Back to Ulu Papar - Day Four

Day 4 - Saturday 26 November 

Today has been frustrating again! Yesterday there was a faulty screen but a functioning computer in Pongobonon and a faulty computer but functioning screen in Kalanggaan. My idea was to collect the computer from Pongobonon and install it in Kalanggaan, leaving the loan laptop (which I’ve already set up) in Pongobonon. It would be easy to replace the laptop on another site visit since Pongobonon is relatively close to the road.

It turns out that Luno had not understood this idea and so I was proudly presented with the laptop, not the PC this morning.  Getting Luno to confirm whether he’s understood and what he’s understood is pretty tricky.  I normally get a huge grin, a laugh, or he just says ‘relaax, relaaax’ which I don’t find very relaxing. We’ll try to make it work though and I’ll try to ‘realaaax’! I’ll set up the laptop here and we’ll have to go back to Pongobonon later in the week with the functioning monitor so that we can set up the PC there.

Testing the meters and practicing with the software

All-in-all we did make some good achievements this morning. We walked up to the powerhouse and intake, replaced the cooling fan in the ELC (it had stopped working) and I tried to identify if there would be a suitable site to put the water filtration system. We also set up the laptop and practiced using the software and installing the meters using the same test setup as in Pongobonon.

Doing some work to keep the route up to
the intake clear

The route up to the powerhouse and intake is not an easy one here. It involves crossing back over the strong river which had swept me off my feet yesterday as well as a few streams. Some of the vegetation needed cropping back to keep the path passable and we all found a few leeches and one dangerous snake (quickly taken care of with a parang).

The route to the intake

Picking the ripe papaya

I’m sitting on the decking again. It’s 6pm and the tapai is out again. This afternoon we got the meter properly installed, ate some fresh papaya and I went for a wash in the river. I’m feeling much more ‘relax’.