So I spent August 31 - September 8th in Ecuador as a volunteer with Engineers Without Borders (EWB). A few days were spent in Quito but the bulk was spent in an indigenous Quechua community called Tingo Pucará. They live in the high lands (Tingo Pucará means, approximately, "small lookout hill" and it's part of the Andes) and have very limited access to potable water. EWB installed a rainwater catchment system last year that they use frequently, but otherwise their choices include a spring at the bottom of the mountain (900+ feet down!), some distribution lines from neighboring Guangaje that run less than an hour a month (significant letdown), or some other water pools around the region. Except for the distribution system, which barely counts, none of these sources are protected and so are most likely contaminated with fecal matter from the roaming cows, sheep and llamas. We were there to test their soil, map where a water pumping system would go, get solar and wind data, and generally investigate how we would pull off this project. It was very cold and we were working all the time, but the views were incredible and the people were so happy to have us. A small selection of why it was amazing (also including the potato soup, which we had for every meal, every day):
Choosing just a few pictures has been difficult, but you can see more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/30911243@N00/sets/72157624853787201/ and http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=2425582&id=11316215&fbid=802938497764&ref=mf. It was a great trip and although I got really sick on the way back, I'm glad I went.
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