After we let them off, Matt, Pedro, and I went down the western flank into the town of Belén to find the Maicu (mayor).  We were told he would be back at 11:00. Belén is a more prosperous town than Chuquichambi.  It seems cleaner and friendlier for some reason. It even has a Centro de Comunicaciones.

Next, we drove up the streambed west of town and found a good campsite about 2 km upstream.  We returned to town and were told the Maicu would be there around 12:00.  Frustrated, we drove upstream to check out the rock exposure.  Although it was good, there would be some water problems.  So, we returned to our incipient campsite and ate lunch.  Matt and I then shouldered our packs and hiked up a prime tributary that had water in it.  We found a good trail and after 45 minutes came to the spot where Brian and Rich would eventually descend.  We had a good view of the Chilean volcanoes and Sajama.
 

This view is looking up the west side of the big ridge between Chuqui- chambi and Belén. The summits of the two peaks are above 15,000', higher  than Mt. Whitney in California. Brian and Rich would sample across the top and descend into this valley to meet up with Matt and me.

Back at the campsite, we got into the Toyota and drove back to Belén.  We had said we would return to see the Maicu at 4:30.  This time he was there.  We caused quite a stir in the central plaza.  I had a good time explaining our work to the people.  I left a copy of our convenio and my card with the Maicu. I told them that although we weren't looking for gold or oil, if we found any we would split it 50-50 with the town. That brought a lot of smiles.

We returned to the pass to look for Brian and Rich.  I took some nice photos of both sides with low sun angle.  After trolling the road back and forth across the pass for 45 minutes, Matt and Pedro spotted them walking out an abandoned road on the west side.  They had sampled an amazing 30 sites!  It made us feel like we had done nothing.
 

Matt and Pedro pose at the summit of the pass over the big ridge between Belen and Chuqichambi.

We returned to Chuquichambi in the dark, winding down the narrow road.  For some reason Matt and I were as tired as they were, so after dinner we all went to bed.  I was asleep immediately.