to focus. In preparation of the trip, I had gathered household items to use for activities and was planning on combining some of the Bible stories with other activities. Most of these plans had to go by the wayside.
One valuable preparation was to print and laminate the posters which describe how to use the clean water and when to wash hands. These posters have colorful pictures and are available in English and Spanish. I put the English and Spanish back to back and laminated each set. I prepared 30 copies of each of the two important posters. Then I did the same process with the list of instructions covering how to care for the 5 gal bottles in which the clean water is sold. I did the laminating at home in preparation for this training and with the way the shortened time turned out, I spent most of my teaching time going over these posters and asking the participants about the information they contained. More about the actual training later.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Monday- water travel.- and Never so glad to ride an elderly school bus.
After our plane ride to Blue Fields we made our way to the Moravian church where we were to meet our Richmond, Va. partners. We stayed there awhile and they were kind enough to allow us to leave our luggage (and boxes of filters) there while we went for lunch at Pelican's right by the wharf.
The plan was to get the 4 o clock panga (water taxi), hoping that our Va. friends would be there to ride with us. As we had lunch our friend/ co-ordinator and translator Yobeth Hebberth joined us. She had been to the wharf and put our names on the list for reservations. (which we later discovered means NOTHING). After lunch, we went back to the church while Yobeth checked on the panga. She got back to us with the information that the 4 o clock boat had left at 3:15-- she then put our names on the list for the last panga of the day scheduled to leave at 4:30. We walked with our luggage and filter boxes to the wharf to discover that the 4:30 panga had left at 3:45.
We had been trying to contact the guys from Virginia via text, e-mail, and phone to no avail. Yobeth talked to a man who was taking a panga to Kukra Hill (we were headed to Pearl Lagoon) and he told her he'd deliver his passengers to K H and then take us to Pearl Lagoon (where Yobeth lives). We paid our 110 Cordobas each and got on this panga, feeling fortunate and grateful to the driver and Yobeth.
We arrived at Kukra Hill at twilight and he announced that he was not going any further. (He had no intention of taking us to Pearl Lagoon, but just wanted our money ) We got off the boat in the dark with our luggage, etc and wondered where to go and what to do. Just then Yobeth heard "the bus" coming toward us. She figures the panga driver felt guilty and called the bus driver to pick us up. Yes, the bus was going to Pearl Lagoon and we got on, again grateful.
Let me describe the bus ride-- it is an OLD school bus-- I'm guessing 20 years past its prime. No shocks and EVERYTHING rattled. There's no picture of it cuz it was absolutely dark and I wasn't getting off for any reason. I tried to write in my notes while on the bus, but after I'd written something, it was unreadable.
Tried to text, but phone bounced so much I couldn't write there, either. The bus was far from full and it stopped every 7-10 minutes to let someone off (a farm worker going home, or a worker going to a night job), or let someone on. The trip took 1 hour and 35 minutes and were were entertained with very loud country music from the 50's, 60's.&70's At least the seat cushions weren't completely flat. The "road" was full of large rocks and the driver swerved from side to side to avoid them.
When we finally arrived at Green Lodge in Pearl Lagoon, our Virginia partners were there. They were told that we'd gotten the 4 o clock boat (our names were on the list), so they took the 4:30 one. I asked why they hadn't answered our texts, calls, etc and they assured me that they hadn't received them.
Green lodge is a family run hotel with 8-10 rooms. It is well landscaped, well cared for and very friendly. The piping for each room's water was interesting and efficient if the electricity was on. When it was off, water was not pumped back into the tank when it was depleted. Breakfast was provided if requested. The first and second mornings breakfast was eggs cooked with peppers, tomatoes, etc, coconut bread, watermelon, cantaloupe, bright yellow butter, guava jelly and red beans. Really good.
The third day our breakfast was oatmeal and bread with jelly with melons.
The plan was to get the 4 o clock panga (water taxi), hoping that our Va. friends would be there to ride with us. As we had lunch our friend/ co-ordinator and translator Yobeth Hebberth joined us. She had been to the wharf and put our names on the list for reservations. (which we later discovered means NOTHING). After lunch, we went back to the church while Yobeth checked on the panga. She got back to us with the information that the 4 o clock boat had left at 3:15-- she then put our names on the list for the last panga of the day scheduled to leave at 4:30. We walked with our luggage and filter boxes to the wharf to discover that the 4:30 panga had left at 3:45.
We had been trying to contact the guys from Virginia via text, e-mail, and phone to no avail. Yobeth talked to a man who was taking a panga to Kukra Hill (we were headed to Pearl Lagoon) and he told her he'd deliver his passengers to K H and then take us to Pearl Lagoon (where Yobeth lives). We paid our 110 Cordobas each and got on this panga, feeling fortunate and grateful to the driver and Yobeth.
