Xelaju

Hey ya’ll
Im writing from our hostel in Xela which actually has wifi haha big deal for me! Kevin and I are taking break as we did a lot of work this week. We completed four stoves in two different communities this week, Quexlemu and Ixmolcol. The stoves take two days of six hour work to complete. We were able to complete the ones we started last week and start one new one. We also started work on a prototype for a steam shower using the stoves we are building. We are using the heat generated by the stoves to heat a serpentina (basically a coil of metal pipes) full of water which then runs to shower on the farm. So far we have encountered a lot of leaks, but I think by next week will have it working.
Things are pretty routine in Comintancillo, but we have still had some interesting things happen. From what I have learned Comintancillo is the bolo capital of the word. Bolo’s are drunk Guatemalans, really drunk Guatemalans. I thought I had seen what truly wasted was (especially at Dayton), but they take it to a whole new level. When we walk into to town at seven am to catch a bus we see at least 4 or 5 bolos passed out in the street. It’s worse when they are awake though. Bolos love to harass gringos, they usually can barely walk and point at us and yell in-audible Spanish. It has happened several times but one particular time in Ixmoloco is worth telling. We were walking to pick up wood from a house down the road from where we were working and we here someone yell hey you. A Guatemalan reeking of liquor jumps out and proceeds to hug Kevin, Justin and I. He followed us to the house stumbling and tried to help us carry the wood literally ripping it out of our hands, then he followed us to the site we were working. He knew about 5 things in English, most of them curse words and just kept repeating them. He had followed for at least 30 minutes and he at one time asked what time it was. That’s when it hit me, it was 10 am! I thought to myself, jeez when did u start drinking 6 am?!
While that situation is laughable, it’s also troubling. I have also learned Comintancillo is the poorest municipality in Guatemala (the second poorest Latin American country) with 95 % of its inhabitants below the poverty line. These bolo’s, mostly men, waste away what little money they have on alcohol, while their wifes, who because of machismo don’t usually work, try to make due with 5 kids, no money, and a farm to run. Its honestly scary and pathetic.
On a more positive note we were able to visit the families who had been using their new stoves for a couple weeks. While some are still not using them correctly, the overall consensus from them is that the kitchen air is clearer and they are using less wood. This means that the stoves are doing their job.
We are spending today and tomorrow in Xela. We will most likely work on things on the farm, fixing the steam shower as well as our host family’s stove. We are planning to climb Volcano Tajumulco at the end of the week. The volcano is the highest point in Central America, and on a clear morning you can usually see the Pacific and the Caribbean. It’s a two day hike and the peak elevation 14,500 feet. This is the first large mountain climb I have done, so say some prayers for me!
Also last week I did see the Quetzal, but only the female; the males are the vibrant ones. Still pretty cool experience, I had never been in the heart of a jungle before (I had about 25 mosquito bites though, no malaria yet!)
Thats it for now, I hope everyone is enjoying their summers! Adios.