OPD Building Update

Its been a while since my last OPD building update and the buildings really starting to take shape. Here are a few pictures of what has happened over the last few weeks.

Pouring the concrete for the columns. No safety
harnesses here!

Half the columns completed and wrapped with wet
sacks to help the curing.

Construction of the exterior walls has begun. The exterior walls
are stone with a plaster finish on the inside. It looks really good
when its finished.

I've been quite impressed with the contractors building the walls
they've knocked two walls down and started again
 because they weren't happy with
them. I don't know anything about stone masonry so I'm glad
that they seem fussy.

They build the stone wall with gaps for the windows and
then make the windows to fit later on.

This is another little project that I've been working on. INF has decided to develop the entrance to the hospital site. The completed project includes a new gate and a couple of small shops with an open area for taxis to park and buses to pull in. Eventually it should look pretty good, we've started building the gate.

 Putting the boxing in place to pour the second section
of the gate pillars

The gate has ended up being much grander than I think is
necessary but it's still kind of nice your own design
come to reality.

Mum and Dad, Simon and Rachel Holden arrive in Nepal

 Well, after delays arriving due to a bomb scare closing Kathmandu airport Mum and Dad Holden arrived to a dark and chaotic Kathmandu. It rained for the day that we had there, the monsoons final hurrah. As the rains were cleared and the sun set these photos were taken.....

 We then came over to Pokhara and went boating on the lake before we had dinner at a hostel that Mark and Jo have been involved in. They welcomed us like heros with a standing procession, flowers and songs. These children are from very poor backgrounds and have been bought to Pokhara to receive an education and hopefully be able to input into their village later. Some have behavioural and learning problems but are thriving in the loving environment of a large Christian family. It was a special evening.

Our trip to Nepalgunj

Mark was asked to go to Nepalgunj for about 4 hours work. INF has some money to build it's own office premises there rather than paying high amounts of money in rent. Mark has been asked to do some drawings so that the consultation process for building can be started.
INF has a vehicle that goes from here on a Friday and comes back on a Sunday. Jo had some friends she wanted to visit so thought she would tag along for the ride.

The leaving date was made one day later due to a bandh. However, the day we did leave dawned beautiful and clear and the mountains were stunning. As we drove for the first four hours we would come around corners and there was another stunning view of rice paddies that are an amazing green, grass clad hillsides and the himalaya mountains.

(photo taken by Tim Darms who had the window seat! Amazing photo considering it is out of a vehicle that is moving almost as fast forwards as it is bouncing around and very difficult for autofocus with all the different shades of light)

We reached the terai which is the flat plains of nepal at the southern border with India. We drove along these for another 4hours to reach Nepalgunj, 10 hours later. Nepalgunj is right on the border with India and as it is flat peddle power is much more common than Pokhara. Even the school buses were rickshaws! There is a muslim community there so the call to prayer is heard throughout the day and there is a greater present of more indian looking people and we heard a lot of hindi being spoken.

Nepalgunj gets a lot more power than Pokhara but the voltage is almost always low as was evidenced when it took an hour to melt the cheese on a pizza, and the speed of the fan!

 Some of the hill country is soo steep, and every bit of useable land is used for houses or crops.

 The terai has lots of houses that are of the mud/bamboo/ thatch style.

 Girls taking wood home for cooking over a fire.

Mark got his work done, Jo caught up with friends as well as taking some time to wander around the bazaars, get herself completely lost and take a rickshaw ride home (was sorta the plan - just wander around taking in sights and smells etc). Nepalgunj has some interesting smells.There are lots of lakes and stagnant pools of water everywhere. The roads are very poorly developed and I think there are only a few paved roads in the whole town. When we were there it was dusty, in the monsoon it must be a mudpool.

 One of the 'beautiful' lakes in Nepalgunj - be glad you can't smell it.

 Yep - rickshaws do every job - furniture removal, advertising, school bus, taxi.....

 The mosque with the Ncell sign - that means recharge cards are available!

We had an uneventful trip home although after another 10 hours of windy bumpy roads we were glad to get home.

Hehe - they are wearing hard hats and barefeet!

 

 I love the colour of the green rice fields.