Day Four

Day Four.... What can I say, today started very slowly for us all but especially myself (Jason) as a result of one too many Tuborg's at Mamma Mia's and resulted in Scott carrying me to the ladies toilet and relieving myself of the nights pizza. On Day Four we had to dig, shovel, bag, scoop, throw, pan, hoist and shift a copious quantity of a combination of dirt, rock, spiders and roots... basically everything you can think of... I even found something that resembled stockings... this was all removed from a bank of approximately 5m in height using a small pick and shovels about 15 metres from the house foundations that it was being used for. We eventually created a four lane highway from what was initially a one lane goat track leading to the water 500 metres below.

After the 2 hours of shifting the dirt (and stockings) we were sent to the rental property of Team Alpha's homeowner to collect the door and window that appears to have come from an existing house within the Community Development Centre. This was a challenge within itself as it involved four people carrying the heavy hardwood door and frame and the gaol-like hardwood window across prepared fields of crops and the front and back yards of numerous Nepalese houses. The carrying of the window and door appeared to be a very easy task until.... we got to the final 15 metres to the build site below where the team of five and the homeowner along with Santosh (Community Development Officer) had too slowly,but surely, lower the materials in unison down a steep embankment that would continually give way under your feet as the ground below was soft dirt and loose rocks (the other 7 were directed to the usual task of carrying water from the river to the build site and again 500 metres below).

During lunch, which was the usual Dahl, Rice and a combination of mixed veggies, we were surprised to find that as an extra 'treat' we were offered the local delicacy of fish head and tails (not where the middle part of the fish went) from the Seti River below.

After lunch, we were again directed to head to the river below where we were told to carry large, flat face rocks back to the build site. These rocks are to be used to provide weight to the corrugated roof sheeting to the two houses as screws, nails or other appropriate fixings are not used or provided for use to ensure adequate fixing of the roof sheets. After the homeowner explained (through the translation of a young random Nepalese boy) that only 10 large flat rocks were required, the team agreed that a 'conga line' strategy would be the most appropriate method to move the rocks to the site. After approximately 1 1/2 hours, 38 large flat faced rocks and a few expletives later, we were ecstatic to have competed what has been our hardest task to date. It was only a short time later that we were told that we need approximately 160 large flat faced rocks from the river below (we are now VERY peeved off and not sure how we will accomplish this task, but as usual we will suck it up and do it).

The day finished by mixing some sand and cement with all four walls layed to the second or third course on Team A's house. Team B's house was not worked on today at all.

It's time for a Tuborg so I have to go now.... I look forward to catching up soon.

P.S. Love to my three gorgeous girls, Cath, Bridget and Tiffany xoxoxox

Jason