The week in Pueblo Nuevo

Benino and Palo - two of the Pueblo Nuevo water committee

My focus this week shifted to my 2^nd service site of Pueblo Nuevo, over the border in Darien Province. Crossing that border is just about like entering another country. Because of all the activity from Columbian rebels (FARC) and drug traffic, the border is heavily patrolled by the Panama National Police – the remnants of the Army, before it was disbanded after the Noriega invasion.

Darien border crossing

All vehicles are stopped and all contents searched. Passengers get off the bus and go through a “customs” line complete with questions and showing of passport or national ID card. In both directions. The only good part is that I usually get on the bus when it is standing room only and my hunched over back gets a break during the stop.

Following the water line through the jungle

Pueblo Nuevo is a mostly Kuna village. The women wear the colorful skirts (though not the full orthodox gear, which includes head cover and leg and arm beaded bracelets) and everybody is short. Architecture is mostly thatched, raised platforms, half open to the air. Many of the newer homes are built of wood walls, with tin/zinc roofs, as the thatch palm is becoming hard to find.

A new 3" waterline will replace the old one

While the Water Committee is better organized and run here, they have some issues with the system. The base problem is that there is just enough water in the dry season, but not quite enough pressure to fill their reservoir tank or operate the sand filters, which are needed to remove the silt from the water when it rains hard. Which leads to problem #2 - the sand filters have fallen into dis-use because of lack of knowledge as to their operation. We got the needed valves un-frozen and the system looks like it will work and backwash properly. But, must wait until there is more pressure on the line to really test.

8 days of rain made big changes around the cottage

Another major problem is that the 7 year old water line has been repaired so many times and has so many small leaks, that it is losing a good portion of the supply to line loss. They have started an entirely new line and run about 6 km of new 3” PVC, but are lacking the final 2 km. They have been saving the monthly water fees, but, it will be another month or two before they can finish the job.

A visit to the water intake was a trip unto itself, the path winding through thick jungle under an immense canopy to a cascade of water from a rock cliff. When the rains start in earnest (maybe a month?) there will be so much water flowing that access to the intake will be impossible. The water will also smash the “dry season” line and they will switch to another intake down-stream.

I’ll  also be working at the elementary school to make a handwash sink for the kids and do hand-wash trainings.

Some side notes:

The 8 days of rain thus far have really had a big impact around the cottage. see above

I’ve learned more than I need to know about the palm thatching methods and materials. They are having to adapt to another type of palm, as deforestation has made the traditional pal (like a FL cabbage palm) harder to find.

I’m loving the classic Panama “campo” hat. Made from the same material and weave as the aristocracy wears, but shaped differently and worn with the front brim up.

I’m finally getting the “hang” of the hammock. I watched the guys in Pueblo Nuevo rock themselves with a side rope. That gets a small breeze going, even on a wind-less day and induces a nice nap.

While Panama uses US currency, it also mints its own coins. They come in $1, .50, .25, .10, .05 and ..01. 50 cents is called a "peso", 25 cents is called a "quata" (think a guy from Boston saying quarter) and 10 cents is a "dine". Took me a while to catch on. I often see prices listed as $B, which means Dollar/Balboa. Same thing. Balboa got his face on most all the coins, despite the fact that he got beheaded (on some trumped up charge) just 8 years after making his land crossing to the Pacific.