13 Feb Building progress!

After some prevarication and arguments about whether people need and want toilets and, if five families get them courtesy of vso then everyone will want one, hard man Ratiman has finally given in and the first toilet/kitchen area has been marked out, some reinforcing bars are evident and I was shown where the drains will go. It may indeed set a precident since the 62 houses being financed by the government are each getting more money than my five.

Up in the hills my first retreat cabin made of bamboo but on a coconut and concreted stone base is progressing apace – and with little regard for my drawings. The coconut wood base frame is unsawn, untreated and still with its bark (that which hasn’t been eaten by insects yet) let alone cut to measurable dimensions. It is being jointed with mitred ‘joints’ probably held with nails or gravity but boss Biwa is happy and the men seem to understand the bracing of the bamboo frame as a means to aid construction but we wait to see and again I need to revise the drawings to match what is being built!

Going into Jogya yesterday I tried to follow the large watercourse that runs a couple of kilometres from the village and would appear to pass the wi-fi internet café not far from the hostel. All well for the first part, the ‘towpath being ideal for motorbikes and with views of the countryside and with Merapi volcano smoking away instead of the advertising hoardings and traffic fumes of the Godean road. Got across the ring road, and another to connect to the waterway still but then one road junction with no apparent route on the other side – must have a closer look next time.

Got hold of some postcards at last for some of my non computer friends back home – next to see what the postage costs! Also Pak T.O. and Hari my host are happy for me to have a party on St Patrick’s day so I can start planning in good time. Had to lend Alice some more money to get to her classes since their wages have still not been paid since December. I tried to have a private word with Biwa but just as we were about to sit down in a quiet café Ibu Wati fang and came shooting round to take Biwa to the airport in connection with some visiting Dutch relative (she used to be married to a Dutchman) so that put the kibosh on that plan – no idea when I may get another opportunity.

Now to try some photographs again....... No, no go again today!