More agri-machinery and a couple of treks

Since my last post, we have submitted the designs for our paddy separator to a metalworking workshop in Ujire. They've been quite helpful in taking on the project for us despite it not being the usual type of thing they are involved with. However progress has been very slow. Seb and I had estimated that our designs could be constructed in a couple of days using some basic tools such as an arc welder and angle grinder which we know they have available.  Its now been over a week since we last visited them and there's been little progress. A phone call this morning was not particularly fruitful "yes work it has been started" *rustling sound* "but other work has come in so not done yet." *another rustling sound* "I will call you when it is complete". I think this basically means that it will be finished when its finished and calling every day won't help. Maybe we'll pop in tomorrow...

On top of that, we're having trouble with the bearings and linkage we sourced from Mangalore. Its frustrating, but unfortunately typical of many people's experience trying to get things done here. I'm hoping we'll be into the testing phase for this machine by the time I leave for the UK, but its difficult to plan ahead when there are so many blockages in the chain of events which will lead us to that.

Meanwhile I have been able to do a little work on the paddy transplanter which has been tested quite a lot with local farmers during the rice transplanting season last year. Sam's blog gives a good overview of the project so far: click here. Basically it is a machine which has been designed to re-plant paddy plants which have initially been grown close together as young seedlings. Planting the small seedlings back into the field is a long process which is generally carried out by groups of women. During my time in the Philippines I actually helped out with the manual replanting process and met some people who have been doing it all their lives. It really is quite a painful, sweaty, muddy and repetitive process to carry out, and I can see the benefit of having a small manual machine to assist with the process. I've been looking at the design of the current machine which was quite badly damaged by falling off a bus after the last transplanting season in June. Some parts will need to be replaced so it makes sense to make some improvements at the same time.

Over the last two weeks we've been able to do a couple of hikes not far away from Ujire. A couple of weeks ago we hiked up a mountain called Kudremukh which is about 1900m above sea level, and on a clear day visible from our office window. We set off after sundown and  managed to camp near the summit (which was absolutely freezing without a tent or even sleeping bags) under a beautifully starry sky, and then headed up to the peak for sunrise the next morning.

The sun starting to rise over the western Ghats

Sunrise from the top of Kudremukh (the name means Horse's Face in Kannada)

We've also been able to climb an odd looking hill/rock formation called Gadaikall that you can see from where we stay in Ujire and which has an old fort called Jamalabad at the top. Its a very sweaty climb in the still, humid air, but the views from the top are great.

Seb, Surabhi, Sam, Nishant and Deepti on top of Gadaikall