A band plays music in the main square of Antigua near Parque Central

Dave S., John, Nicki, and Dave H. in Antigua before heading out to Nebaj the following morning

Diego (right) chats with two of the community leaders in Sumal Grande.

The Queen of Sumal Grande bus makes the multi-hour, twisty drive from Sumal Grande to Nebaj every morning before sunrise, and returns to Sumal Grande each afternoon. This is the primary way to get to the much bigger town of Nebaj to sell or purchase items at its large market.

John, Dave H., and Nicki from Travel Team 1 this year pose with Diego Ramirez of ACCMARI and four residents of Sumal Grande who are part of the community’s water committee.

The mayor of Sumal Grande, Diego, and Dave H. work together to identify changes that had previously been made to the water distribution system. They draw the new construction on RMP’s as-built drawings (always bring a hard copy!).

The team reviews design changes while curious children watch.

A new, larger tank (right) has been constructed next to RMP’s tank, but the new tank is empty and has not been connected to the system.

More children gather to watch John and Dave S. review the system drawings.

Opening one of the storage tanks. Good news—it was full!

Surveying in this steep mountain terrain can be difficult. Diego uses an Abney level to determine the angle of slope to the next point, while Dave H. uses an EDM (Electronic Distance Measuring) device to measure the distance to the next point.

Dave S. stops to meet and pose with a horse.

Nicki pauses for a selfie to capture the beautiful view in the mountains.

There’s never a lack of friendly dogs that want to come along for a day’s work.

Nicki loves Guatemala’s “chicken buses” as much as Jeff does. They’re always so beautifully decked out, and every one is different.

The mayor of Xexuxcap and Dave S. pose for a photo. The mayor is a very fun and friendly man to work with.

Travel Team 2 stops for breakfast with our regular driver on the long drive from Antigua to Nebaj.

Many people in Xexuxcap showed up to help machete a path for the conduction line.

David W. gets in on the trench digging action.

Laying the pipe can be tricky work and takes many hands.

This cute little girl was so curious about what our team was up to.

This float valve inside one of the water storage tanks works just like the one in a standard toilet tank. Water flows into the tank until the float moves up enough to close the valve.

Mixing concrete to build up the walls of a tank.

Diego, Nicki, and Diego’s wife pose in traditional Ixil clothing. The women almost always wear red skirts embroidered with different accent patterns, along with beautifully embroidered shirts and long wrap-around belts (handy for storing your smartphone!). The men more commonly wear dress clothes, but might wear the traditional red and black jacket for a formal occasion such a church. One of Diego’s daughters, Wilma, offered to dress Nicki up in traditional clothing for this photo.

Beautiful view of Xexuxcap from up above.