The Beat Goes On at the Everest Build

Hi All! Evertyhing is going well. Weather is quite warm but we have learned to trim bamboo and we can weave the stuff as well. Great team with several New Zealanders on our team. Great workers. Richard is in heaven and seems to be enjoying every minute. Lots of opportunities for adaptation. Today is the last full day of building so we are elbow deep in slurry and mud (see photo of Anne working hard.) We are hoping to get a primer coat on the outside today. It's hard to describe the beauty of this place. Pictures don't do it justice.

As the Everest Build comes to an end, we are preparing to participate in a celebration in a nearby park that includes a visit from the President of Nepal (very big deal since until recently, Nepal had a king). We were told that the President has never been to western Nepal region before. It should be a great event.

More to come.

S.E.

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.

Pokhara

What an adventure to travel from our hotel in Kathmandu to the airport. Once there, getting our tickets and passing through security took some time. But once we were in the terminal, we were excited to begin our adventure at the Everest Build.

Once we arrived in Pokhara, we were separated from our luggage, which went off to our respective hotels while we were transported to the Mountain Museum and a Habitat Welcome. Children greeted us with Namaste (welcome, hello) flowers and scarves commemorating the Everest Build. Mountain Museum was great, kids were wonderful and dinner (served in the middle of an open field) was lovely. We were entertained by children from a partnering organization - SOS Children Villages - who entertained us with beautiful folk dances from regions of Nepal. Time to go back to our hotel and get some rest.

Habitat OC meets Nepal

Five volunteers from Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, California have traveled to Nepal to be a part of the Everest Build. The Everest Build 2010 will celebrate more than a decade of Habitat’s work in the mountainous nation of Nepal. Hundreds of volunteers from all over the world will join together to shine a light on the scourge of substandard housing and demonstrate what can be accomplished when families, communities and nations come together to build a future where every man, woman and child has a decent place to live. Everest Build 2010 volunteers will focus on building at least 30 houses in one week in a community near the city of Pokhara.

Our groups consists of the following people:

• Jaymie Fisher, Director of Volunteer Services & Special Events
• Richard Martinez, Construction Site Supervisor
• Anne Thorward, Habitat OC Supporter
• Adelle Yeaton, Habitat OC Supporter
• and me, Sharon Ellis, Executive Director

Jaymie and Richard just joined Anne, Adelle and me in Kathmandu. Here's what Jaymie has to say about that -- After 30+ hours of travel we finally made it to Kathmandu, Nepal. WOW!!! I will spend a day and a half here and then leave Saturday for Pokhara, Nepal. That will be our base for building. Thank you for all the positive thoughts. Namaste!

Stay tuned for more on our travel adventures in Nepal's capital and largest city in Nepal, Kathmandu.