Water Company Updates

Life just gets even easier, the more time I spend here!

Last year I wrote a story about water companies, their call outs and the fact that they will deliver upstairs to my apartment – see here this link to refresh your memory.

http://musingsandmutteringsfromhonduras.blogspot.com/2010/02/water-delivery-timing-opps.html

Note: I am feeling quite clever in that I managed to figure out how to follow the instructions and ‘attach’ older articles with present updates. I wager there will be a few more of these to come!

Anyways, back to the story….

When I returned this past November I soon realized that there were a couple of new water companies servicing my barrio. I discovered this fact purely by hanging out on the patio and watching the world go by – nothing more clever than that – just basic curiosity!

Mimos is the fourth company and deliveries are made at fairly regular times during the day and week, though I’m not quite certain just when anymore. Occasionally I’ll hear their call out of “Meee Moooo” but they generally don’t bother with too much broadcasting. The driver doubles as a delivery man, there are no fancy uniforms or big trucks but they get the job done with their small pickup truck and even smaller sign on the tailgate.

 Agua Diamante is the most recent company in La Ceiba and runs an even smaller outfit. There is one lone man, no obvious uniform, on a bicycle “truck” that he peddles slowly but surely through the barrio. There’s no call out that I’ve noticed; mind you how could he peddling that weight?

Prices for water have risen this year, ranging from 31Lps for Aguazul (supposedly the most trusted company) to as low as 20Lps for Mimos and Agua Diamante with the other two companies ranging around 27Lps, which all include delivery up my steep little stairwell.

Yes, I’m suspicious as to how the new companies can be so much cheaper but it’s obvious they have less overhead and fewer workers so possibly that’s the reason. Other than that I don’t want to think of the obvious answer – that it could be filtered tap water. I haven’t been sick, I’m not particular about brands for anything and I’m every so appreciative of having it delivered to me!

So there are now five companies serving us, six days a week instead of three previously, all of them deliver and now I don’t have to fuss about getting water in time so as not to run out over the weekends. Simply put, one of the basic necessities of life has become so much easier to accomplish!

Blessed be, Stephanie

Water Delivery Timing Opps!

There are three companies that deliver 5 gallon jugs of drinking water door to door in our barrio, generally on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday each week. My personal favourite is "Aguazul" reputed to be the cleanest but "Arroyo" and "Pingoino" are also used by my neighbours.


Generally, I start hearing their call outs a couple streets away and have lots of time to get out on the patio to wave them upstairs for my own delivery. Each company has their own "short form" call - though "Agua, agua" is the predominant announcement. Arroyo sounds like a long "a row ho", Aguazul is more a "agua zoo zoo" and Pingoino is the most confusing for me as it sounds like a rapid "eeno eeno".






Usually, the companies follow each other in about half hour installments but there must have been a mixup this morning as the two trucks were nose to tail with each other as they wended their way through the barrio. Given the size of these trucks and sundry vehicles parked along the narrow street, as well as my neighbours' preferred water choices, there wasn't a chance for either of them to get out of the log jam!

So the workers called out, hustled in and out of homes and managed their deliveries in record time as no other vehicle traffic could access our street during this course of events.

For me, a slightly-disabled small woman, having 5 gallons of water delivered into the stand in my upstairs apartment is a blessing and for only 27 Lps ($1.50 USF or just under $2 CAN) a jug. Some things are affordable for "supposedly rich" gringas here in Honduras and quite frankly, this isn't light work for the employees either!