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. Previous entry | Next entry | 
