Today I continued to explore the lower Marpo valley--the valley that runs between the two hills, Marpo and Caronlina. After walking up 'the hill', and turning east, I walked until the road ended--into a small farm. They were growing several vegetables, including tomatoes.
There was another road leading even farther east--a paved road--that I decided to follow. This road continued to follow a downward slope. Soon there appeared a tall chain-link fence that seemed to surround a very large area. After a while an opening in the fence appeared, and inside the fenced area a small, unmarked building. It dawned on me that this must be the water-treatment plant for the island. I poked around looking for someone (there was a scooter in front of the building), and just as I was about to leave, a Filipino worker came out of the brush, waving to me. His name was Domingo, and was one of four workers that took care of the water treatment plant. He was kind enough to take me on a tour.
The fenced area surrounds a low point on the island, where the water naturally collects. Several pumps are dropped down about 10'-15', although the water level in this area is only 2'-3' deep. In fact, after opening a small door in the floor, one can see the water table!
The water is drawn up from this low area, chlorinated, and then pumped uphill to two water tanks sitting high on the hills above Marpo Heights and Carolinas Heights. Then the water travels from these tanks, using gravity, to the homes on the island.
The area now surrounded by fence was once a Japanese village, prior to the war.
At the end of this same road is another large farm--a betelnut farm. Betelnut is chewed by the natives, much like chewing tobacco. I guess it gives one a mild euphoric feeling. Some people mix betelnut with tobacco, or with lime juice. It was a beautiful farm--one of the best I have seen on the island--and also had many coconut, mango, and other trees. Several men were working to harvest the betelnut, one was chopping open coconuts, and one was working on a small boat. A Mr. Sanchez, I believe, owns the property. I was very impressed by the care that had been taken in upkeep of this bit of paradise. There were also a few fighting roosters.