Amazon Pueblo Blog: Eye infection in the Amazon and project update

Things are going well, but it is –at times- uncomfortable for living conditions. We have not had significant rain for the past two weeks, so all of the rainwater for drinking is almost gone. Even the project’s 2,000 liter tank is running on fumes. Other families also use our tank when they really need drinking water. I have heard that some villagers are resorting to drinking river water. Not a wise thing to do considering the high concentration of parasites that call the water, and the people who drink it, their homes.

Almost empty water tank

The project’s structures are also taking a beating. We have structural rot in the kitchen and bathroom due to water splashes from roof water run-off. Inside the kitchen the walls are rotting around the sink, as the countertop is improperly angled. The screens on the guest house are rotting and broken, which helped to add more itchy bug bites to the hundreds that I already have.

Rot due to rain splatter. After board replacement, an enlarged roof will help the problem.

Sanitation is also an issue. The thatched roof is home to many (I am reluctant to guess or investigate the actual number) defecating cockroaches. Large jungle rats hunt and eat the cockroaches. Then the rats poop out the digested roaches. And where does all this defecation go? It goes to everything below the roof, which includes me. Little bits of the thatch also decompose and fall. I believe all of these factors helped to contribute to my bothersome eye infection (more on this later).

The ceiling. A home to cockroaches and nocturnal jungle rats!

But that is enough complaining about maintenance and sanitary conditions. What are we doing to address the issues? Next week we are going to put a rat-free metal roof on the guest house, the bathroom, AND the kitchen (due to a drop in the price of metal roofing, we are able to replace all roofs). We will deep-clean the buildings, put in new resistant aluminum wire screens, start to repair the rot, paint everything, and maybe even put a comfortable toilet into the bathroom! These things should help with a lot of the sanitation problems.

Screen rot

Other project news:

The entire village is motivated to go forward with the project (a major task by itself).
The dock that we started building last March looks really good and is ready for “phase two”. Depending on funding this may include building a small store and seating on part of the dock.

The current walkway
The village chief and I had very productive meetings about projects with the state and national government this week in Leticia. Basically the village needs to supply at least 10% of each project’s costs, all of the labor (or pay for specialized labor), and to complete each project in phases with the rounds of funding corresponding to each project phase. To apply for each project we must submit all plans, costs, timelines, and who and how many people will benefit. Projects:

A much more expensive and well-build pier system than originally planned

People looking at the site of our pier and walkway.
Drilling a deep well
Rebuilding and upgrading the village water filtration system
Further dock developments
Developing a village recycling system
Improvements in agricultural production
Traditional fishing development and improved technique
Beekeeping
The beginning stages for aquaculture
The beginning stages for cacao production
Rice production

I believe the time is rapidly approaching for the village to begin talking about the problem of open defecation. We need toilets for all. However, this can be a complicated and messy situation. How “green” do we want to go? I believe that composting human waste is the answer.
This week I learned, to my surprise, that the village has not yet incorporated. It is not an officially recognized Colombian village. What this means I have yet to discover. It seems that being a legalized village would only be in the peoples’ best interest. However, the old chief told me that there is some resistance to doing this. I believe that the resistance comes from not knowing the proper way to become legalized. The paperwork and steps needed seem overwhelming. But paperwork is one of the things at which I excel. The village WILL become official.
The Peruvian government is hosting a trading convention in Leticia this Thursday, November 20. We expect the village cooperative to enter into our first international business contract! We hope to sell agricultural products, fish, and handcrafts. I will give an update about this in next week’s blog post.
On Friday the 21st my sister Crystal and her friend are coming to visit the project. This is their first trip to Colombia. Our father and other sister, Rose, visited Bogota in 2005.
I am happy with our progress during my first two weeks in the Amazon.

And more news:


Appointment cost $12. Wait time without a scheduled appointment was 15 minutes.

Anyone for drugs? Read about whatever problem you have, go in and buy drugs. Be you own doctor!

EYE INFECTION. Last week I noticed a bit of blurriness and irritation in my right eye. I did not examine my eye, as there are very few mirrors in the village. When I got around to shaving I noticed it was very red and swollen. You might say pink, as in pink eye, which it was. I have had conjunctivitis three times before, but this was the worst case I have ever had. I believe it came from a combination of the stress of moving around a lot in Colombia, the pressures of the project, the extreme heat and humidity, the lack of sanitary conditions in the village, and the constant stream of rat-dropping falling into the house from our thatched roof every night. Luckily, the next morning I had a trip planned to Leticia. In Leticia people with money may buy any drug normally available only by prescription in the United States. The exceptions to this are narcotic class drugs like heavy pain-killers or amphetamines. I picked up some antibiotic eye drops and started dropping away. The next day I looked up what I was taking on the internet and found that it contained steroids, which I did not want to take due to their side effects. To make a long story short, I ended up trying three different drops and to a visit to an optometrist. I am now taking Cipro-based drops. I paid $9 for the eye drops and $12 for the doctor’s office visit. (I also found a good anti-allergy mast cell stabilizer drops for $5 per bottle). While I do have traveler insurance with World Nomad Travelers (highly recommended) I did not file a claim. This bout of conjunctivitis has been exceptionally difficult to control, but I believe I now have the upper hand.

Pink Eye

There is a new coffee shop in town. It is called Punto Café (Coffee Spot). It is run by a very nice young woman named Adriana. She speaks English and Spanish. She opened the shop, located on one of the main streets of Leticia, four months ago. She serves espresso, cappuccino, lattes, regular coffee, juices, and an assortment of pastries baked on location. Adriana also has a love of Turkish food –serving the only Kibbes in town. Why the interest in this little restaurant? Before the arrival of Adriana I could not buy a good cup of coffee in Leticia. I had the plan, if we ever had an Amazon Pueblo office in Leticia, to invest in an expensive machine and serve good coffee. If I spent the time looking through the city for a descent cup of coffee, I’m sure other have as well. Adriana said she is interested in forming a partnership with the project. I will set up an English Facebook page for her, and she will have the project’s brochures in her shop.

Punto Cafe!

Adriana
I am planning a visit to San Francisco (Amazonas) to get a detailed view of their cacao production operations. They are located about one hour upriver from La Libertad by speedboat. The president of the operations, Arcesio Rendon, is from inland Colombia, but has been living in Leticia for over 10 years. They have 10,000 trees in production. However, they have many problems with the fermentation process needed to make a good chocolate. Currently their chocolate is bitter and tasteless. Gustavo (from La Libertad) described it as tasting like bitter dirty water with sugar added. Arcesio recently received a government grant to improve their production. I am curious to see how things are going and to make suggestions regarding quality improvements.

Arcesio. If this business venture does not work out, his plan B is to move back in with his mom.