One of the many pleasures of these trips is the unexpected things that crop up. Not necessarily that they're not typical, just that I don't know all that's typical and therefore, they're unexpected.
I've always thought a monsoon was torrential downpour. Well, based on one experience, I'm half right. It's a torrential downpour, but coupled with high gusty winds--the kind that are roof-blowing, corn leveling, tree-shaking, roof-removing, hail-producing, and just plain wild. We had one today. Looked at the sky steadily turning darker shades of gray-to-black, then sprinkles, and then....the wind and driving rain. We had taken shelter on the site so could watch it all. Homes here have tin roofs that are nailed down, then rocks put around the perimeter to hold down the roof during monsoons. Understand why today. Parts of several roofs of other homes blew off (not Habitat homes though.) Pouring rain, hail, temperature drops about 20 degrees.
And then it's over. After about 30 minutes. Sky clears, and mountains we haven't seen before emerge--snow-covered majestic peaks, blue sky above them. Bus-stopping-for-pictures worth--(we had by this time gotten on our bus to head back to the hotel.) Another example of John, pay attention--it doesn't usually look like this in your life.
Dinner tonight with a few others from the team. Choose a place regarded for the best thin crust pizza in Pokhara. Gelato, too. Sit on the terrace, overlooking the lake, soft jazz music playing in the background, order a couple of pizzas to share (including one that's yak cheese). Excellent chocolate chip gelato for dessert. This is Nepal? Well, it's a tourist part of Nepal. But Nepal nonetheless.
More good building going on. I think we've finished the block passing--new record (for us) this morning when we passed all 200 blocks that remained. Meanwhile, walls going up, probably finished tomorrow. Let them set for the weekend, then Monday we'll do roofing. And then some plastering on the outside. And then we'll be done.
Getting a little better sense of the local people in our build site, including one who was on an absolute rant today--screaming about something, at great length, for quite a while, with no response. No idea what it was about--not knowing the language can be very relieving.
There's an older guy whom we call the President. Seems to rule the roost. Delightful guy, probably about my age (maybe younger) but looks many years older (he's had a much harder life than I can even imagine.) Caught him napping today, a rarity.
Saw another woman cooking over her open fire, some sort of one-pot dish. Only way she has of cooking.
Nepalese people are short of stature. I am not. Houses are designed for their size, not mine. Lots of "mind your head" and ducking. Only problem comes when I make an unexpected (for me) head turn. Hit a pipe extending from the roof--wouldn't come close to a Nepali but whacked my head nicely. Blood, nothing serious, but lots and lots of attention (we were at the restaurant for lunch.) Clucking, bringing an ice stick, pulling a band-aid from his wallet (who carries a band-aid in their wallet?), others expressing concern, me just wanting to get on with the day.
The incredibly tiny nut that holds my glasses together came off. Again. Friends searching in the grass, but there's absolutely no chance of finding it. Go to a photo/sunglasses shop after dinner. "Bring it to me." Empties a container of many different tiny screws, nuts, whatever. Puts them together. "May I pay you?"
"If you wish." Give him 500 rupee note (smallest I have) and ask for something back. "How much you want to pay?" "50 rupee." "That's nothing." "100 rupee." "How about 200 rupee?" So I learn that "if you wish has an implied price. I'm happy to have my glasses back, whatever the (small) cost.
I never seem to learn. It takes me about a week to recover fully from a long airplane trip. Always feel I'm doing pretty well each day, and then, about a week after, I realize my mind and body are finally fully together. (Or at least as much as they ever are.)
Walking back to the hotel on a side street after dinner I encounter a cow moseying the other way. We exchange appropriate evening pleasantries and go our respective ways.
Got involved in tuck pointing the final layers of block on house #1 today. Involved going up high (my specialty of course.) Decided it was best approached by going up on the roof of the close by adjacent house. Sitting on the roof made the job easy. The roof is tin. The sun was shining brightly. I gained new feeling for "cat on a hot tin roof."
A new insight into the electricity situation. Most (all?) of the electricity is generated by hydro. In the rainy season (approximately 5 months each year), the flow is ample to provide electricity 24/7 to the nation. But in the non-rainy season, it isn't, hence the load-sharing scheme.
How do you fertilize the rice paddies? Put a pile of cow dung in the middle, flood the paddy regularly and let that spread the fertilizer evenly across the paddy. Seems better to me than our ways.
Some concern about the family in #1 house being able to repay the loan. Seems a male has joined the household and he isn't very diligent about seeking work. New arrangement: we'll withhold the plastering of the outside walls until he/they have made 6 months worth of payments ($10/month.) If they do, then their house will be plastered and the job completed.
I marvel at the ability of people in very poor conditions to keep their families in immaculate clothes. Clean, pressed if appropriate, and always nice looking. Wash in the stream, hang to dry, who knows how to iron? But always, always clean.
We've finished building the walls of both houses, plus designed a porch for one and an enhanced path for the other. Roofing on Monday, plus concrete floor Monday or Tuesday, then plastering the walls. And then, they're done.
Off building work for the weekend. Going on a 2-day trek into the mountains. Nothing like "real" treks with Sherpa porters, etc. but it will be great to get into the mountains a little, visit a village, and see the surroundings. Then back to building on Monday.
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