|
Tuesday,
16th March, 2004
 |
| Sitting
precariously on the roof of a house on the hillside. |
I fell
for the oldest trick in the book this morning. I asked how long
the trek would be up to Mahabir, and believed the answer! As a result
we had a lazy morning in Beni and finally got going at 9.20am.
It
was mostly uphill again to regain the height we had lost. However
it definitely wasn't going to take the four hours I had believed.
Instead it took seven hours.
By
the time we arrived in Mahabir the general tiredness was beginning
to creep up earlier and earlier in the afternoon.
 |
| A
couple of young kids seemed to be fascinated by me. |
Eventually
we arrived at the two bridges I had to inspect. They were brand
new so it was straightforward. They had been sponsored by an ex
serviceman in the village up on the hillside.
He
must have heard I was there and came down to see me. He was very
proud of the difference he had made for the village's 300 inhabitants.
I also
had to inspect a pico hydro-electric scheme, sponsored by another
ex serviceman. If taking photos of bridges wasn't enough, I then
had to record the electricity generator and water feed pipe.
 |
| The
newly-constructed suspension bridge. |
Although
hardly my normal choice of subject, the photographs were important
and would all go into my report after the trek.
The
porters had gone ahead to set up camp on a very narrow terrace.
I soon joined them and had the village patrons with me.
Seeing
the pride in the faces of those old men, knowing they had made a
huge difference to the lives of their friends and families, was
very special for me.
It
also seemed just the right time to crack open some whisky to celebrate
my arrival.
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