We arrived at Kukra Hill at twilight and he announced that he was not going any further. (He had no intention of taking us to Pearl Lagoon, but just wanted our money ) We got off the boat in the dark with our luggage, etc and wondered where to go and what to do. Just then Yobeth heard "the bus" coming toward us. She figures the panga driver felt guilty and called the bus driver to pick us up. Yes, the bus was going to Pearl Lagoon and we got on, again grateful.
Let me describe the bus ride-- it is an OLD school bus-- I'm guessing 20 years past its prime. No shocks and EVERYTHING rattled. There's no picture of it cuz it was absolutely dark and I wasn't getting off for any reason. I tried to write in my notes while on the bus, but after I'd written something, it was unreadable.
When we finally arrived at Green Lodge in Pearl Lagoon, our Virginia partners were there. They were told that we'd gotten the 4 o clock boat (our names were on the list), so they took the 4:30 one. I asked why they hadn't answered our texts, calls, etc and they assured me that they hadn't received them.
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| From my doorway-- outside sink and shower |
The third day our breakfast was oatmeal and bread with jelly with melons.
Nicaragua- year 2-- Sunday air travel
Our mission trip for 2017 had different goals than our first trip. Our primary focus this year was to check on the Kukra Hill installation from last year and to investigate possible places for an installation in 2018.
We left on Sunday May 7 about noon on United Airlines headed to Houston. This is a very short flight and we had some layover time in Houston before heading to Managua, Nicaragua. We were taking 2 boxes of filters for the new supply warehouse to be established in Pearl Lagoon, so that systems could replace maintenance supplies without weeks of waiting for them to be shipped from Managua or Guatamala. Part of our contractual obligation with Kukra Hill was to provide filters for the year after installation.
We expected some hassles and extra cost when we retrieved the boxes at Nica customs, but were pleasantly surprised when we were not charged an extra amount and had no problem taking them to the hotel with us.
The hotel across the street from the airport in Nicaragua is a Best Western and is quite nice.
It has a couple of drawbacks-- the sign on the back of the bathroom door says not to drink the water (nor should you brush teeth with it) and there is no hot water (typical of Nica) Very comfortable room with A/C and it was very clean.
The breakfast buffet had melon/pineapple and an omelet chef. Cereal and rice were available as well along with FRESH juices.
We had reservations at La Costena airlines to fly to Bluefields. This experience was fascinating because we were in a teeny tiny plane- holding about 12 passengers. We were boarded by first names and the Nicaraguans have a hard time with mine. We were called by name to line up in order to get into the plane. We three chose the front seats and could have touched the pilot ( a pretty young woman not over 30 )and co-pilot also quite young.
I watched the altimeter and the other gauges, not that they meant anything to to me, but really interesting.
The pilot and co-pilot chatted and adjusted the knobs and levers, put it on auto-pilot for awhile and fiddled with phones. At one point, with the sun in their eyes, they took a car sun shield and put it over the windshield. That wasn't enough, so a piece of cardboard was wedged in by the existing sun shield. We noticed a large road being constructed down below. This was discussed further in our trip as a road connecting the east with the west of Nicaragua and is expected to bring large changes to the eastern part of the country.
As we deplaned, a woman in a nurses whites uniform was holding an electronic device up to each traveler, taking their temperature. I am guessing that if a person's temp was high, they might be quarantined or sent back. Glad I didn't have to find out.
We got a taxi (they are everywhere and usually quite reasonable) to the central Moravian church and waited for our partners from Virginia who were traveling via Miami.
We left on Sunday May 7 about noon on United Airlines headed to Houston. This is a very short flight and we had some layover time in Houston before heading to Managua, Nicaragua. We were taking 2 boxes of filters for the new supply warehouse to be established in Pearl Lagoon, so that systems could replace maintenance supplies without weeks of waiting for them to be shipped from Managua or Guatamala. Part of our contractual obligation with Kukra Hill was to provide filters for the year after installation.
We expected some hassles and extra cost when we retrieved the boxes at Nica customs, but were pleasantly surprised when we were not charged an extra amount and had no problem taking them to the hotel with us.
The hotel across the street from the airport in Nicaragua is a Best Western and is quite nice.
We had reservations at La Costena airlines to fly to Bluefields. This experience was fascinating because we were in a teeny tiny plane- holding about 12 passengers. We were boarded by first names and the Nicaraguans have a hard time with mine. We were called by name to line up in order to get into the plane. We three chose the front seats and could have touched the pilot ( a pretty young woman not over 30 )and co-pilot also quite young.
I watched the altimeter and the other gauges, not that they meant anything to to me, but really interesting.
As we deplaned, a woman in a nurses whites uniform was holding an electronic device up to each traveler, taking their temperature. I am guessing that if a person's temp was high, they might be quarantined or sent back. Glad I didn't have to find out.
We got a taxi (they are everywhere and usually quite reasonable) to the central Moravian church and waited for our partners from Virginia who were traveling via Miami.
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