The last few days have been very slow and a bit frustrating for all. We are encountering a combination of problems that are impeding progress. First and most significantly, the drillers are experiencing very high torque on the turning rods, presumably the result of friction with excessive mud building up in the borehole. Attempts to clear this with a combination of bentonite drilling mud and polymer have been only marginally successful. On the 3rd we advanced about 12 meters but eventually it became impossible to go deeper.