Mission Accomplished!

18 houses for 18 families.  What a sense of accomplishment.  The last 7 houses that we completed today went quickly.  We had a terrific breeze to keep us cool, and we knew what we were doing.  Michele and I nailed up the walls for one house on our own, with help from a couple of the village men.  Trying to hang on to the sheets of corrugated steel in the strong wind was a challenge, but we managed.  My hammering arm isn’t sore, but my legs are.  Climbing up and down a ladder countless times is as good as a step class, or better.  I expect to be stiff tomorrow, and actually am looking forward to sitting quietly on an airplane.

The handover ceremony is always a very moving experience.  The 18 families gathered in a semicircle, and one by one, each builder presented each family with a quilt – a housewarming gift.  They are so anxious to get into their new homes, I’m sure they couldn’t wait for us to leave. 

Staying at an eco lodge has been an experience in itself.  We are up on a mountainside, in the jungle, surrounded by all sorts of jungle noises.  The first very loud screeching we heard was not a man-eating creature, but a hornbill.  I haven’t had the thrill of seeing one, but we certainly know they are around.   What some of us have seen are jungle rats, large frogs, big geckos called tokays, and one friendly snake.  There are rat traps in some of the rooms.  Any rat caught becomes a barbequed snack.  Not much is wasted.  There is only cold water for showering, and electricity is solar generated.  Each room has a battery, so once you’ve used up your allocation of power, it’s lights out.  Not that that is a bad thing.  There is wifi in the vicinity of the front desk, but we are asked to use it sparingly.  Last night after working all day, most the team was in bed and happily dreaming of hammers and nails by 8 pm.

Today we have more energy, having finished building by lunchtime.  A few relaxed with a cool drink and feet dipped into the pool.  You can pay a lot of money to have fish clean your feet in a spa, but here it’s free.  It tickles at first and then you get used to it.  The fish are picky.  Some feet are more attractive than others, although we don’t know what their criteria is.  This evening we are going to the crab market in Kep for a group dinner with Tabitha staff to celebrate another great build.