Upon arriving at the stream, we saw how the villagers had constructed a small dam so the stream water would flow into first water-pipe. We watched as Akha women scooped water from a pool below the dam to catch small fish trapped in a pool. Another menu selection for our evening meal!
Soon our team started walking with the villager workers down slippery slopes to connect water-pipes together from the water-source. It was very difficult for our team to stay on the path and not slide down the mountain slopes, but the Akha men and women walked along this same path without any problem at all. The low overhanging jungle vegetation in some areas was a problem for our taller team members (Chuck and Mark). We were soaked in sweat due to the high heat and humidity after helping to connect water-pipe for just a short time.
At noon, Akha women brought to us in thermal containers lunch they’d prepared at the village. Karen, Pastor Bill, and Kerry took a break after lunch on “cushions” made out of banana tree leaves gathered by Akha villagers while Chuck, Mark, and some Akha men went to get more water-pipe materials.
In the afternoon, we helped the villagers connect and carry more water-pipe through the jungle. At 4:00 p.m., we were too tired to work any longer, and went back to the village in Chuck’s truck with Akha women workers while the rest of the villagers stayed to work a while longer. When the younger village men returned at 5:00 p.m., they played the combined volleyball/soccer sport of DeKraw. It was amazing how much energy they had after working with us in the jungle all day!
On Thursday morning, our team members returned with Chuck and the villagers in Chuck’s truck to the mountain water-source to watch the Akha villagers improve the initial water-tank. We learned that the Akha villagers had completed connecting the water-line through the rest of the jungle path before we got there so that it extended into an open rubber-tree field that was not far from the village. We were glad we didn’t need to work on connecting and carrying the water-pipe on the slippery mountain slopes. We worked with the villagers to extend the water-pipe through the rubber tree area to the site of the water-system filter and holding tank near the village. Progress was being made.
On Friday morning, our team members helped the Akha villagers to bring concrete forms and materials from the village in Chuck’s truck to the site cleared out on a hill next to the village where the water-system’s filter and primary holding tank would be built. The villagers had leveled the ground the previous afternoon using hoes, and concrete forms and rebar were put in place to pour the foundation and walls of the tank.
On Saturday morning, hand-mixing of concrete began by using the “volcano method” of making a mound of sand, stone, and concrete aggregate, and then pouring water into a cavity shoveled out on the top. Our team members helped to mix, carry, and tamp down the concrete that was filling in the forms.
About 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, our team members left the holding tank construction site to return to Chiang Rai with Chuck to take a hot shower at our hotel, and get rested up before returning for Sunday morning worship with the Akha villagers. Unfortunately, we were surprised to discover that the hotel was doing maintenance on its hot-water system, and we weren’t able to take a hot shower until later in the day. Despite this surprise, we enjoyed eating dinner at the hotel with food choices we were more accustomed to, and to sleep in comfortable beds without hearing bugs and other “critters” chirping and moving around during the night! It had been quite the four days of work on the clean-water system with the Akha villagers.
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