Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Week Two

 
Volcano boarding
Our first week in El Tololar ended with a trip to the beach. The contrast between the dust and wind of El Tololar and the cool ocean breeze of the Pacific Coast just outside of Leon is a great one.  On Sunday, Monica, Elliot and I climbed on a pick-up truck with 18 members of the community for a one hour trek to Cerro Negro, the active volcano that covered El Tololar and surrounding villages with volcanic ash in 1999. 

We climbed this volcano, stopping to take in the scene from the summit from a four foot wide path along the rim, which still actively smokes.  From an area dedicated by an arrow, we took off down the side of the mountain, a "New York Times" list of most extreme adventures that will note be easily forgotten! More importantly, this amazing community has taken us in as their own, allowing us to avoid tour groups and see their country through their eyes.

Truck ride to volcano

On Monday, it was an unusually busy day at the clinic. Well-needed fans were being installed in each of the clinic rooms while we saw double the amount of patients as last week. The water was also out in all of El Tololar.  This is something hard to comprehend as Monica and I plan our trip to Leon to purchase water. 

The people here do not have this luxury. They will have to resort to drinking from contaminated well water if water does not flow soon. The clinic is also out of sterile gauze and we are cutting and folding 4x4’s to sterilize in Leon, instead of running to the supply room as we do back at home.  Am I too spoiled (I hope no one answers?)

Tuesday, still no water and it’s the type of heat without wind perfect for making raisins.


Making gauze


Resting near the rim of Cerro Negro


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