Making Dreams Reality

It's amazing how far the project has progressed since I last posted. While time was spend redesigning, fabricating and installing the structural support for the second floor slab we were able to shift our focus to the bathroom and existing structure we are renovating. The Bathroom has been finished, the interior and exterior walls plastered, and plumbing fixures installed. Only remaing items to check off in there are finishing the tile for the urinal and the instalation of the remaining electrical equip. The exterior of the existing structure is currently being prepped for plastering and we have finished a small portion of the building to give ourselfs a picture of how it can be expected to turn out. We originally planned to plaster the entire exterior of all three buildings and paing them all. This proposal was met with great resistance by my workers, the people I spoke with in the community and the children. They attest that that look is reserved for hospitals only and would make the building less welcoming to the children and people in the community. Although I am managing the project, this will be the Chura community's High School. It is important that it is befiting of them and they will have as much pride in it as I already do. The traditional exterior finishes we will be utilizing on the the project may seem alien or even tacky as they did for me when I first arrived, however I am confident that once painted the contrast between the exposed stones and platering around the windows and doors will give the building a very appealing look, befitting of such a great project as it is. Below are some pictures from the project over the last month. Enjoy!

Roofing the Bathrooms

Truss Delivery

Placing the Corrugated Metal Deck

Connecting the Deck to the Trusses

Placing WWM in prep for the 1st floor slab pour

Area to check finish and paint schemes (more pics to come)

Finished slab and first day of 2nd floor Masonry work

Since we work 6 days a week it has been hard to find time to get out and explore Kenya. The weekend before last however, I had the most amazing and unique experience so far on this trip. I attended the Rhino Charge, a day-long Off-road rally competition where competitors must navigate gueling terrain to Reach as many of the 13 checkpoints scattered accross the competitions as possible while covering the least amount of distance (all the vehicles are tracked via GPS).

The event was heald in an area near Isiolo this year. I road there with the Deputy Ambassador to Denmark, Head of the Danish Refugee Council, both who were both competing with the number 54 team, and two friends who intern at the Danish Embassy. The little Landcrusier Prado we came in was very packed. The area the competition was heald this year lies in the rain shadow of Mt. Kenya and is one of the arid places I think I have ever been. On the 30 kilometer access road as untame as most offroading trails back home, we passed Masi tribes living in small huts no more than 5 ft high and 7ft in diameter. Luckily for us, the Competitors and Spectators camps were located right along a small stream that ran down from the highlands.

We pitched out tent right along the steam admist evidence of a recent Elephant visit! I was completely in awe by the entire event. During the race, two heards of elephants were spotted in the competition area as well as a cheetah and two cubs. There were 7 roll overs all together and despite the external roll cages fitted on almost all of the vehicles, two competitors had to be airlifted out for medical treatment as a result. There were several helicopters providing airsupport during the duration of the event.

Overall, It was an amzing event with a lot of awesome post competition celebrations to be had. One thing I have learned about the youthful Kenyan culture here it that the party doesn't stop until sunup. After leaving our camp with Anthony, a Rally Car driver staying with us at a little after midnight, I was surprised to find a fullsized rager in the spectators camp sponsored by Burn a energy drink popular here in Kenya. Set between what closely resembles 9 marathon busses situated on huge offroad capable chassis running over 50 inch tires, was a crowd of over 1000 people dancing like there was no tomorrow, full stage and DJ setup plus sever burning barrels ablaze, scattered admist and around the crowd. Rumor has it that after the Sun rose the DJ finished the party off with some great Kenyan Gospel music! I am glad my tent was far enough from there to sleep through that.

Just pulling off the Tarmac only 30 Km to go

The Danish Team: Car 54

#54 Unmodified '69 Landcruiser

# 37 Modified Mecaedes Unimog

#8 Modified Susuki Samuri

Modified 4 Runner winching at "The Gauntlet"

If someone talkes me into getting a RV later in life, I think I will just build one on a Unimog Chassis. Modificed campers and tour busses like these were everywhere! (The busses mentioned earlier wer at least 5 time this size!)

#39: Modified Land Rover Defender 80

"Pies to Go" Checkpoint!

This Sunday was almost as eventful as the last. I to a short Matatu ride from Nairobi to visit Lake Naivasha and Hells Gate National Park. I had an awesome fresh caught fish fillet for lunch with roasted sweat potatos and then headed to the park for some mountian biking. I rode a rented bike through the park and was able to see Giraffes, Zebra, Gazelles, Babboons, Impala and Warthogs for the first time since coming to Kenya. Honestly there were more Zebra in the area than stray dogs in Bangkok. I couldn't believe it. At the north edge of the park I went for a hike in a small gorge that was actually a film location in Tomb Raider 2. I guess its about time I watched the Tomb Raider movies seeing as I have been to filming locations for both
now. Outside the gully, I met some Americans who had just moved to Nairobi from North Carolina. I joined them for a boat ride on Lake Naivasha to view the famous Hippo pods and Flamingo flocks there before hitching a ride back to Nairobi. It is mating season and it was quite the experience to watch the male hippos bound through the shallow waters chasing each other away from the others females.