It was a crazy and amazing day when so many things came together, we really couldn't believe it.
The day started off with Whitney, Porter and I back at the plumbing shops try to find a few remaining parts, or coming up with a way to make them/make do without them. We headed out to the Uros for the last time not too excited about our prospects, but ready for anything.
By this time we had a fairly good idea of what the pump should look like, but before anything happened that day we needed to take a little polar bear plunge.
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world, it is also about 10 C, or really really cold. Nevertheless it was just begging to be jumped in. So several of us obliged. Unfortunately I have zero photos of this event...but it happened...I swear.
After our cool dip we set about trying to build a pump. Throughout the day we were offered lots of helpful advice from friends and islanders alike. We were best with problems like, losing (and finding!) a knife, losing (but never recovering because it slipped into the depths of the lake) most of our pipping, and having absolutely no idea what we were doing, but in the end we got this video...
The Reed team continued showing off their welded knife and trying to fix their reed whacker motor...
The Oven team finished one oven and started a fish cooking it to prove the concept to the islanders. Meanwhile the rest of the team worked to complete more ovens with other islanders...
The Washing Machine team showed off their final prototype and fielded many questions about it. It turned out that most of the islanders expressed disappointment, because even though it was significantly cheaper than the earlier version, they had become attached to the way that the earlier version looked and didn't quite trust the new one. Interesting turn of events, no?
As the sun set we all wrapped up our projects and headed over to Nelson's island. Dora and one of her sisters sell a few trinkets so while she finished serving customers for the day some people did a little more shopping. Others played soccer with Emerson (Nelson and Dora's son) and a few of his cousins. In the end we took a group picture with the Nelson and Dora extended family.
After that we headed back to the mainland with Nelson, Dora, and their two children. Because it was now night time, during the whole ride back we enjoyed some of the most beautiful stars I have ever seen. I am not sure if it was being 7000 feet closer to the heavens, or just the fact that there are not other lights in Puno, but they were AMAZING.
Back at our hotel Nelson and Dora expressed their gratitude for all of the things that we had done over the last few days. Afterward most everyone headed to bed. Porter, Rydge, and Nelson headed out on the adventure that turned into the Miracle of the Video Camera (come back tomorrow), and Emerson had the best time entertaining himself on the elevator.
That night was a frenzy of packing and repacking trying to fit all of our things and presents into our limited luggage.
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