Project phase

---

If you thought that Mersea was a desolate location you should see this place (kidding i live there). We Had a fantastic journey on an air conditioned bus for 10 hours up to our location of Jispa where we set up camp at the school. It is set at 3200 meters so the acclimatisation effects started to kick in. Just walking up a hill leaves you breathless and gasping for air, 10 seconds after you have stopped and you are fine. Weird. The project started the day after we arrived. We are renovating one of the schools buildings by laying plaster, painting the walls and doors and window frames. Its a relatively large school for its nine pupils. Things have not started off well. On day one we had to see how much paint etc we needed. Then the team had to catch a bus for one hour to a place called Keylong. 1 HOUR!. Where on Earth is B&Q when you need it. Anyway the guide gave us advice about what to get and showed the students around the town and what to buy. When they got back (6 hours later) we realised that the guide majorly under estimated how much we needed. So the next day and another trip to Keylong we finally got the correct stuff. The main problem we have is that we are working at altitude and so we are all getting very tired very quickly. As the team is so large we have split into two groups. This means that one group works on the project and the other group goes on an acclimatisation trek. The views are simply breathtaking. Once we got up to 3700 everywhere you looked stopped you in your tracks and paralysed you for a few moments whilst you took in the majesty of the Himalayas. I have already taken over 200 pictures as it just gets better everyday. Today we are on the last day of our project and it will literally take all hands on deck to get it finished. All the group know that it needs to be done and several of the challengers have been working at night to get enough coats of paint on the walls. Unfortunately a lack of decorating know how has provided the challengers with some beautiful, multi-coloured paint tattoos all over their arms and faces. Last night the group went up to a field and star gazed for hours. There is virtually no light pollution here and it was a perfectly clear sky.

As there are mothers reading this, mine included, i want you all to know that everybody is going to the toilet and changing their underpants regularly. I know you would panic if i wasn't mummy but your little soldier is a big boy now.

Anyway, tomorrow we are off on the trekking phase and I cant get to the internet so it is radio silence for the next two weeks i'm afraid. I will cantact you as soon as i get back from the trek.

By for now
Nick

---