First Day of the Everest Build

Up at 6:00 AM and on the buses by 7:15! Our team, Adelle Yeaton, Anne Thorward, Jaymie Fisher and I, were ready to begin learning how to build a bamboo house in beautiful Pokhara. Our house leader, Richard Martinez, had arrived before so he had been to the site and was ready to lead us!

After a 45 minute bus ride – an adventure in itself – we were asked to exit the bus, walk across the bridge and then rejoin the bus on the other side. Children greeted us with Namaste, flowers and more scarves. It was extremely touching and brought all of us to tears.

Once back on the bus, we traveled up the winding road to our destination. Hopped out and began hiking farther up the mountain. Our house is #27 and is clustered with #28 and #29. The view is breathtaking! It looks out over Phewa-Tal Lake, the green mountains and the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas. Hopefully the pictures will help to convey the beauty of this country!

The foundation and the bamboo framing had already been done so our job was to measure and cut smaller bamboo sticks to be added to the frame in preparation for our weaving of the walls. Wow, we had lots to do and the weather, which is hot and humid, didn't help. Drinking water and trying to stay hydrated was a task - lots of watching out for each other to make sure no one was overcome by the elements.

Lunch was served under a beautiful tent on the side of the mountain. Going back to work after our wonderful lunch was a shock to the system as most of us would have loved a little nap.

We finished around 4:30 PM, trekked back down the mountain to our waiting bus and the E-ticket ride back to the hotel. Showers and a jump in the pool were certainly high on the "To Do" list. Dinner was at the hotel and then most of us headed for bed.

S.E.