Solar Lights, clean water, and Isreali Assault rifles

So...the Peru Navy escorted us to two villages today. Their boat had 3 times more power and cut through the water much better, so they had to keep it at half throttle so that we could keep up. In addition to the boat crew they sent a Navy 1st officer as an armed escort.

I didn´t immedieately recognize the type of assault rifle he was carrying, so in pidgin spanish english and hand signs I asked who made it. It was a Galil, an Isreali assault rifle which has a very good reputation. I asked him if I could hold it just to feel how balanced it would be in my hands. I expected him to remove the magazine, but he handed it to me with the 30 plus round magazine. I got a real cool picture of it too! He was a big hearted guy and I made sure to tell his commander what a great job he had done in hopes that the kudos would make it worth sweating in the jungle with us.

Our first village was Gran Peru, and the mayor is an ex Navy officer. His village was in such GREAT order and his people really respected him. They were very excited about the solar lights and he told us and his people that we were a gift to them from God. All his councelors were very smart as well. They were very happy to get the solar lights and the water filters that we brought that last for 7 years. No possibility for hydro from fast moving water. That makes me think I need to do a paddle wheel with very large diameter windings and let the thing raise up and down with the Amazon as seaons change, on pontoons. I don´t know else to make it happen.

The next village was something like Saguna Pima zona, lots of other things were not right, but about a half mile away was a fast moving river. I got all excited because I could HEAR the rapids before I saw it. I knew ,from that sound alone, that I would likely get electricity from it. Upon seeing it, I verified that hunch. Because I only had a hand level and tape measure I wasn´t equipped to get the accuracy I need to measure the elevation change. We were also well into the jungle and you were either in the water or in the jungle, so getting a complete visual was not easy. But I do know it was very likely what I need. The only PROBLEM is that during 2 months a year the water is TWELVE feet higher than normal. I cannot explain how difficult it will be to manage that. But Kizzy put forth a good possible fix. The thick jungle will make it extremely difficult to do a decent survey, so I´ll come back with a transit and elevation rod along with some hip waders.

The people in this village really loved the solar lamps and decided on the project of creating a pig farm out of the 7 options we gave them. When they heard about us overseeing the development their eyes opened wide because nobody had ever given them the guidance they needed with any donations or gift projects. That would always end in failure becuase they didn´t have the knowledge or management abilities to have success.

Tomorrow we will go to more villages and also a monkey reserve and a butterfly reserve. Then Wednesday we fly back to Lima and Thursday night fly home to Denver.

I´m a little (or a lot) sad to leave these people, the are so loving and so honest it is so refreshing. I want to fix their electric generation problems before I leave, not leave and bring their problems with me. Plus I am going to have a million questions that will be much more difficult to get answers for when I am 10,000 miles away from here.

I could spend another 3 days surveying that stream in Saguna Prima Zona, by itself. In each village I was looking for a guru to train up to be able to repair and maintain whatever power generation I bring there. Once the villagers tell me who their fix it guy is (henry), I ask him to explain what he knows about hooking up batteries and how current works. These people aren´t dumb, I just need to know what I´m working with. He explains about hooking up positive and negative side and not allowing the wires to touch so that they don´t arc. I will have more questions for him later, but he´s my guy for now.

I could work every day but Sunday for the next 10 years and still have more people to help. It bums me out to leave this problem open ended.

But I KNOW this is what I am supposed to be doing, too many miraculous things have happened that allow our foundations to work in Peru. Too many times we have met the exact right person who has the information we need, who gets us more help and more opportunity. I think that the Peruvian military in Iquitos bending over backwards to help us speaks volumes to that.

More to follow.

Casey