Blog post for 18-02-20

Weather: 30 C ( 86 F), Clear skies, Sunny & Humid … again.

With the fencing on the bridge complete we had the final task of back filling and installing the cement slab on the right-hand-side foundation trench.

Fred lead the team in the back filling operation and Vinay lead the concrete slab that followed. This was no small task as the required rock fill was just shy of 150 cubic meters! The whole team and all workers were on this job for the day, hauling basalt boulders and wheel burrows of cement. After a long and hot few hours we finished rock fill and installation of fence posts, and finally completed the concrete slab around 6:20pm. This was hot and hard work but a great result.

Everyone was suitably stuffed by the end of the day,  but still found time to grab a few pictures with the locals with Sarah’s infamous Polaroid camera. As usual a crowd quickly formed and the tussle for a picture begins.

We are all becoming more confident with our food. Issa insisted we stop to buy sugar cane on the way home from a street stall. Our diver Kenny was kind enough to do the negotiations for us, and 2000 shillings later we ended up with 5 full stalks of sugar cane protruding from our car window on the way home.  It was delivered to the chefs with a few thousand shilling tip to prepare for the dinner that night. After a hard day in the sun the team found themselves avidly chewing, sucking and spitting sugar cane to extract our first and only desert in Uganda thus far.

Later that night, and after 10 straight days of having boiled eggs for breakfast, Issa and Jeremy asked if they could change it up to scrambled eggs for the following day. When asking this question it dawned on Issa and Jeremy that the chef did not know what scrambled eggs where, and were only familiar with fried and boiled eggs. Jeremy and Issa then insisted that they teach the local chef/DJ/Bar tender how to make scrambled eggs after a few beverages at midnight. The training was successful, the chefs loved the scrambled eggs and the following morning the team woke up to a tray of scrambled eggs for breakfast!

Check out the photos from today below!

Fred addressing the crew before beginning rock fill.

The foundation trench and the goal for the day!

For the first stage of rock fill the team set up in conga lines to move and throw the rocks into the trench.

Jenny doing some rock presses on her trip between the foundations and the rock pile.

This is Martin. He has been nicked named ‘The Mountain’ due to his ability to dead lift 300+ pound rocks and carry them over uneven rocks for back fill.

JD sorting the small rocks around the fence posts.

Mike and JD working together on the rock fill.

Mike appearing to enjoy himself during the manual labor!

The team working together to arrange the rocks around the bridges cables.

Negotiating a boulder into place

Mike yielding a well worn sledge hammer!

Sarah W loading rocks.

A very Ugandan way to carry rocks

Loading buckets of small rocks around the fence posts.

Rock fill complete!

Now for the concrete pour.

Fred and Sarah smoothing the concrete into its final form.

Sarah and Jenny just as the last of the concrete has gone in with the African sun going down behind them.

Becky’s proof of a hard days work!

Not as graceful as ‘The Mountain’ but the crew none the less moving boulders into place

More rocks!

After finishing work early we left site at around 1pm in the afternoon. When we got back to Alvima we had some afternoon snooze time and then head down to the soccer field with a ball and a Frisbee to hang out.

Dave S, Dave C and Sarah happily played soccer with the kids. Dave C got on really well with the kids and excelled as a goal keeper, commenced war cries before the soccer game started and even relinquishing his water bottle to a thirsty by stander..

Dave S and Sarah were out on the field and soon realized they were superfluous to the game and were happy enough to stand aside and watch the mob of children repeatedly change sides to catch a touch of the ball.

Mike, Jenny and Sarah took out the ultimate Frisbee again, Jenny handing over the Frisbee to a girl named Matilda at the end of the day as she considered she would share with all the other children in the community.

After playing soccer with the children into the afternoon a set of older and more serious soccer players came on to join in. Issa, Dave S and Arnold and our driver Kenny joined in on a game of soccer on the full field. The game was significantly more intense, however extremely fun.

Dave C skipping to the soccer field with a very enthusiastic child!

Dave C war cry before the soccer started.

The Frisbee going into the night.

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The soccer mob.