ECOCLUB, Issue 95
5
El Momo upgraded all bathrooms and equipped them with electric instant showers. In order to keep water and power
consumption low each bathroom has it's own small heater. Installation close to the point of use avoids the otherwise inevitable
loss of heat from the hot water pipes of a centralized facility. Electricity is only used while showering (which is always short
and fast on Saba due of limited water supply). The new showers are high quality made-in-Germany products and equiped with
easy-to-use electronic stepless rotary temperature selector, safety device and build in ELCB protector (Earth Leakage Circuit
Breaker). Of course our popular solar showers are still available, but in case of less sunshine now we have an additional choice
and hot water is 100% guaranteed. The moon was never working to full satisfaction, so now also early morning showers can be
hot.
Community acitvities:
Oliver organised a Saba Day Island Run from the Airport to The Bottom sports
field. He participated
himself and made second in only 49 min. First winner was Kermit Rust, a medical student of the Saba Medical University. He
finished in only 45 minutes. Oliver also organised a local girls soccer tournament for the Saba Day weekend. Girls aged 7 to 12
gave their best performance and everybody had tons of fun. Olli with his german roots is a great soccer expert and also co-coach
of the local girls team. He volunteered as referee for all 5 matches. Parents held a bbq and supported the young athletes.
2007 was really a good year for us at Gramam Homestay. The village Kumbalangi,
located 10kms south of Fort Cochin itself was declared as the one of the 15 selected
rural tourism destinations in India. The selection was made by the state portal,
IncredibleIndia.org. At Gramam homestay a new cottage is opening in January 2008.
This old coconut farm house was renovated and converted to a large bedroom with a
kitchenette facility.
Natural swimming pool:
Ecolodge Rendez-Vous, Saba now also features a swimming pool. The pool is located in the centre of the property and has a
wooden deck with a sea view. The bottom of the tiled pool is decorated by Heleen Cornet with a wonderful glass tile mosaic
depicting turtles, starfish and waves.
Improved solar shower system:
Almost all cottages at the ecolodge now have a warm water system consisting of a series of PVC pipes attached to the roof. The
pipes are painted black to absorb the solar heat. They replace the solar bags that were used up till now. Advantages are that the
water has more pressure and there is more warm water available. And the fixed showerhead allows you to wash your hair
without having to stoop down. The water has cooled down by morning but in the afternoon it can be pretty hot.
Renovation Cabins.
Two cottages have a new name: The Klomp is called now Mt. Scenery Cottage and the Floral Cottage became the Bird of
Paradise. Both cottages have been renovated and in the enlarged decks have a private hot tub.
